Create a Lasting Video Ethical Will

Madeline Binder's innovative e-book, Your Ethical Will, can help you compose a written personal legacy document. Or it can enable you take advantage of video technology by making your own video ethical will.

See this excellent example of a video ethical will that makes good use of technology to convey the aspects of life that matter most to a person.

Here are some tips to consider when you prepare an ethical will in video form. If you're filming yourself, look your best. Dress and carry yourself in the way you would want to be remembered for all time; make sure your actions, words, and gestures in the recording reflect who your true self and ethical values. Others will look at your video ethical will for generations, and much of their image of you will be shaped by how you appear on that videotape.

Effective examples of ethical wills in video form can include reading a poem, letter, or short story that holds particular significance for you. Some might consider sharing a favorite song or recording a musical performance with an instrument. Another way to present this personal legacy statement is to simply talk about ethical issues that matter to you.

Make sure that your video ethical will is in a format that will endure for a long time and be compatible with future technology. Since this is one of the most important projects of your life, consider investing in a high-quality DVD to hold your message. You can also convert your ethical will into a file on multiple computers and even on the Internet, so that it can be preserved in perpetuity.

Make several copies of your video ethical will. The spiritual ethical will is meant to last forever, or as close to forever as can be humanly possible. If one of the copies should be lost or accidentally destroyed, others will remain, and your wisdom will live on. Consider giving a copy to each of your loved ones and requesting each of them to make a new copy of the video ethical will whenever an old copy is damaged or destroyed.

A video ethical will harnesses modern technology in service of the age-old, time-tested tradition of making an ethical will. When you communicate your moral values to friends, family, and posterity, explore the possibilities for using this medium to make an effective, lasting personal legacy declaration that can be reproduced indefinitely and will benefit generations to come.