You make interesting points but I think you misunderstood my post.
When it comes to things like restricting what I say online for fear of what other people will think of me.....
No matter who you are, no matter what you say or do, some people won't like you.
To limit yourself for fear of other people might think seems to me to be one of the most soul-killing of all human activities.
None of the above is what I meant by "If I croaked this minute, is there anything would not want as part of my legacy?" And, my legal question was not connected to that thought, so perhaps it should have been a separate post.
The only people I worry about, post my passing, are my family. My wife and daughters will never find anything on-line or on my drive that would cause them to gasp, to be ashamed, or to be unable to stand up for me. That's important to me and that will never change - for anything.
Indeed, I make a point of talking openly about the things that are important to me, even if other people find that threatening, precisely because they are important to me.
I do too, and I do so strongly, but I am very careful not to lie or otherwise libel anyone. Again, the reason is family. I simply will not do anything that could endanger what I have built and intend for them to have so that their lives will be better after I am gone. Again, that will never change - for anything.
There was a time when talking about women voting, or interracial marriage being OK, was considered shocking and horrifying--something that polite people would never, ever do. These things exist today because of the courage of folks willing to be impolite and willing to risk their legacy for the sake of ideas that violated the sensibilities of the day.
No one will disagree with that point, however it's well outside anything intended in my post.
You bet I talk about the things I believe in online, and you bet I want the things I write online to live beyond me.
I don't think I've said anything yet on-line that warrants being recorded for posterity. If there are words I want to live beyond me, they would be the many conversations I've had with my daughters over a lot of years - and I would hope the words are manifested in the way my daughters conduct their lives. And I think they should make the decision whether any words we've exchanged should be shared with others.
....to go from cradle to grave by the path of least resistance without ever once uttering a peep that someone might take exception to, seems to me to be dying before I have ever even lived.
You're talking to a guy who, twice in his career, laid it all on the line in defense of people who had been wronged. And twice my wife stood by my side even though we might have ended up looking for work. Take it from me, that's a lot more stressful that worrying whether someone is going to get their nose out of joint just because you tweaked it.