I think I should defend myself from people saying things about me. First of all, I hold this standard to every field, so I am not arguing this is unique to poetry or playwriting. I believe that the only thing in existence that matters is legacy. Nothing else matters. I don't think happiness, children, health, etc. any of that matters when put against legacy. And the only way to secure a legacy, truly, is to become the greatest in your field. Shakespeare achieved total mastery to the point later readers elevated him to the status of a god. He will never leave that position and will be remembered forever in that role. If he can't be usurped from the role, then you cannot acquire that legacy yourself, so there's no point in conducting your field if there's no more room. I do not know why people are disagreeing with me on this. Legacy is the only thing that can outlast you. We're all flesh and bones that will turn into dust, but legacy will outlast all of that. We should be dedicating ourselves solely to this pursuit above all other things. This is why poetry and all art is a competition, because if you fail to be remembered, then your life will have been a few decades and then dust. I don't know how else to describe that other than failure. This is why I am trying to tell you all that if you can't surpass him, there's not much point. Because if it can't surmount his legacy, then it's doomed to oblivion. A life forgotten isn't much different than a life that never existed to begin with.
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