What Is Your Legacy?

I turned 45 years old yesterday. That's not exactly a magic number, but for a guy that probably has the maturity level of a 25 year old in many ways, 45 seems ancient! So I hope you'll forgive me if I'm feeling a bit reflective. Have I accomplished enough to justify the vast swathes of time I've spent playing online games and sucking down Juicy Juice? If I'm blessed with another 45 years, how will I use them? Hell, if I get my way and achieve cybernetic immortality, how will I spend the upcoming centuries?

I try to be a good husband to my wonderful wife and a good father to my three beautiful children. But that's not exactly the stuff they write about in history books. I have a reasonably successful career in software development as well, but I'm not arrogant enough to believe that business will remember me long after I'm gone. No, I think if I'm to leave anything behind that lasts, it will need to be my writing. So far that legacy is summed up in a pair of short films, one self-published zombie novel and a few published short stories. I clearly need to do more. At the moment, I'm hard at work on wrapping up the final draft of a zombie novelette and about two-thirds of the way complete with my first draft of a young adult novel. I'll keep plugging away. In the meantime, here are 10 people that neither you nor I are likely to match in terms of achievement despite the fact they died before reaching my new level of decrepitude.

Alexander the Great – conquered most of southern Europe and Asia by 323 BC. Died at 32.

Jesus of Nazareth – Son of God, basis for Christianity, and the modern calendar. Killed in his 30s.

William Wallace – leader of the fight for Scottish independence. Killed at age 33.

Ferdinand Magellan – first explorer to circumnavigate the Earth. Killed at age 41.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - perhaps the greatest musical composer of all time. Died at 35.

Edgar Allen Poe - literary giant in the genres of detective fiction, science fiction, and horror. Died at 40.

Amelia Earhart – first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Lost and presumed dead at 39.

Alan Turing – mathematician and computer science pioneer. Died at age 41.

Martin Luther King Jr. – Civil Rights leader assassinated at age 39.

Elvis Presley - the King of Rock and Roll and peanut butter/banana sandwiches. Died at 42.