Besides our will, powers of attorney, trust documents, and other legal, financial, and end-of-life instructions that we should share with family members, we need to prepare one other item: our ethical will.
Ethical wills (or legacy letters) are designed to transmit values from one generation to the next. They set out our beliefs, principles, and hopes for those who succeed us. An ethical will often include what we’re grateful for and our expectations for the future. They are best written over an extended period. Their purpose is to express what we hope our children will continue to follow and abide by.
Ethical wills are nothing new. Their origins are rooted in Biblical soil. Think of Moses speaking his parting words to the children of Israel as they were about to enter the Holy Land. Or, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in which he told his disciples that, among other Beatitudes: “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the Earth.”
Preparing my ethical will is one of the toughest writing projects I’ve attempted. How should I convey my values, dreams, and concerns to my wife, children, relatives, and friends, whom I pray will remember me with love and respect?
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There’s more I want to write:
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Thinking about what I intend to write is daunting. Putting these thoughts on paper is even more challenging.
Sig Cohen
Beyond Dispute Associates
202-359-6141
www.toughconversations.net
sigcohen@toughconversations.net
© Sig Cohen and Beyond Dispute Associates, 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sig Cohen and Beyond Dispute Associates with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Sig,
Thank you so much for sharing this. You and your group are certainly in the right place.
Warm regards and love,
Susan Klein
This is an excellent idea and one that I am going to share with my elderly mother so that she can do it while there is still time if she wants. Thank you for suggesting it.
Thanks for sharing Sig. An excellent tool for people to use. we often don’t spend enough time reflecting on what is truly important to us and sharing that with others. The Ethical Will is a great way to make that happen. Please keep up these great thoughts.