Throughout my life, it has been interesting to explore my growth as a person. I recently saw a picture of some Tulane medical students taken in front of a former slave plantation with the quote “We are our ancestors wildest dreams.”
Something about it spoke to me in a very visceral way. What did my ancestors hope for? What were the things that they were too scared to believe in? As a human, I can’t help but think about where we have been, and what we hope to pass on to the next generation.
It’s hard to think about the future without acknowledging the past and the present. What have I learned from others? Can I acknowledge and honor the lessons from my past, even if I didn’t like how the lessons were packaged? What values do I want to keep? How can I integrate these lessons and make them my own?
The older I get the more I realize that these answers change over time, and I am ok with that. We should strive to be intentional about implementing the lessons learned from those who came before us as well as the values we hope to impart long after we are gone.
Below is the original article that I read. May it inspire you to have some sense of agency in your life. Be intentional. I hope to do the same.