It can be difficult to consider what might happen next week, let alone years or decades down the road.

Some things are fairly predictable, while others will be completely different than we envision. Just look at any of Hollywood’s conjectures about the future and how much of the guesses are wildly inaccurate (still no jet packs or flying cars, unfortunately).

But no matter what the future looks like, it will belong to the next generations.

I’ve been thinking about what we are doing to prepare today’s children and youth to assume that mantle, and I think there are realities that indicate we are failing in that responsibility.

Think about it.

What are traits and characteristics that give individuals the best chance to succeed in life?

Here are some that come to mind for me: Compassion, resilience, critical thinking ability, problem solving ability, imagination, work ethic, physical health, hope, patience, responsibility, accountability and balance.

I suspect you could come up with a very good list of your own that would include many of the ones I thought of, although there maybe some differences as well.

The bigger question I have, though, is how well are we providing examples and opportunities for the next generations to develop these traits?

I’m concerned that the answer to that question is “not well enough.”

Instead of instructing on how to be hopeful, compassionate and patient, we live in a world that seems to emphasize instant gratification, dehumanization and anxiety.

Instead of showing how to develop critical thinking, imagination and problem solving, we seem to be complacently willing to erode those skills in favor of reliance on artificial intelligence and pushing for easy answers.

Instead of providing structure that showcases the benefits of resilience, accountability and responsibility, we instead boast a government that spends far more than it takes in with no plan to rectify the imbalance.

Instead of encouraging consistent development of work ethic and physical health, we provide fewer opportunities for young people to be employed or minimize healthy living habits by encouraging the use of electronic-assisted scooters and bicycles as well as over-reliance on substances like caffeine and sugar.

I think we all need to step back and examine the bigger picture.

This isn’t about test scores or school spending. This isn’t about having no child left behind (which is a great goal but is enormously dependent on the child).

This is about what we can do to enable the next generation to learn and grow for themselves.

We all benefit when we learn discipline and have to face consequences at an early age. It’s amazing how quickly young minds can grasp the concepts when the benefits and restrictions are clear and enforced with purpose.

If we try to impose these lessons or just do everything for them, the end result will be failure for our children and young adults because they won’t always have others to do everything for them.

They need to learn.

They need to read.

They need to work.

They need to fail.

They need to explore.

They need to grow.

They need to find their own answers.

My challenge today is for all of us — parents, grandparents, family members, teachers, community leaders, neighbors, everyone — to provide better examples and structures for the next generation.

It does take a village to raise a child, since a child will learn from her/his surroundings. That means we each can play a role.

So think of what you believe will give the young people in your life the best chance to succeed in the years to come and then find ways to help them develop those skills.

That, in my opinion, is our best hope for shaping a bright future

Jared Lloyd is the managing editor of the Standard-Examiner and can be reached at jlloyd@standard.net.