Part 5/9:
Shared heirlooms can be physical objects, like national parks or protected landscapes, or intangible, such as cultural traditions and accumulated knowledge. Examples include the U.S. national park system, which ensures the preservation of natural beauty for future generations, and the story of the Fukushima disaster, where lessons from the past informed safer infrastructure decisions. For instance, Yanosuke Hirai, an engineer in Onagawa during the 2011 tsunami, relied on historical knowledge of ancient floods — which had inundated a nearby shrine in 869 — and elevated protective structures accordingly. His foresight saved lives during the disaster, illustrating how collective memory can inform resilient decision-making.