What approach to use in own programs to leverage updates to future java versions?

It is an antipattern to extend JDK's classes, except those that are specifically designed to be used by extending them. You should use the Decorator pattern instead to add features to JDK classes. JDK is no special case, either, this holds for any 3rd party libraries as well.

Inheritance is a powerful technique but due to lack of knowledge it can be worse. So In this case you have to use composition instead of inheritance. Create a class that contain the object of the any java class that you want to extend and then extend you class to that newly created class instead of the orignal class.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.