My Own Taj Mahal.

Most of the great wonders of the world are monuments and tombs to old dead leaders. They build these divine structures so that people will remember them. But at the end of the day, what will they be remembered for? Will they be remembered for the legacy that they left in life in how many lives that they have touched, or will they be remembered for using slave labor and stealing from the poor in order to make these buildings that stand for nothing except megalomania, death and destruction?

So then I wonder, what will I want my legacy to be? What do I want people to know and think about me when I die? I can only hope that I have touched many lives, through conversation and through art. I can only hope that the ones that I truly love loved me and loved how I loved them. Maybe I will not be the next Cezanne or F. Scott Fitzgerald, but I can be Charles, the guy who loved with all of his heart and let all of his feelings flow the best that he could.

So when I die, I want to be cremated. I want my ashes to go to the places that meant the most to me. I’m sure that some should go to Mars, in honor of my mentor, but I want the rest to go to places that have a special place in my heart, like my back yard, Central Park, the Dominican Republic, Kelly Drive, and the trails on Fairmount Park. My life will be my own Taj Mahal.