I’m currently working on a film project with some young filmmakers, and it didn’t take long to notice that something interesting was going on. The Bob Dylan t-shirts, Elton John posters, and love of jazz music pleasantly surprised me in our rapidly changing world, where what and who are considered relevant shifts daily. It made me wonder why some people and ideas retain relevance while others do not.

Bombarded as we now are with constant demands for attention and engagement, a deeper understanding of the significant part relevance plays in our lives can help our well-being and effectiveness in many ways. We only have a finite amount of time in this life, and how we choose to spend it (in other words, what we choose as relevant) matters, not only for ourselves but for the betterment of our world.

As we go about our daily lives, there are two aspects of relevance to consider. There’s the relevance we create and the relevance we chase. Our deep-rooted need to feel relevant has been a core component of human behavior throughout history. We fear that if we become irrelevant, we’ll be forgotten, and if we’re forgotten, we won’t survive because the truth is that we are all connected. Somewhere deep inside, we know this no matter how isolationist messaging to the contrary might attempt to dissuade us.

What affects one of us affects all of us, and it is within this sacred truth that we can understand why certain things remain relevant while others do not. The definition of “relevance” is the state of being closely connected or appropriate, something that matters. Something we can all relate to.

This is very different from constantly chasing the relevance that relies solely on the reaction of others to what we do and who we are. Public opinion fluctuates, and circumstances continually change, creating ephemeral fads, trends, and styles. What’s here for breakfast is gone by lunchtime. Ironically, the danger of chasing such relevance is that its fleeting nature inevitably leads to irrelevance, and worse, we may have compromised our integrity by aligning with things that played against our beliefs and sense of self.

So, ask yourself what matters to you. What am I chasing? What do I consider to be relevant and why? What is the relevance I’m looking for?

In all areas of life, some continually inspire and influence no matter the inevitable changes that occur in our lives, and many leave a legacy that remains long after they have departed this life. Such enduring relevance can only come from principles that last, eternal truths. Sharing our human experience with authenticity and love may be challenging, but it will never go out of fashion. In the words of the French philosopher, mystic, and political activist Simone Weil, “To be always relevant, you have to say things which are eternal.”