Posterity Starts With You
Each generation that passes has a responsibility to the next generation that is coming. When we talk about about posterity, it is not just about what will happen in the future, but also about the effects of one's choices on today. You have to understand that posterity is not a future tense, it actually begins with you right now. What you do and the footprints you leave behind will either guide people rightly towards greatness or move them into the wrong direction. You have to be conscious to leave footprints that are worth following, which will also positively impact others that are coming after you.
Have you ever taken a walk in a sandy path before? You will agree with me that when you walk pass, you will leave behind trails and tracks. In the same way in life, as you live, you will also leave behind marks and impacts. These marks are what add up to your posterity. There are some people you have never met personally, in fact you did not live in their era, yet you walk in the path that they created. This is what posterity is about. The words you speak, the actions you take, your character, your sacrifices, will add up to your posterity, and they will become the footprints that others coming after you will step into. They do not need to meet you personally for them to be impacted by you. What are you leaving behind for the people coming after you?
It is worthy to note that posterity is not just all about your children, grandchildren, and your direct descendants, but it is also about your community, the society, institutions, humanity, and even the world at large. Take Nelson Mandela as an example. His works and activism against apartheid were known all over South Africa. People who never met him, who do not even know which year he lived, are enjoying from the impact he created. He did not just do it for himself, but his sacrifices have outlived him, and it has become a posterity for him. People walk in his path because he laid a good foundation which has succeeded him. Posterity is not about seeking comfort, but about your contribution.
Posterity is not only about a grand gesture like the case of Nelson Mandela. Even right from where you are, on a smaller scaler, you can still go an extra mile for someone. In your neighborhood, you can start up a community service that will impact lives. I remember the place where I lived before; the road connecting the street got so bad and each time it rained, it would become almost impossible to access. All pleas to the appropriate authorities to fix it seemed unattended to. The road was almost becoming a death trap. So I had to meet with some youths within the neighbourhood and we fixed a Saturday to mobilise ourselves to work on the road. We did, and the entire street was happy. We created an impact within our capacity.
Posterity begins when you learn to be intentional about the choices you make each day. Everything you do in the present is like a seed, which will determine what you will be remembered for tomorrow. Will people remember you for you positive impact or for a negative reason? Will they remember you for the solution you created, or for the problems you created? Always ask yourself if you are creating opportunities for the people coming after you or you are simply living for yourself. Your actions, decisions, and choices of today will echo into the future.
A little act of kindness today can create so much ripple effect tomorrow than you can ever imagine. One seed you plant today may create a massive forest tomorrow. In the same way, what you do today in terms of goodness and kindness is never wasted, rather the effects will be multiplied tomorrow, and will create a legacy for you. The truth is that you will not be able to live forever, no human will. But you can live in a way to make your name to outlive you by what you do today. Posterity will not ask you about your race nor about your ethnicity, it will not ask if you are from a rich or poor background, it will only ask if there is something worthwhile that you have left behind. So live intentionally, and leave a good legacy behind.
Thanks for reading
