Everyone leaves a Legacy, no matter who they are, how long they are on this rock, or what they do with their time on it. With the Human Experience being so varied by a multitude of factors, ones Legacy can range from the bottom of the proverbial toilet, to the top of the World and all points in-between. What seems to separate the two extremes in many Legacies is the ability to realize that the bottom of the toilet stinks and distancing oneself from shit begets fresh air by simply doing good things. This doesn't particularly mean grandiose gestures or acts, but more particularly awareness of proper deportment in day to day living. It's as simple as a "Please" or "Thank You", which in practice has the ability to further a Legacy by bleeding over into the other simple aspects of daily life. Leaving a Legacy of good takes work and Legacies based on sloth don't, in which the latter attracts bottom dwellers and a close proximity to the aforementioned shitpit.
I'd be a hypocrite if I said that my proximity to the bottom was always distant. Unless you are Mother Teresa, you've all been close to it at times as well. What separates Human Beings from Inhuman Beings is the ability to admit you've made a mistake, correct that mistake if possible, and learn from the experience in order to avoid repeating it. In the mountain biking realm, a mistake is as simple as running out of the trail bed and making a track off-trail. The mistake in this instance is not controlling your bike (Ride in Control is basic MTB etiquette), so admitting you were out of control, erasing your off-trail tracks (Leave No Trace is basic outdoors etiquette), and riding in control is the lesson learned. Leaving a Legacy of turd, the sloth will just ride on and leave the damage they've created behind, while not learning anything. Those who leave a Legacy of good will repair their damage and because most from this realm are capable of learning beyond correcting miscues, they'll learn how to navigate that section of trail in control. An interesting parallel to this actually exists in Golf. Golfers who wish to leave a Legacy of good replace their divots, whereas the sloth golfers don't. The punch line to this parallel is that irresponsible "mountain bikers" are no better than an irresponsible golfer. The question remains, what Legacy do you wish to leave on the trail?
Riders Come and Go, Kooks Accumulate
