decisions

Should We As A Society Plan for the Future?

If you want to make god laugh, tell him your plans.
— Van Zandt, