Would you choose to upload your memories to gain immortality? Hell, no.

“Uploading your memories to the internet to gain immortality.”

This is ridiculous. I know it might seem a bit harsh to begin a post this way, but I guess I have very little self-control when confronted with a thought like this. I simply couldn’t wait to write it out.

I’m going to be fair and play with the idea for a moment. Let’s say humans we’re able to accomplish such a feat—preserving your memories digitally, stored on google drive, or in the cloud, or what have you. Assuming all the data from your mind were successfully transferred, that would mean people could access your dirty little secrets as well. Now, that wouldn’t be so fun anymore, would it? Surely, there’s potential for it to be exploited, copied, and pasted all over the internet for the world to see.

What about your memories – your wisdom, decisions, mistakes, and beliefs? How can you be sure that none of your undesirable thoughts will be irresponsibly used or taken out of context by others, potentially leading them astray instead of keeping them on the right track? Do you see the problem now? The problem lies in having zero control over your memories once they're out in the open. None. Even if you entrust them to the person you trust most, there’s still no guarantee of safety. Well, there is one: if that person deletes them entirely. Only then would they be truly safe. And that’s why this idea is so ridiculous.

The concept of immortalizing oneself is not new. People in ancient times already done this by erecting statues of themselves or having others do it for them. Other examples include naming a piece of land or a road after themselves, or even building a museum to showcase all their life story and works.

I’m not saying that all of this is a bad thing. I mean, if that’s your wish on your deathbed, then by all means, go for it. You do you. All I’m trying to get across is that it’s too much unnecessary work.

There is a better way to ‘immortalize’ yourself, though. And that is, be part of someone’s life. There are many ways to do this – contribute to their growth, help them, inspire them by being a good role model, support them in their endeavors, or simply be there for them when they need it most. If you do these, people won’t forget about you.

People will willingly remember you and may even pass those memories on to others, thereby extending your legacy to new places and generations. You will live on in their minds, and if you're fortunate, in their hearts as well. Isn’t that far better than uploading your memories in the cloud, surrounded by nothing, isolated and disconnected?

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