Like it or not our time on this planet is limited and it does have an end date. Most of us have the realisation of the finite nature of our life at some point of our lives. This might have been sparked by a death of a friend or a loved one. Maybe your dog just passed away, maybe you visited your home town to see your childhood home one last time but found a park on its place instead. Whatever it might be, it’s good to reflect on thought and truly understand that people will continue to exists long after you don’t. But your actions now will affect how these people will lead their lives.
Generational thinking, for me, means the art of thinking the future generations and how they will lead their lives, and how you might make their lives easier.
Is there something that can be implemented into our day to day lives that might make a difference?
Small actions count: Not consuming more that you need, re-thinking your buying habits, re-thinking your transportation habits, switching to sustainable electricity etc – these are daily habits you can take hold on.
Other actions might be saving money for your children, supporting sustainable innovation if possible, making your opinion heard on local politics – actively trying to make a difference. If you run a company or are part of a management board in one, you should look at the long term effects of your business model – are you making a difference towards something better or simply adding to the problem? What steps could you take to swift your current model towards more sustainable and beneficial for future generations? For example we are trying to change the narrative around car ownership, allowing people to lend cars from others.
Nothing happens overnight but I feel this is a discussion that should be had more. Imagine the people who started to built the York Minster Cathedral – it took 252 years to finish. If you laid the first stone, generations after laid the last.
In life you truly should be planting trees which shadow you won’t see.