Why Are We Here?

Introduction

This was inspired or kicked off by a couple of conversations I heard going into town on the bus. I sometimes have to go in to get necessities, and I do drop by record shops to pick up some more music if I like it. Maybe cards and things for friends, but I find shopping incredibly tedious, but on that bus, I seemed to be in a definite minority.

Generally, the main sentence was "I'm going in to do some shopping", and they seemed very excited that they were going to be shopping. The best one I saw was a grandma with her (I assume) granddaughter, and another woman asked if she was excited to be going shopping, and the little girl said:

"No, I am going to see my granddad!"

The woman then said

"Well, make sure he gives you some money to go shopping"

Not "Oh that's really nice". It seems that the only thing that is worth doing is shopping for some people. The little girl just wanted to see her granddad.

The music is "Where Are We Now?" by David Bowie.

So Why Are WE Really Here?

Retail therapy has never been a thing for me, and while I get a lift from acquiring something that I like, I never use it to lift me out of a down. If I feel down, I find something to do, which I know will lift my spirit, like seeing a friend, going for a walk, reading a book, or messing about on my keyboard or guitar.

I suppose my aim in life is to become effectively immortal, that doesn't mean living forever, but leaving something after you are gone that will last for as long as the mechanism or media on which it is stored.

So David Bowie has departed this plane, but his music and words are still with us.

Until the early nineties, the only way to leave a mark on the world was to become a famous sportsperson, entertainer, artist, writer, or public figure.

The internet changed all that.

I will write and publish this article, and it will stay here as long as Vocal and the Internet keep going. I also have backup copies in case those two ever fail.

I wrote these two pieces on the subject, so I have been aware of what I am doing for a very long time:

If you are a Vocal Creator, you have already started to cement your immortality. I have over three thousand stories, poems and articles on here.

I also have a blog with over two and a half thousand posts, and one and a half million visits here:

My Instagram Channel has over fifteen thousand posts, and I have gathered a thousand followers.

My YouTube Channel has over 220 videos and 260 followers with almost a quarter of a million views. Here is where you can find videos of me talking and singing, and slideshows from over the last fifteen years.

I also now have several self-published books on Amazon, something I never thought I would ever do.

So, while I intend to be around for another fifty years, what I have done will be around for a lot longer than me.

Conclusion

The digital age has given us all an immortality, should we choose to embrace it, which I have.

Every email you send, every heart on Instagram or Facebook, is another brushstroke painting your own immortal picture.

When I started on Vocal I could not have imagined writing this article, but it is another step in me establishing my own immortality.

Thank you so much for reading, and there is a lot more to come from me