Legacy
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Legacy
If you have ever had thoughts of leaving behind something for a family, a community or the world, which implies that you are not far from creating a legacy, whether you have done it intentionally or unintentionally, legacy is something everyone thinks of every day. A legacy is something that is transferred from someone or received from an ancestor to a predecessor. Other people regard legacy to something that results from past events such as money/property which is left to someone (alive) from a deceased person. More so, a legacy can refer to a situation developed as a result of past actions and decisions. For instance, presidents leave legacies through their speeches or messages concerning a specific policy or development.
I think to leave a legacy means to rubber-stamp the future by contributing to the future generation through money, policy and property, among other legacies. In most cases, people do leave legacies because they want to show the remaining age that their presence in the world, family or communities mattered. Therefore, it is vital to plan and decide on your legacy when still strong and reasoning. Thus, for any0oone anticipating leaving a legacy, he or she should see their life as relay runners whereby, the members take turns and exchanges the batons in their fists. Each member of the team is required to run his or her portion after which she or he hands over to the next person. Such a thought of life is attributed to President Obama and is vital for those who wish to leave a legacy when they are gone (Kane, 1996).
There are different kinds of legacies one can leave behind. A residuary legacy, pecuniary Bequest, specific Bequest and contingent bequest are the types of legacy one can leave. A residuary bequest is a residue gift resulting from the deceased’s estate or residue share after the family had got their share of the bequest, and all debts or expenses have been settled. Pecuniary legacy results from the specific amount of money the deceased allocates towards legacy in his or her will. When a valuable item is bequeathed, it is called a specific bequest. The valuable item can be stocks, shares, furniture, jewellery or land, among other items (Kane, 1996). A contingent bequest is referred to a gift mentioned or written in a will. It usually depends on an occurrence or an event happening. For instance, it happens when a testator leaves a legacy in his or her will for a charitable course, but minding whether or not the beneficiaries pass before the testator.
I have limited assets; however, I want to leave a legacy that has value to the people am leaving behind. In most cases, people discuss legacy in terms of assets left behind for inheritance, but I think legacy is more than this. Therefore, since the next generation needs more than assets, wisdom and unconditional love is a necessity in my heritage. My experience today is not similar to what the next generation will undergo. They will leave a different life from what we are leading today; however, values and principles of life endure forever. Thus, my legacy will be leaving them moral values of life and principles of ethical behaviour and morality in society. Unconditional love is essential for every human being because it is a limitless gift that multiplies through sharing.
References
Kane, R. A. (1996). Toward understanding legacy: A wish list. Generations: Journal of the American Society on Aging, 20(3), 92-94.