Destruction and our connection with the future

I was just reading Helaman 13 about Samuel the Lamanite. Samuel, like Isaiah, prophesied of destruction to the people in their day. They not only prophesied of short-term destruction, but long-term—very long-term destruction as a result of wickedness. Samuel prophesied of the destruction that would happen to the Nephites 400 years after the coming of Christ. It seems a bit odd to prophesy about something that would not happen for another 400 years. If the people truly are wicked, which they were in Samuel's time, why would they care about something so far in the future?

It is probably the case that Samuel's prophecies were mainly for us in the Latter-days. The prophecy teaches us that the Lord is consistent with His word. He knows what will happen and we should not doubt that the prophecies will eventually come true. For us, we should prepare for the second coming, which will surely happen. But, the most important point, I think is that even if the second coming is still centuries away we should repent not only for our sakes, but for the sakes of those who we will influence in this life especially our own children.
In the Book of Mormon, the lamanites caused much sin and wickedness because of the tradition of their fathers. In D&C 93 we learn that, "that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers." What we do today will leave a legacy, regardless of whether it is noticed or unnoticed, positive or negative. Repenting not only saves ourselves, but affects our children. Our examples will turn into traditions by which the next generation will be influenced. Therefore, we must repent in order to strengthen our eternal family who will be alive at the second coming. We are connected to those in the past, the present, and the future.

On a related note, we must also preserve a righteous laws to pass on to our children. Righteous laws help people stay righteous. In Helaman 4 and 5, "they saw that their laws had become corrupted, and that they had become a wicked people." Preserving righteous laws will not only help us in the short term, but will help our children in the long term as well. This is one of the reasons why the Lord chastened us to preserve the Constitution. Personal repentance and the righteousness of government are interconnected.