Week #304 My Legacy

When I'm gone, I won't care so much about success or the material goods I was able to accumulate. What I really long for is that those who loved me remember five essential aspects of my time in this world. And I'd like to explain why each of them is so important to me.

1. To be remembered as a good family member
   Because the family is the first circle where we learn to love, to give in and to protect. I want you to remember that I was always present at the key moments, not out of obligation, but out of conviction. That I was that son, brother or uncle who listened without judgment, who supported without conditions and who celebrated each achievement as my own. Being a good family member means building an emotional refuge, and that's what I tried to leave: a home within their hearts.

1. To be remembered as a good teacher
   I'm not just talking about classrooms and blackboards. Being a teacher is about transmitting curiosity, patience and a passion for learning. I want you to remember that I never humiliated someone who didn't know, that I adapted my explanation as many times as necessary and that I celebrated the mistake as part of the journey. A good teacher does not fill heads with data, but rather lights internal fires. If someone, thanks to me, felt more capable or less afraid of the unknown, I will have fulfilled my mission.

1. To be remembered as a faithful friend
   Fidelity in friendship is not only not betraying; it is to be in silence, in defeat and in routine. I want you to remember that I kept their secrets as my own, that I defended their name in their absence, and that, even if time or distance separated us, they always found in me a port to return to. A faithful friend is one who does not flee when the storm rages, and that is what I tried to be: an anchor in their lives.

1. To be remembered for my human values
   Because values are not preached, they are practiced. Honesty, respect, empathy, justice, responsibility... I want you to remember that I preferred to lose an argument rather than someone's dignity; that I returned the extra change, that I asked for forgiveness when I made a mistake and that I did not remain silent in the face of a small injustice. Values are the invisible skeleton of our actions. If someone can say "he never betrayed what he claimed to believe", he will have left an ethical mark.

1. And above all, to be remembered as a good person
   This is the summary of all of the above. To be a good person is not to have no defects, but to strive every day to cause the least possible damage and the greatest good within my reach. I want you to remember my sincere smile, my selfless help, my way of looking without superiority. Because in the end, titles are forgotten, goods are dispersed, but the warmth of a kind soul remains forever in the memory of those who touched it.

A final comment:

I have never pretended to be perfect, only human and coherent. If when they remember me they manage to smile or feel a little peace, then I will have lived with purpose. Because the true legacy is not what we accumulate, but what we sow in others.

Note: The photos are my property.

I used the DeepL Translate translator.