One Lifetime, One Legacy

Let's give some thought to a subject that we all think about, some of us engage in, and which nobody can deny. I hope you will also take the time to consider what is going on in your own life. I would like to share my current thoughts on our personal consumption and production.

As a child, I didn't play many games, and there were probably others who played more than I did. Nevertheless, I mostly played physical and digital games on my own. Each time, I realised how enjoyable it was to have them. I attribute this to having limited resources and specific time constraints — first homework, then playtime — as well as the ability to use my imagination in various ways.

Over time, I started playing a wider variety of games. Having grown up with pen and paper, I designed simple games with rules I made up myself to stimulate my imagination. I had the same urge with digital games, but it always remained just an idea. I would often think things like, 'I wish it were like this' or 'It would be great if I could do that.' I wanted to create more. This didn't happen in the digital realm, of course, because I lacked the necessary knowledge. However, as the industry constantly developed, our desires came to life in different ways.

Years later, I encountered this urge again, this time with books. As I read, I realised I was having similar thoughts: 'I wish the character was like this', or 'It would be interesting if they said that.' These thoughts were related to my desire to take control of the story. At the time, I thought, "I should do the same. I should write my own story." However, feeling inadequate, I only made a few attempts. Reading books was both more enjoyable and less tiring.

Photo by Johann Siemens on Unsplash

Essentially, I had become aware of something. People in every area of consumption — be it games, books, or anything else — were driven by the urge to replace their favourite things with new ones. Even if they couldn't act on it at that moment, this desire would inevitably resurface one day. We wanted to create games because we played them, and we wanted to write stories and poems because we read them.

We all have hobbies, interests and jobs that we love, even if we haven't discovered them yet. We know that pursuing these things brings us real satisfaction. The time we spend on them gives us experience, whether we realise it or not. No matter how old we are.

I am in favour of adopting this as a personal life principle. People should produce something by doing their best in the area in which they consume. The problem is that we don't know when, how or to what extent this will happen. The important thing is to keep this idea in mind and work on it periodically to normalise the process.

However, during this process, we should not judge ourselves or others. The focus should be on ourselves primarily. Furthermore, we should not view this as an obligation, but rather learn to consciously integrate it into our lives.

They say, “Plant at least one tree in your lifetime,” and I think this fits the topic perfectly. We may not have cut down a tree, but we are consuming a lifetime. In this life, the limits of which are unknown to us, the more we produce, the longer we live.