Take a minute or two and think about what is in your tablet, your laptop, your phone and in your sites. Now think about someone going through all that stuff of yours after you’ve posted your last sentence. What will someone think when they see it and you can’t reply?
I started thinking about this because of the death of a colleague. The man was a professor of philosophy and humanities who believed in what he taught as well as the people he taught. Not bad for a career choice.
Like most professors, the man had an office that he had occupied for a number of years. He kept his books, records, and minutiae of his professional life in that office. One day he turned off the lights and locked the door to that office on his way home. He never returned, passing away that night.
The evidence we leave
Now it’s one thing to walk out of an office and not return. People go through the stuff, throwing, donating, and keeping. But what about the online things?
True story (and the reason for this entry): When my sister passed away far too young from metastasized breast cancer she had things on her desktop that would happen automatically. She had posts scheduled for future dates, reminders for things, etc. You know the usual.
One morning I opened my email and there was a note from her – a month after she passed away. It was heart-warming and seriously spooky at the same time.
So imagine that if you posted a blog, wrote an article, answered something and then logged off and never logged back on? What would be found? What would be found in your posts? What if what you write today is the last thing you ever write? What conclusion will someone make – about you – from your final sentences?
Today’s takeaway: don’t leave a mess; don’t leave something that just brings sadness. Your words speak about who you were, who you strived to be. Help people smile when they remember you, because they will remember you. Write carefully and let your words be worth reading
Still Amazed 