Preserving stories of past generations is essential for they allow us to understand the present and help us navigate the future.

Every generation is different. Each has its unique features forged by the challenges, lessons, and victories of its time. Every generation contributes to the shaping of history. And their contributions are handed from one generation to another through stories, legacy, laws, and even physical structures that speak of their brilliance or flaws. Every generation has its stories. What is important is by preserving these stories. We are not only sharing information but also wisdom, values, and life itself. Today we will talk about how essential it is for generations to interact, share stories, and above all, preserve these stories for future generations.

Initiating Conversations Between Generations

In Carol Wilson-Mack’s book Patchwork: Conversations Between Generations, we see the importance of different generations of women bonding together to build a healthy and sustainable community. The community of women living in rural Bamberg, South Carolina, between 1939 to 1959, shared their love for quilting, which allowed them to help their families. The said community is composed of women from different generations who also shared stories, experiences, and wisdom. It is that kind of discourse in Patchwork, on sharing information between generations that we need today. Initiating conversations between generations helps us understand each other. It closes the gap between generations and empowers everyone, especially the younger generations. Of course, the older generations can undoubtedly learn from the young ones and understand today’s society and the road to the future. Some of these aspects include technology, the digital age, the new economy, and the 21st-century outlook.

Every generation is not perfect. There will always be flaws, disadvantages, and missing elements. Through healthy exchanges of ideas, lessons, and foresight of different generations, we can continue to overcome struggles, cover as many areas, and rectify errors to build a just and more progressive society. These tasks do not fall on one generation alone. These must be done hand in hand and with one common goal- to better humanity. And stories like Carol Wilson-Mack’s Patchworks are powerful tools that we can preserve and hand over to future generations.

How to Preserve Stories for Future Generations

So how do we preserve stories like the one featured in Carol Wilson-Mack’s Patchworks: Conversations Between Generations?

There several ways that we can preserve these fantastic stories of past generations, especially in this day and age. We can begin with journals. Whatever you call it these days, journals, diaries, or memory books, are great ways to record the past and the present. For many years, countless stories first written in diaries and journals of essential people have changed the world. Another way is to keep collections of photos and videos. These images and recordings play a vital role in preserving stories. Pictures and blog videos may come off as recreational stuff, but they contribute to preserving the narratives that today’s society is making. Our kids will be looking at our videos, documentaries, and old albums many years from now and realized what it was like during our time. Last but certainly not least is publishing biographies and memoirs. There is nothing more personal and compelling than people publishing their life experiences for everyone to see. Biographies and memoirs tell a lot about the person and his generation, the struggles of the times, and the overall picture of the society that helped shaped the author. If we can produce these tools for our younger generations, and if we dare to continue learning from those ahead of us and the young minds of today, there is no doubt that tomorrow’s future is safe and secure.

Carol Wilson-Mack is a writer from New York. Mack has a Master’s Degree in Communication Arts from the New York Institute of Technology. She is also a graduate of The Long Ridge Writer’s Group, the famous institute for writers. She has produced several scripts for plays and films. Several of her works have been in production in Newark, N.J., Baldwin, and New York City.

Read more authors and their works at the Authors’ Lounge.