The vast, vast majority of people are forgotten within 100 years. Pretty much need to be in an extremely high position where records are kept, like presidents, or do something extraordinarily positive or negative.
I strongly doubt anyone reading this post will be remembered after the people they met or interacted with directly have died.
I actually have a geneology book （族谱） from my paternal lineage (everybody does this in China). Its just a bunch of names, and some history of the village summarized. I hate tradition and I’m already in the US right now, I dont give a shit about the stupid geneology book anymore, my ancesters will probably be so pisses to find out that I totally ignored all the hard efforts lol. (My village still has a copy, but I’m not adding more name to the stupid thing, a waste of time, its also misogynistic AF, if there’s a daugher, then the lineage doesn’t record their decendents. So dumb, as I guy, I hate this patriarchal bullshit)
With the U.S. only being 250 years old, I can’t say anyone would remember presidents in 600 years. If the U.S. is gone there will likely be mention of 1 president that was in power when whatever came and took/changed it. During the planetary destruction revolution there was a plethora of wasteful greed. They called it an industrial revolution that ran rampant with greed and wastefulness.
History preserved the names of heads of state from countries that had a much shorter existence or impact. 600 years might seem a long time to Americans but it’s not that long for historical memory.
While that’s true, we have much more extensive record keeping these days. I’ve been researching my family tree, and 100 years ago there were still a decent number of people who were mostly illiterate. Add to that documents like the census being handwritten in cursive on paper, and you get lots of errors being recorded, and the records themselves being damaged by age.
Unless something drastic happens, a lot of our records will still exist in the centuries to come. It will mostly be our official records, but they should still be there :)
It’s not just names in lists though. Using my mother’s grandparents as examples, I know where they were born and grew up, I know who they lived with at multiple points in their lives, and I know a few of the places where they lived.
I know where and when they got married, and some of the guests, and I know what children they had and when. As they were adults at the time, I know some of what my great grandfather was doing during the first World War and how he died.
I haven’t done a deep dive into their lives yet as I’ve been working backwards, but I’ve already got a decent idea about who they were and what they were like. I know a fair bit about his parents and family too, as I checked that side first.
The biggest issues are finding photos, and the cost and availability of records. There are not many photos due to them not being as pervasive at the time, and there are not many records because a lot of things either weren’t recorded or weren’t saved. Both of those can be solved with the technology we have now. Lots of people have their own information saved, separate to the official sources, and it’s easier to have multiple copies of everything, so they won’t get lost or destroyed as easily.
Hopefully this means that we’ll remember more of the past going forwards :)
Perhaps but what is the value of human life? Being remembered of living and enjoying life? You won’t be around to care that no one remembers you, but you are here to enjoy life right now. So why be bothered by what people in 600 years are up to.
It’s your’s to make of it what you will. It doesn’t have to be sad. It’s pretty incredible any of us are here in the first place with how many conditions had to be present for life to even be on earth. And then we evolved from single cell organisms into these complex beings that we are today. It’s pretty fucking nuts and fascinating.
The vast, vast majority of people are forgotten within 100 years. Pretty much need to be in an extremely high position where records are kept, like presidents, or do something extraordinarily positive or negative.
I strongly doubt anyone reading this post will be remembered after the people they met or interacted with directly have died.
I actually have a geneology book （族谱） from my paternal lineage (everybody does this in China). Its just a bunch of names, and some history of the village summarized. I hate tradition and I’m already in the US right now, I dont give a shit about the stupid geneology book anymore, my ancesters will probably be so pisses to find out that I totally ignored all the hard efforts lol. (My village still has a copy, but I’m not adding more name to the stupid thing, a waste of time, its also misogynistic AF, if there’s a daugher, then the lineage doesn’t record their decendents. So dumb, as I guy, I hate this patriarchal bullshit)
Some aspects of that tradition are commendable, though. It would be neat to see this updated in a less male-centric fashion.
Or be a really shitty copper merchant
With the U.S. only being 250 years old, I can’t say anyone would remember presidents in 600 years. If the U.S. is gone there will likely be mention of 1 president that was in power when whatever came and took/changed it. During the planetary destruction revolution there was a plethora of wasteful greed. They called it an industrial revolution that ran rampant with greed and wastefulness.
History preserved the names of heads of state from countries that had a much shorter existence or impact. 600 years might seem a long time to Americans but it’s not that long for historical memory.
Sure, then everything in history would be “remembered” forever… Except no one would know or care. To me, that is not remembered.
I would say Jesus is forgotten completely at this point even though he is written/read everywhere
We record these kinds of things in archives as they go along. Hell, we have records of Egyptian and Roman leadership going back centuries.
While that’s true, we have much more extensive record keeping these days. I’ve been researching my family tree, and 100 years ago there were still a decent number of people who were mostly illiterate. Add to that documents like the census being handwritten in cursive on paper, and you get lots of errors being recorded, and the records themselves being damaged by age.
Unless something drastic happens, a lot of our records will still exist in the centuries to come. It will mostly be our official records, but they should still be there :)
Is a name in a list really being remembered though?
It’s not just names in lists though. Using my mother’s grandparents as examples, I know where they were born and grew up, I know who they lived with at multiple points in their lives, and I know a few of the places where they lived.
I know where and when they got married, and some of the guests, and I know what children they had and when. As they were adults at the time, I know some of what my great grandfather was doing during the first World War and how he died.
I haven’t done a deep dive into their lives yet as I’ve been working backwards, but I’ve already got a decent idea about who they were and what they were like. I know a fair bit about his parents and family too, as I checked that side first.
The biggest issues are finding photos, and the cost and availability of records. There are not many photos due to them not being as pervasive at the time, and there are not many records because a lot of things either weren’t recorded or weren’t saved. Both of those can be solved with the technology we have now. Lots of people have their own information saved, separate to the official sources, and it’s easier to have multiple copies of everything, so they won’t get lost or destroyed as easily.
Hopefully this means that we’ll remember more of the past going forwards :)
That’s quite sad tbh, we’re all just tiny specks on the timeline of humans
Perhaps but what is the value of human life? Being remembered of living and enjoying life? You won’t be around to care that no one remembers you, but you are here to enjoy life right now. So why be bothered by what people in 600 years are up to.
Fair point! We’re here to enjoy life now.
Im glad you replied what I was going to reply… just in a way more positive way :D
It’s your’s to make of it what you will. It doesn’t have to be sad. It’s pretty incredible any of us are here in the first place with how many conditions had to be present for life to even be on earth. And then we evolved from single cell organisms into these complex beings that we are today. It’s pretty fucking nuts and fascinating.
Yeah, it is incredibly fascinating.
I am 100% in favor of being forgotten, because trying to stand out in the sea of billions of people is a ridiculous expectation.