[An Essay from My Heart]

My Parents’ Legacy

Everyone, at some point in life, comes face to face with the word legacy. It can be a box that is opened only after someone’s death, or an invisible hand quietly passed on while they are still alive. A legacy is not merely a list of assets left behind; it is a way of life and an attitude that one generation seeks to pass on to the next. Thus, the true importance of a legacy is revealed not by its size or monetary value, but by how it guides and shapes our lives.

When we think of a legacy, we usually picture material inheritance—houses, land, or money. Material legacy has the power to stabilize life. It eases immediate worries, broadens the range of choices, and sometimes becomes the minimum armor with which we confront the world. Yet such power is often quickly exhausted within a single generation. It diminishes as it is spent, creates conflict when mishandled, and at times even divides people’s hearts. Material inheritance is certainly necessary, but by itself it cannot sustain a person’s life.

By contrast, spiritual legacy is invisible. It consists of the diligence and honesty parents pass on to their children, their attitude toward others, the courage to rise again after failure, and the values through which they view the world. Spiritual inheritance is not recorded in a bank account, yet it speaks quietly at the most decisive moments of life. When we hesitate over what to choose, or waver over what kind of person we should become, we rely on the standards we have already inherited from our parents.

In today’s world, dominated by materialism, the value of spiritual legacy becomes even clearer. The more money and achievement replace human worth, the more easily our humanity wears thin. One may learn how to win in competition, but learning how to live together does not come naturally. At such times, the spiritual legacy left by our parents slows the pace of life and sets us back on the right path. It remains within us as words like, “Live honestly, even if it means a small loss,” or “Live in a way that leaves people behind,” or as a way of life shown quietly without words.

When we are young, we rarely recognize its value. Our parents’ words sound like nagging, and the principles they upheld feel like confining rules. Yet as we grow older and collide with the realities of the world, we gradually realize how solid a foundation those words and attitudes were. A heart that does not easily waver, the strength to protect oneself in the face of temptation, and the ability to build trust in relationships were not formed overnight; they were ‘seeds planted long ago within us through our parents’ lives.’

There is an old saying: “Wealth diminishes when it is used, but character grows when it is shared.” As this suggests, the value of spiritual legacy increases with time. It goes beyond a single life and continues to live and breathe as it is passed on to another generation. If the spiritual legacy received from our parents sustains our lives, and someday becomes a light that illuminates the lives of the next generation, that would be the noblest inheritance of all.

The great German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said,
“Leaving wealth to one’s children helps them once, but leaving them a sound mind helps them for a lifetime.”

This saying invites us to reflect once again on the true nature of legacy. What we must pass on to the next generation is not temporary possessions, but the standards and attitudes by which life is lived—the strength of an unshakable spirit. The spiritual legacy my parents left behind has already permeated every corner of my life and continues to support me. How to preserve that precious value, and how to pass it on intact to the next generation, is now the responsibility and calling entrusted to me. ***

December 14, 2025 

{Solti}