The Choice Not to Leave Behind
— The Other Side of Proof of Existence

This essay is an academic analysis and does not endorse any particular philosophical or religious position.

1. Why Discuss "Not Leaving Behind"?

TokiStorage is a service for "leaving behind." It inscribes on quartz glass and provides 1000 years of permanence. Its raison d'être lies in "preservation."

So why discuss the choice of "not leaving behind"?

Because the value of "leaving behind" only exists when "not leaving behind" is an option. Forced permanence becomes not preservation but a curse. It is precisely because we can choose that leaving behind gains meaning.

"Without freedom of choice, actions have no meaning. If leaving behind is an obligation, it is no longer proof of existence but merely fulfillment of duty."

This essay attempts to illuminate the "other side" of what TokiStorage provides. By understanding the choice not to leave behind, the meaning of choosing to leave behind becomes clearer.

2. The Right to Be Forgotten — Erasure in the Digital Age

In 2014, the European Court of Justice delivered a landmark ruling. In a case where a Spanish man sought the removal of links to newspaper articles about his past debts from Google, the court recognized the "right to be forgotten."

This right was codified as the "right to erasure" in Article 17 of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation), which came into effect in 2018.

Resistance to Digital Permanence

Before the internet, information was naturally forgotten. Newspapers yellowed, memories faded, and the past settled as the past. But in the digital age, information persists. Posts from 10 years ago, photos from 20 years ago, youthful indiscretions—everything remains searchable.

The right to be forgotten is resistance against this "forced permanence." Humans have the right to change. The right not to be eternally bound by our past selves.

Digital Legacy Deletion Services

Services have emerged to delete digital data after death. Social media accounts, emails, cloud storage—settings for automatic deletion after death, or services where bereaved families handle deletion.

This is sometimes called "digital end-of-life planning." Not leaving behind what you don't want to leave. Erasing what you don't want seen. This too is a form of self-determination.

3. Decluttering and End-of-Life Planning — Consideration for Bereaved Families

The Japanese term "danshari" (decluttering) was coined by Hideko Yamashita in 2009. It means cutting off, discarding, and detaching from attachment. This is not merely a tidying technique but a philosophy that questions our relationship with objects.

Swedish Death Cleaning

In Sweden, there is a concept called "döstädning" (death cleaning), introduced to the world through Margareta Magnusson's book "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning" (2017).

This is the practice of organizing one's belongings while alive so that bereaved families won't be troubled after one's death. Disposing of mementos, discarding unnecessary documents, and selecting only what truly should remain.

"Your mementos may be treasures to you. But to your bereaved family, they may become garbage that's difficult to dispose of."

— Margareta Magnusson, "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning"

The Burden on Bereaved Families

When the deceased leaves many things behind, it is not necessarily welcome for the bereaved family.

• Physical burden: The labor and cost of sorting through belongings
• Psychological burden: Deciding what to keep and what to discard
• Time burden: Time spent on organization
• Emotional burden: The pain of confronting memories

"Leaving behind" can be either a gift or a burden to bereaved families. That is why there is meaning in choosing what to leave and what not to leave while still alive.

4. Buddhist Non-Attachment — Return to "Nothingness"

In Buddhism, attachment (upādāna) is considered the root of suffering. Attachment to objects, to fame, to self—these cause the cycle of rebirth.

Impermanence of All Things

"All things are impermanent"—everything changes. This fundamental insight relativizes attachment to "leaving behind."

No matter how solid a monument, it will eventually crumble. No matter how permanent a record, it will eventually become unreadable. Even quartz glass is but a moment in cosmic time.

"The bell of the Gion Temple tolls into every man's heart to warn him that all is vanity and evanescence."

— Opening of "The Tale of the Heike"

Enlightenment Without Trace

In Zen Buddhism, there is the concept of "no merit." These are words attributed to Bodhidharma speaking to Emperor Wu of Liang. To the Emperor who boasted of building temples, supporting monks, and accumulating merit, Bodhidharma answered "no merit."

Not trying to leave traces of one's actions. Not seeking rewards. Not needing proof of self. This too is a form of enlightenment.

Nothingness After Death

From a Buddhist perspective, the self need not "remain" after death. Because the "self" that tries to remain is itself an illusion (māyā).

Of course, this is one philosophical position and does not apply to everyone. However, it is worth considering as a perspective that shakes the assumption that "one must leave something behind."

5. Anonymous Proof of Existence

Leaving only actions without leaving a name—this too is a form of proof of existence.

Anonymous Donations

Many charitable organizations are supported by anonymous major donors. They do not wish to leave their names. Yet their actions—building schools, establishing scholarships, providing medical support—certainly leave traces in the world.

