http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/11/st_essay_wikipediawonders/
Essentially a critique of standards being adopted (mainly by UNESCO) to classify human endeavour as worthy of being noted as 'heritage', the article points to Wikipedia as the logical embodiment of a heritage worth revering: "Wikipedia protects the past without impeding the future."
Whether we consider recognition by UNESCO as worth anything or not, this description itself stands out, pointing the way forward for intelligent humans to value our futures without trashing the past. More than any other method of capsuling human endeavour, Wikipedia enables us to gain from knowledge, and to contribute to the growing store of knowledge, without in any way detracting from the notable achievements of those who did so earlier, without which our present accomplishments would not be possible.