When+an+elder+dies,+a+library+is+burned

I saw this proverb (African I think) a little while ago and I though it was quite profound as far as proverbs go...

...and this is just a test, or 'virtual stretch'.

In traditional African communities, you 'revere' your ancestors, which is sometimes said to mean you 'worship' them, but this looks like a simplistic misinterpretation. 'Revere' could be a combination of 'keep in mind' and 'respect'. In which case, even if the 'library is burned', which triggers a period of mourning, the 'traces' of the library live on in the community if you 'keep their memory alive' - but that's far more than the content: its the way they lived.

The same idea could be applied to some of the great networkers of our time, like [|Stephen Downes], or some of the great thinkers, like Seymour Papert.