Can what you are doing now outlive you?

Coco is a 2017 Pixar animation that enlightened me on matters the afterlife and life in general. It gravitates around the exploits of  12-year-old Miguel, who, despite a heavy-handed ban on music by his grandma in the family, still has the insatiable thirst to play the guitar and sing. During a night to honor the memory of the dead (dias de muertos), Miguel finds himself in the technicolor world of the dead. A series of mysterious events ensue that lead him to his actual great grandfather Hector who faces complete disappearance even from the world of the dead since no one in the world of the living has his picture put up. The only reason keeping Hector up and about is the ever failing memory of his 96-year-old daughter COCO. He left her at three years, and the songs he played to her as a little girl still linger in her weakening recollection. 

The plot aside, Coco is a thrilling film that sets you on a rather remarkable journey of a passionate 12-year-old forming the basis of today’s blog post. If you haven’t watched Coco, now you have something new for your watch list 🙂 Like any other human alive, I also struggle with the question of the meaning of life and our very existence. The older I become, the more I realize what is truly important, so give me a few minutes of your valuable time, and I hope you will see things from my side of the prism. 

Sometimes back in February, I ran a special feature; BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND – A KING GRIFFIN’S TRIBUTE ~ Joel Flash, eulogizing my departed friend Griffins Walubokho. It has been six months since I ran that piece and close to eight months since the King bowed out. What stands out though, is how passionately his memory lives on! Griffins set up a group of young minds with a passion for advocacy matters. He would passionately pursue the growth of Bungoma Youth Connect (BYC) with every passing moment. Passion is infectious good people, and as a result, he got quite the following from fellow young people around town. He also forged powerful alliances between BYC and the office of the first lady and other CBO’s around the country, including Bungoma based Stagemedia arts. I am not sure if he knew this while at it, but he was setting up BYC for success, even in his departure. I am one of the people that he kept a very personal relationship with, and he made sure that I was well acquainted with his lieutenants. I later joined in, and as is the reality, the group suffered major withdrawal symptoms from the King’s departure.

It finally came time to find new leadership that will continue to further the King’s memory. I was nominated by the legal team to chair the elections committee to oversee the election of the new face of BYC. I juggle a lot, and I am usually left with very little time for myself, but I realized how important the role I had been assigned was, so I pushed everything aside to steer BYC into new leadership. You know how elections go, a bit of this and that, but I am proud to have been part of that process anyways. The members who came forth and expressed interest in BYC’s leadership were a perfect choice. Youthful, vibrant, and genuinely well-meaning l for the CBO’s long term growth. During a colorful ceremony to officially usher in the new team, it hit me! The King had managed to outlive himself! I couldn’t be prouder. 

What are you involved in right now? Are you a farmer, businessman, lawyer, politician, singer, dancer, heck you could be a social media influencer! Can your hustle outlive you? Have you empowered people around you enough to take over the mantle from you, should you draw your last? I know, I know, why be bothered with what happens in your absentia? Maybe you think that that kind imagination is the reserve of presidents and industry leaders like Bob Collymore, right? Wrong, my good friend. The scale of impact is secondary. What is truly important is the ability for others to draw strength and inspiration from your existence. A double blessing if you go beyond family and rope in friends aaand even strangers who just by hearing about your exploits become stronger and better.

Such touchy-feely subjects intrigue and scare me in equal measure. I am running two concurrent plots here; succession and keeping memories alive. I tend to think they kind of go hand in hand, somehow. Look, life is a collection of experiences shared, good or bad. These experiences strengthen the bond between individuals. The stronger the bond, the higher the chances that those that outlive you will carry on your memory with immense reverence and as though your vision was their own! It’s not automatic, though, and you probably have zero control in the culmination of events that will follow afterward. You can, however, set them up for success. (the events and people)

In a more recent blog post, Entrepreneurship/Business = Chewing glass ~ Joel Flash, I was forced to justify why I am on the path that I am on. Is it for fame, money, and all the other vain stuff? Yes, a little bit. But if that were the only thing eight years since inception, I would have given up. I have a bit of those, but I have to reiterate that nothing would make me shake and wail in my tomb, like the thought that the people I brought in this world are suffering. Setting them up well or ensuring that they have the right mental frame to succeed would be a lifetime achievement for me.

Does it even matter, and I will be long gone? One may ask. Sure, by all means, you are allowed to think like that. Now muse with me for a minute. Look at the things that make life wholesome; receiving affection/love is amazing, but giving it feels greater. We gain greater satisfaction/actualization by deeds; Helping out the needy, helping a friend/family member get a job, or start a business, bringing up your kids to be well-rounded beings. See, the things that transcend and expand your view come from actions done to/for others. So if that seems to be the entire premise of our existence, being of service to our families and community at large, then, in my opinion, it is super important that the memories your loved ones have, be good memories of you. It is from these memories (fond) kept that they will take it upon themselves to carry on your vision/business/hobby and pass it down the next generations. I don’t know about you, but this is the kind of stuff that keeps my juices flowing! 

I have embarked on a rather arduous task of obeying my alarm lately. So every morning I do some CNN while listening to the quiet storm on Capital FM. Now CNN is usually idle TV I only focus my eyes on it when I see an out of norm byline.  The US president has managed to reduce what we regard as breaking news significantly. 

Now they have a small segment where they feature 100-year-old businesses. Brands like Rolex, Coca-cola, Ford Motor Company, and yes, Gucci was founded in 1921, haha! Hip hop culture made it extra famous, but it had been a luxury brand for a while. There are a lot more; these are the ones that I could pop right off the top of my head. I watch with awe as the great-grandsons talk fervently about the struggle the founder went through on startup. I said it earlier, passion is infectious, and boy is it a sight to behold listening to them talk about the exploits of their grandfathers like they were their own.

Look, you don’t have to set your sights to the stratosphere, you should, but don’t be held prisoner by it. In between is what counts. Focus on creating intimate memories with the people in your life. That trumps everything else. What you do will be carried on nonetheless.