This is "proof of existence without leaving a name." Inscribing existence through the results of actions rather than one's own name.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" found in countries around the world commemorates soldiers whose names have been lost. Their names do not remain, but the fact that "someone was here" is memorialized.

Even without a name, existence can be proven. Even without individual identification, the fact that "a human was here" can be transmitted.

Dissolution into Collective Memory

Most humans in history are forgotten as individuals. Yet their existence has dissolved into collective memory—culture, language, technology, institutions.

In every word we use, there are contributions of nameless people. In the shape of tools, the seasoning of food, the customs of festivals—there are traces of countless "someones."

6. The Aesthetics of Disappearance — Mono no Aware

Japanese culture has a unique aesthetic sensibility toward things that fade away.

Cherry Blossoms

Cherry blossoms are loved because they scatter. The beauty of full bloom is accentuated by its transience. If there were cherry blossoms that bloomed forever, would they evoke the same emotion?

"It is precisely because they scatter that cherry blossoms are so beautiful. What in this sad world could last forever?"

— Anonymous, "The Tales of Ise"

Fireworks

Fireworks disappear in an instant. People are moved by that momentary brilliance. Recorded fireworks do not evoke the same emotion. It is beautiful precisely because it disappears "now, at this moment."

The Tea Ceremony

"Ichi-go ichi-e" (one time, one meeting)—this phrase expresses the spirit of the tea ceremony. This encounter will never happen again in the same form. That is why we treasure this moment.

Valuable because it does not last. Beautiful because it does not remain. This is an aesthetic opposite to "leaving behind."

Mono no Aware

Motoori Norinaga defined the essence of Japanese literature as "mono no aware." Being moved by the transience of things. Empathy with impermanence. Affection for things that do not last.

In this aesthetic, "leaving behind" is not necessarily the highest value. Rather, accepting disappearance and finding beauty in that extinction is considered a form of enlightenment.

7. Extension of Privacy — Secrets After Death

While alive, we have the right to privacy. The right to hide what we don't want known. The right to protect information we don't want disclosed.

Should this right extend after death?

Taking It to the Grave

The expression "taking it to the grave" exists. Secrets told to no one, pasts not revealed, truths kept hidden. Some wish to protect these even after death.

Instructions to burn diaries, requests to dispose of letters, complete deletion of digital data—these are expressions of the will to "not be known even after death."

The Historian's Dilemma

In historical research, the privacy of the deceased is always debated. Letters of famous people, diaries, private records—even if disclosing these has historical value, it may contradict the deceased's wishes.

Kafka requested in his will that all his works be burned. However, his friend Max Brod ignored this and published the works. As a result, humanity can read "The Metamorphosis," "The Trial," and "The Castle," but Kafka's wishes were trampled.

The Right Not to Leave Behind

We have the right not to leave behind. The right not to prove our existence. The right to erase traces. The right to be forgotten.

This does not conflict with "leaving behind" but is a precondition that establishes "leaving behind" as a choice.

8. TokiStorage's Position — Permanence as Choice

So far, we have discussed the significance of the choice "not to leave behind." How does TokiStorage respond to this discussion?

No Coercion

TokiStorage does not force leaving behind. It provides infrastructure for those who want to leave things behind, but does not deny not leaving behind.

Rather, it is because the option of not leaving behind exists that the choice to leave behind has meaning. Not obligation but choice. Not coercion but will. This is TokiStorage's premise.

Choosing What to Leave

TokiStorage does not recommend leaving everything behind. It recommends choosing what to leave and what not to leave.

This does not contradict the spirit of decluttering. It can be used as part of end-of-life planning. Preserving only what you truly want to leave on a 1000-year scale. Letting everything else disappear.

Protecting the Freedom Not to Leave Behind

TokiStorage also protects the freedom not to leave behind. You can request deletion of inscribed data. It respects changes of mind: "Actually, I don't want to leave this behind."

Permanence can be both a blessing and a curse. That is why freedom of choice is important.

Conclusion — Proof of Existence as Choice

This essay has attempted to illuminate the other side of "leaving behind" that TokiStorage provides.

The right to be forgotten, decluttering, Buddhist non-attachment, anonymous proof of existence, the aesthetics of disappearance, extension of privacy—all of these demonstrate the legitimacy of the choice "not to leave behind."

However, this is not a denial of TokiStorage. Rather, it is an argument that reinforces its raison d'être.

"Leaving behind" has value because the option of "not leaving behind" exists. Forced permanence has no meaning. Chosen permanence alone has meaning.

"Leaving behind is a right, and not leaving behind is also a right. Which to choose is for each individual to decide."

TokiStorage provides infrastructure for those who want to leave things behind. But it respects the choice not to leave behind. That is the core of the philosophy of "proof of existence as choice."

Whether your existence remains 1000 years from now is for you to decide. Free to leave behind, free not to. That freedom itself is human dignity.