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What Legacy Are We Leaving?
Will future generations bless us or curse us?
There is a Greek proverb that I like. It says: a society grows great when old men plant trees that they know they will never sit in.
The proverb suggests the benefits of long term thinking.
Studies done on children showed that those who could delay gratification had higher SAT scores as well as lower levels of substance abuse and better social skills. From a personal perspective, it makes sense to think long term.
However, is there a benefit to doing something long term for future generations?
For those who have children, it makes sense since they are sowing seeds that their descendants to harvest.
However, I have no children. Should I care about future generations?
I find that I do.
Even if I don’t have personal skin in the game, so to speak, I want to leave a kind footprint on this earth. I want the world to be better, even if it’s just an infinitesimally small difference.
Not just for my fellow human beings, but for the environment, for nature, for the planet as a whole. I don’t own the earth. I do, while I am living here, borrow parts of it.
