“Living a life of character is a form of immortality.
The ripple impact of your integrity will influence generations to come
as each person inspired to emulate your example
passes on your lessons by their words and conduct.”
I think one of the most important line in the poem “What Will Matter” is: “What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom, and for what.” Though we shouldn’t live our lives for our legacy, whether we will be remembered and for what should be a concern for any of us who want to believe that our life matters to someone other than ourselves. There is a form of immortality in the memories of those that survive us and we choose now whether those memories will be inspirational and uplifting or something less. So, when you weigh the cost of acting with integrity, courage, kindness and generosity (and, sadly, there is often some temporal cost), think of it as an investment in your immortality. Character does count even when it seems that no one is counting it.