My Daily Roti Kopitiam - Can anything today still be a "legend" tommorow?

This will be my first My Daily Roti Kopitiam post where I discuss anything under the big blue sky. Today's topic....just read the title lah.

Above: Legend and rubbish.

    What prompted me to write this kopitiam post was really the death of a legend not long ago in the name of Michael Jackson. What is a legend? One of the definitions of the word is "Any person or thing of extraordinary accomplishment". To me, a legend is more than that. A legend has to be a pioneer, someone that will leave a mark in our lives, a mark so great that it will be left there in our memories for generations to come. Michael Jackson is a legend. He pioneered his own style of music and dancing. Legends are all great people or things, but not all great people or things are legends.

Above: Both are great, but only Bruce is the legend.

    At this point you might be feeling a bit confused, like "wtf he talkin about lah?". But it's true. Take any modern entertainer as an example, great as they may be in whatever they do, none of them will ever be a legend like MJ himself simply because they are living on the legacies left behind by the legends. Or take the Chinese actor Jet Li as an example, great guy, great skills...but....will he be a legend like Bruce Lee? No. Bruce Lee was great because he pioneered a new style of Martial Arts and he was one of the very first Asians to be recognised as an icon around the world as a great actor. Not convinced? Take any new great movie...hmm....Inception? Great plot, great acting....10 years down the road nobody will remember about it. But look at movies like Aliens or Jurassic Park...it's been almost or more than 20 years and people still remember and talk about them because they were the pioneers of special effects in movies. Last example, excuse me for being boring but I'm a car nut so here goes. I'm sure you all have watched Iron Man and the car he drove, an Audi R8. No doubt about it that' a great car. Fast, cool and handsome. But will people really remember it like how they remembered the legendary Audi Ur Quattro from the 80's that revolutionized 4wd in road cars? Not really.

Above: The legend, Ur Quattro and the pretender, R8.

    Legends are pioneers, they are the greats among the greats. They are not just special but they were extraordinary. Question is...can anything today still be a legend tommorow? From my point of view it's a "yes". Do not just pick up what others left behind do the same as they did. Pick up what they left behind and improve it and change it into something really special, something that will be remembered for generations to come. Bill Gates has done it, you can too.