A Chinese proverb asks, “What is the best way to learn about the road ahead?” The answer is, “Ask someone who has been there.” I’ve always liked this. In my flights of fancy to many lands, I’ve learned a lot from other people.

To begin with, I always learned the magic words, “please,” “hello” and “thank you.” Learned in the language of the country you land in, these words are critical to your happiness. I mean this literally. People respond with extra kindness when they discover you’ve done the least to accommodate them. So too with the future.

We should plan our future as carefully as we plan our trips. “Seeing down the road’ enters the domain of forecasters, analysts and adult responsibility. Who would send their son or daughter on an expedition with only an inattentive ‘good luck?’” No, you would take every care to see they were properly educated, healthy and as wise as possible about their destination. Consider.

Californians realized they built Los Angeles in an area which has little water. They came up with ways to bring water with viaducts to their dry region. Yet, these water courses were greatly affected by evaporation on the long journey to thirsty Los Angelinos. Wise planners came up with a means to protect their viaduct-transported water from evaporation. How? They covered some of the waterways with vast numbers of solar power panels, which generate electricity. They thus solved two problems. Conservation was possible, because the panels kept the sun from evaporating exposed water. Secondly, electricity was made by placing panels over the water’s channels, where they didn’t take up valuable land space.

In India, a roof coating made of cheap polyethylene reflects sunlight from houses in Hyderabad. These sheets reflect the intense heat, cooling the houses below and saving energy. Such an idea makes life more bearable, particularly for elderly people who cannot fend for themselves. Reflection of solar radiation by these inexpensive sheets keeps sunlight from being absorbed and re-radiated as heat. Ingenious.

Science is taking on mighty efforts to study dementia. With the aging of the world’s population, signs of this dread disease grow along with it. What to do? Where are we going to find the insightful ways to stave off potential disasters, avoid health crises and, not only survive, but live happily? What to do?

Yes, what is our world coming to? We can help decide that, right now, right here in Limestone County.

We who assess our world today must try to understand the future. We must engage our best minds in the battles to come. How can we do that? Who, after all, are best suited to do this for our coming generations? All of us.

We start with schools. To learn, you need access to good schools, teachers and equipment. Just start with a simple fact. We in our county face vast, empty areas where Wi-Fi doesn’t reach. This cost us already during the pandemic, and it continues to cost us now. Kids can’t succeed if they can’t participate in online study. That means they can’t do homework, take remedial lessons, write essays or read assigned online literature. We don’t need slogans; we need concrete plans for what we might do to change things for the better.

In the United Kingdom, Imperial College London came up with a magnificent idea. They were concerned that some students, who had the capability, were not succeeding in college. Others, equally able, weren’t even trying to get in. To resolve this, they came up with an idea. They’d offer online classes geared to successful accession to college. They say, “Open online courses provide free resources for students aspiring to the highest mathematics grades. The (students) can see and build toward the standards of elite universities. It raises their ambitions, and for talent-hungry universities, it’s enlightened self-interest.”

Imagine that. Remedial classes, where you see what the standards of success must be, are ingenious.

Why can’t we do this here? Why not? What will it take to make us realize that everyone is a potential contributor to our society? We need to see that everyone gets a chance. Without a fair chance, we stand to lose the person who cures dementia, who solves our water shortages and who brings hope to hopeless cases. Years ago, a sign was posted near where I rode to school. It said, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Demand better from our schools. Demand imagination. Learn from others. Reach out to see what others have done to succeed. Ask the man coming down the road what it is like ahead. We only can go up from where we are.

— John William Davis is a retired U.S. Army counterintelligence officer, civil servant and linguist. He was commissioned from Washington University in St. Louis in 1975. He entered counterintelligence and served some 37 years. A linguist, Davis learned foreign languages in each country in which he served. His published works include “Rainy Street Stories: Reflections on Secret Wars, Terrorism and Espionage” and “Around the Corner: Reflections on American Wars, Violence, Terrorism and Hope.”