8 ways for sharing your life and learnings with your loved ones after you’ve died

The legacy we leave behind is ultimately up to us, and can be influenced by our values, beliefs, and actions during our lifetime. A legacy is the impact we make on the world and the people around us, and it can be a way to continue to influence and inspire future generations. Here are a few ways to share your legacy.

Traditional memorials

One of the most common ways to remember a loved one is through traditional memorials, such as a funeral, wake, or memorial service. These events provide an opportunity for family and friends to gather and share memories and stories about the deceased.

It is common practice these days for a person to include some funeral planning as part of end of life planning (ie. along with the will, living will, etc). You can use this as an opportunity to provide directions on the type of funeral/wake, add readings that are important to you, suggest favourite songs. You could even use the opportunity to make significant announcements - you could use a post-life message service like Afterwords.life to share the messages immediately after you’ve died.

Legacy projects

Legacy projects, such as scrapbooks, photo albums, or video tributes, can be a way to preserve memories of a loved one and share them with others. These projects can be done individually or as a group and can include photos, videos, written messages, or other mementos.

To assist loved ones with this process, let them know where to find any physical photos, videos, etc. You should also ensure you have written down the logins for your ‘social footprint’, particularly the services where your photos, etc are stored eg. Facebook, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.

Memoir

Your story is important! A memoir is a terrific way to capture it for others to read and enjoy. My father did this and I really appreciate the insight this has given me into his world view. Ideally, arrange for a biographer to interview you, writing and recording the responses, then collating these into the finished memoir. Many palliative care clinics, retirement homes and hospices offer this service, as do some end of life doulas.

Online memorialisation

There are many websites and social media platforms that offer online memorialisation services, allowing loved ones to create virtual memorials that can be shared with others. These platforms can include photos, videos, messages, and other interactive elements that allow people to remember and celebrate the life of the deceased.

The key thing for you to remember is to ensure your logins for these services (eg. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc) are accessible by your loved ones after you die - you could write this down somewhere where they could find the it and/or use the Afterwords.life service to automatically share the information after you die.

Memorial jewelry and keepsakes

Memorial jewelry and keepsakes, such as lockets, urns, or pendants, can be a way to keep a loved one close and remember them in a tangible way.

If this is something you want to do for loved ones, make sure you leave instructions with someone you trust.

Options range form engraved stones right through to storing the deceased’s ashes in a mini urn on a necklace.

Post-life (“posthumous”) messages

A great way to stay in touch with your family and friends after you die is using a posthumous messaging service like Afterwords.life, which involves sending messages to loved ones that will be delivered after the you have died. Afterwords.life uses encryption and time-delayed delivery to ensure that messages are only delivered after the sender has passed away. This can be a way to offer comfort or closure to loved ones, or to share important information or messages that the sender wants to pass on. You can learn about how to use Afterwords here.

A peek at the technological future - Digital Immortality via personalised chatbot

Using AI to create a chatbot or robot that reflects the personality of the deceased is an area of emerging technology known as "digital immortality". This technology involves using AI algorithms to analyze a person's digital footprint, including social media posts, emails, and photos, to create a virtual avatar of the person that can interact with others, providing a sense of continuity and connection for those left behind.

While the concept of digital immortality is intriguing, it raises several ethical and practical concerns. For example, some people may feel uncomfortable interacting with a virtual avatar of a deceased loved one, seeing it as a poor substitute for human interaction. Others may worry that creating a virtual avatar of a deceased person could be seen as disrespectful or creepy. These themes were explored in “Be right back” episode of the Netflix show, Black Mirror, which we profiled in another another post. From a practical perspective, creating a virtual avatar of a deceased person that accurately reflects their personality and memories is a complex task. It requires sophisticated AI algorithms and a vast amount of data to analyze, which may not always be available.

In summary, there are several options available to people to communicate with their loved ones after they have died, including traditional memorials, legacy projects, online memorials, memorial jewelry and keepsakes, spiritual practices, and posthumous messaging. Each of these options offers a way to remember and honor the life of the deceased and to feel a sense of connection and continuity with them