Not selfish at all, and I'll die on this hill. Parents want to be remembered by their kids, teachers by their students, artists by their work - that's not selfish, that's how meaning gets passed down through generations. Without that drive to leave something behind, we'd have no culture, no progress, nothing.

The whole framing of 'selfish' vs. 'selfless' is kind of a trap anyway. Wanting to be remembered could come from a place of wanting to inspire others or help them learn from your mistakes - that's not selfish, that's generative. Motivation matters.

Yeah, it's pretty selfish when you really think about it. We're all just dust in the end, right? But honestly, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing - wanting to matter, to leave some kind of mark, it's basically human. My grandpa used to say legacy isn't about ego, it's about making sure the people you love know you cared. That stuck with me.

I think there's a difference between wanting to be remembered and needing to be remembered. One's healthy - like, I want my kids to think fondly of me someday - and the other's kind of a bottomless pit that never fills up no matter how much you achieve.

Selfish? Sure. But so is eating when you're hungry or sleeping when you're tired, and we don't beat ourselves up over that. Being remembered is a natural human desire, and pretending it's some moral failing just makes us all neurotic. Own it.

Look, the wanting part isn't selfish. But obsessing over it? Spending your whole life chasing fame or a legacy instead of actually living? That's where it gets weird. The trick is finding the balance - do good work, be kind, and if people remember you, cool; if they don't, you still had your life.