I'd say it's a reminder that we all have an affect on others' futures, whether we know it or not. It's also a way to remember to be the best you can, if that's what you want to be remembered as.
That said, there are certain people, and sometimes even me when I'm in a mood, that have a need to be remembered as acting like a dumpster fire, stinking up the neighborhood and being generally a nuisance.