What are you doing for the next generation

Tafadzwa Maringire
Guest Columnist

American author Grace Pale once said: “For me, the meaning of life is the next generation.”
Being alive today and aging every year regardless of whether we celebrate our birthdays or not is a clear indication that we are not permanent residents on earth.
This truism is a fact of life that we must take to heart.
When the time comes, we will one day leave this earth, only for the next generation to take over.
However, this should drive us to make a difference in both our families and communities.
Our forebears mastered the future-centred approach, which the current generation seems oblivious of.
Unfortunately, social media is distracting young people from focusing on real life issues and turning them into attention-seekers rather than community developers an change-makers.
This is a serious threat for our communities.
Most conversations are now toxic and counterproductive.
We are unconsciously sabotaging prospects for the next generations through sloth, fear and procrastination.
We seem to be comfortable in petty issues and immediate-term survival conveniences, which cannot create the future we want.
Tim Denning, a blogger, believes that “if there is one way to do something special every day, it is to leave the world better than you found it.”
Thinking long term is best because it shapes the future.
When we treat the future like today, it gives us urgency and a drive that automatically translates into a seed capable of making the future better.
Without that seed, one becomes a mere conversationalist and a commentator that cannot bequeath anything to the next generation.
Many people don’t like to start small and as a result, they don’t start at all.
The wise plant seeds and nurture them as they grow – that is the best way we can give our families and communities a better tomorrow.
The Bible in Galatians 6:7 says: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” Tomorrow’s harvests depend on what you plant today.
One’s actions should naturally be shaped by what they want to leave for posterity.
Getting rid of excuses, procrastination and slothfulness would make one a golden tool for a better tomorrow.
Our small actions have the power to transform communities and the nations.