Inheritance is accidental

"Inheritance is accidental."  This is a quote from a poetry reading I recently watched where a college girl speaks of traits she has picked up from her mother that she knows are not healthy but are so ingrained in her she cannot help herself.
Often when I hear the term inheritance I get irritated and sometimes downright angry.  It seems to me that most people don't understand what inheritance should be.  The idea that "inheritance is accidental" or the Porsche driving down the road with the bumper sticker that says "I am spending my kids inheritance"!  You are missing the point people!  Inheritance is about leaving the world a better place than you came into by passing a legacy of wealth onto your children, be that wealth monetary or in character (preferably the latter).
My dad is a collector and I am interested in getting many of the things in his collections when he passes.  However, my dad has other plans.  He has always told me that when he dies he wants all of his stuff to go to auction and all the proceeds to go to charity.  That really frustrated me when I was young because I have always loved stuff (of course that is the root of the problem he is trying to solve).  I understand now that what he is saying is that he doesn't want to be remembered because he was successful and made lots of money, he wants to be remembered because he made a positive difference in the lives of others and he raised 3 children who all have Godly character and strive to make a positive difference in the lives of others.  I really hope that he was just saying he is going to sell all his stuff in order to teach me that lesson and because I learned it I get to have some of the stuff, but if not I have received the inheritance he intended to pass along and I will sell his stuff and give the proceeds away joyfully.
I have picked up a lot of "traits" from my father, and some of them are unintentional, but for the most part my fathers inheritance is purposeful, not accidental.  I think it is important to make a concerted effort to make our actions purposeful and think about all the things we say and do with the understanding that there are little ones watching and they will become who we are and if we train them right they will take our inheritance and make it increase.
Another thing that strikes me is the inheritance we receive should be something we have to invest in.  It is rare that you see a third generation millionaire.  The second generation is rarely invested in the financial inheritance they receive and thus it has no real value to them and they spend it frivolously until it is all gone leaving their children with nothing.  Does something you don't have any investment in really have any value to you?  It is a common idea that you should not "give" a car to a teenager because they wont appreciate it and it will not be taken care of and probably be wrecked, but if they have to work for it they will want to take care of it because it has value to them.  I am not sure in today's society where trades are not passed from father to son how to practically work out children investing into tangible inheritance.  This makes it so much more important to make sure that you pass along an inheritance of character.
the concept here is being intentional about the things we pass along to the next generation and the things we receive from past generations.  Find people who you admire look at their lives and figure out why you admire them and purposefully make those behaviours yours.  Take a good hard look at your life and find the things that you don't want your children to be and stop them, but don't stop there, talk with your children about your shortcomings.  If they know about the behaviors you have that are negative it will help them avoid them and don't worry about crushing your children's view of their perfect dad, they will respect you more for it when they are older and it will open doors to talk about their problems when they are young.