Building on the Past

Today, I got a chance to reflect on how written language has helped civilization grow. We all have a certain amount of knowledge. By writing our knowledge down, we can share it with each other and record it for future generations. That's what our ancestors did. Because they shared their knowledge and wisdom with us, we don't have to start from scratch. Instead, we can build on what they gave us and advance human knowledge and wisdom even further. Because of the knowledge that our generations discovers, future generations will have an even stronger starting point, and the knowledge they gain will go on to benefit their children.And as long as we all keep writing and keep reading, that process will repeat itself, with humanity developing more knowledge and wisdom with each passing generation, ad infinitum, until the end of time. In fact, it may be possible that humanity itself will learn, line upon line, until the perfect day.

Perhaps I'm being optimistic. Perhaps humanity will regress of die out eventually. And, of course, it's possible for wisdom to be ignored and forgotten and for knowledge to be lost. But still, I have hope for the future. The pattern of building on the knowledge and wisdom of the past has held true for untold generations, and here we are now. With luck and diligence, we can build on the past to leave an even better starting point for those who will follow us in the future.

Our lives have been blessed by the knowledge and wisdom our ancestors left for us. My hope is that our children will be blessed by the knowledge and wisdom we leave for them.