“We are the ancestors of the future. Let’s build something worth inheriting.” – Lindiwe Mabuza
Every generation worries about the future.
We worry about jobs.
Education.
Safety.
Leadership.
Opportunity.
We worry about the world our children and grandchildren will inherit.
Yet we rarely stop to ask a simpler question:
What are we teaching the people who will inherit it?
The future is not shaped only by the decisions we make today.
It is also shaped by the lessons we pass on, intentionally or unintentionally.
Every generation inherits something from those who came before it.
We inherit knowledge.
Values.
Stories.
Traditions.
Opportunities.
Systems.
Beliefs.
And sometimes…
mistakes.
Whether we realise it or not, we also pass these things forward.
This process begins long before a young person enters a classroom.
Young people learn from families, communities, leaders, organisations, workplaces, schools, and the society around them.
They learn from what we do as much as from what we say.
A child who sees people helping one another learns something about community.
A young person who sees barriers being challenged learns something about inclusion.
Someone who watches others persevere through difficult circumstances learns something about resilience.
Lessons are being taught every day, even when no one intends to teach them.
Community Wisdom
This is why community wisdom matters.
Community wisdom is not always found in books or formal education.
Often it is found in lived experience.
It is carried through stories, relationships, traditions, and shared memories.
It sounds like:
“This is what helped us through difficult times.”
“This is a mistake we do not want to repeat.”
“This is what we learned along the way.”
Community wisdom is knowledge that has been tested by life.
Some lessons have been passed from one generation to another for decades.
Others emerge from more recent experiences.
Together, they help communities navigate challenges, celebrate successes, and build a sense of identity and belonging.
So what are the lessons that communities often pass from one generation to the next?
They may include:
resilience in difficult times
the importance of supporting one another
respect for human dignity
responsibility for our actions
the courage to challenge unfairness
the willingness to learn
the value of inclusion
the belief that every person has something meaningful to contribute
Different families, cultures, and communities may express these lessons in different ways.
But these are often the values that help people navigate change while remaining connected to one another.
Who Qualifies as a Role Model?
Many people assume role models are famous, wealthy, powerful, or successful.
But perhaps that is too narrow a definition.
Perhaps a role model is someone who has learned something worth passing on.
Someone who demonstrates integrity.
Someone who serves others.
Someone who adapts when circumstances change.
Someone who treats people with dignity and respect.
Someone who contributes to their community.
Role models are not valuable because they are perfect.
They are valuable because their lives contain lessons that others can learn from.
Every Society Teaches
Every society teaches.
It teaches through its schools.
Its laws.
Its communities.
Its leaders.
Its successes.
And its failures.
The question is not whether society is teaching.
The question is:
What lesson is being learned?
When communities invest in inclusion, participation, and opportunity, they teach that everyone has value.
When barriers are left unchallenged, they may unintentionally teach exclusion.
When people lose trust in institutions, leaders, or systems, they may begin to teach hopelessness, division, or withdrawal from community life.
The lesson is not always the same as the intention.
That is why it is important to ask not only what we are building, but also what we are teaching.
Future generations will inherit both our successes and our mistakes.
They will inherit the systems we create.
They will inherit the opportunities we expand.
And they will inherit the barriers we leave behind.
Our responsibility is not to pretend mistakes never happened.
Our responsibility is to learn from them.
Wisdom grows when we reflect on what worked, what did not work, and what should be done differently in the future.
The Wisdom We Cannot Afford to Lose
For DeafBlind persons, this conversation carries particular significance.
Many DeafBlind people learn and engage with the world through relationships, support networks, families, communities, and shared experiences.
Through these connections, valuable knowledge, resilience, cultural traditions, problem-solving skills, and lived experience are often passed from one generation to another.
These lessons may not always be written down.
They may not appear in reports or policies.
But they are no less valuable.
They form part of the collective wisdom of families, communities, and society itself.
A future that excludes DeafBlind people risks losing part of its own inheritance.
Because knowledge is not only found in textbooks.
Wisdom is not only found in positions of power.
And experience is not only carried by those whose voices are easiest to hear.
When DeafBlind persons are included in education, employment, leadership, community life, and decision-making, society gains access to knowledge, perspectives, and experiences that might otherwise be overlooked.
Inclusion is not only about providing support.
It is also about recognising value.
The Inheritance We Leave Behind
As we begin Youth Month, perhaps the most important question is not what future young people will inherit.
Perhaps the more important question is:
What are we choosing to pass on?
Are we passing on resilience or resignation?
Community or isolation?
Opportunity or exclusion?
Hope or hopelessness?
Every generation leaves an inheritance.
Some leave wealth.
Some leave systems.
Some leave opportunities.
Some leave barriers.
But all leave lessons.
The future is shaped by what we choose to pass on.
The question is:
What inheritance are we leaving behind?