The Power of the Individual, and Legacy

Mar 29

In recent times, the concept of individual power, and how an individual can influence someone has become important; in my personal experience, a large number of people suffer from a lack of self-confidence, and that they cant start a domino effect for positive change. Using recent events, I am a supporter of Palestine, and general consensus is sadness, despair, desire to help but most prevalent is the sense of powerlessness. This post wont focus on the power of the individual on the scope of the world, but rather the effect an individual can leave on other people indirectly, leading to increased influence, notably through death, charity, and kindness.

Death and the Effects of Absence:

I wanted to start with the darkest topic of death of all kinds, which unfortunately may be the first time some realize the importance of the presence of someone, even if they don’t interact daily. With suicide rates on the rise (Marshall, 2024), it is unfortunate that some forget just how important they are, even to those they only had minor interactions with. For example, even if fortunately, not through suicide, my closest friend in high school, Zander, died when he was hit by a truck while on a run by a distracted driver. I realized that even though I only knew him for a short period of four years, when the majority of interactions occurred during the first and last year of meeting him, his lack of presence was noticeable in daily life. These things can be as minor as knowing that I won’t see him today, or knowing that when I send a message, I will never get a response back from him; however, it’s these small things that you notice most. Now consider the people who say they are insignificant; if they were no longer present, and when a message gets sent to never receive a message back, will they be missed? Absolutely! Even those without family have a place in the web of relationships, single memorable interactions or multiple minor interactions will continue the memory of the individual until their memory is forgotten.

The Importance of Continuous Minor Acts:

Most people think that to be remembered, or to leave their mark on the world, they need to be placed in the history books; I guarantee you, the ones you remember most in your life, won’t be a historical figure, but rather someone who you interacted with on a small scale, multiple times. I want to posit two sides of what is more impactful: a single major event vs multiple single events; for the former I will use a significant historical figure, vs a kid in elementary school I mentored for four months once a week (excluding breaks). You may think this is a baseless statement due to the time differential, but that is one of the main points of this post. Who do you think I will remember better, or be remembered bettered by; the one who left one single great impression, or multiple small ones? It will almost always be the latter. I met the same kid years later, at an event at his school, and we were ecstatic to see each other, even though our interactions were multiple minor occurrences.

Establishing a Positive Legacy:

This brings up the question, if I want to be remembered what should I do to maximize the positive good I bring? The concept of legacy is a question frequented in philosophy but one that affects all people; legacy is defined by Oxford Dictionary as “the long-lasting impact of particular events, actions, etc. that took place in the past, or of a person’s life”, which will be the literal definition used for this post going forwards. Using this definition, we can reinforce that the mark of a person is through long term interactions, not just major events. Thus, this brings us to the actions you could take to increase how you are positively remembered, some literal, and some inspired by Islam.

To begin, even if generic, willingness to understand someone, or as later mentioned, sincerity, is the first step to leaving a mark on someone. Without trying to know someone, you will either not leave an impact, or a negative one. Once you start to understand, and take interest in someone in a healthy way, they will take an interest in you. On a macro scale, the interest in people as a whole lead to an individual to act altruistically; this can be as simple as beginning to hold the door for people when they can, or as involved as making a conscious effort to help a person in bullying, or other situations that social support is beneficial. Once the sense of altruism develops, this becomes a continuous stream of positive markings; however, some will not develop this sense immediately, but rather a philanthropic one. First, I want to explain the difference between altruism and philanthropy; altruism is the innate desire to support others, while philanthropy is the sense that they have a social responsibility to support others. A person who helps people for social benefit is philanthropic but not altruistic, while a person who acts for its own sake is altruistic and not necessarily philanthropic; one can donate to charity or the sake of improving face without the desire to help. Additionally, there are metaphysical qualities that contribute to a person’s legacy; I will use the teachings of Islam for this next section.

Islamic Teachings of Legacy:

To preface I am Muslim, as such I am using the teachings of Islam and not that of other religions. The prophet Muhammed stated that there are three category of deeds that continue after death: a continuous stream of charity, knowledge which others benefit from, and a child’s prayers for you posthumously (Jamal, 2024). The first category includes altruistic and philanthropic intentions. Some examples of continuous charitable acts such as the foundation of a school, or altruistic means such as being a support system for someone, including support for creative ventures or paying for a child to learn and read the Quran. Second, the knowledge from which others derive benefit, are things that you make that continue to benefit others, such as developing medicine, writing a book, or the long-term teachings of parents. The third deed is relatively self-explanatory; the prayers a child left behind will continue until they either forget about us or pass away themselves. Even if you exclude religious teachings, it is generally considered that your legacy will be carried out by your children, or those that you influenced by being their uncle, respected adult, or someone unrelated that left a mark on them. Additionally, it is expanded in the Quran that any good deed can be the seed for a “good tree”, or something that continues to make good deeds for you; these could be the previously discussed long-term minor interactions. In a similar fashion, the act of leaving a legacy begins with sincerity. Second, leadership and altruism; in the story of Ibrahim (Abraham in Christianity), Allah tests him by making him the leader of his people. He could have asked what merit he would receive; however, he was more concerned with what he would leave for those after his leadership ended. Thus, the second step is to think of what you can do, not just for yourself but beyond; legacy is not built on spoils, but rather with the positive relationships including your family, peers, and coworkers. The most basic pillar of Islam is Imaan, or the faith in the oneness of Allah; prophet Muhammed stated that the lowest form of Imaan is helping others. This reiterates the main point of this post; it is the multiple tiny positive things that form our legacy and is not just restricted to a magnificent invention that will change the world.

Conclusion:

In a time of low self-esteem, growing suicide rates and a growing sense of powerlessness in global events, some of have forgotten their individual importance, and the effect they themselves have on the world and others. Some get so lost in the next best thing to change the world, that they forget that their very existence changes the world for others, whether it’s done through altruism, or philanthropy. I hope that this sheds some light on your individual value, and that every reader of this post, and beyond present some form of positive change on the world.

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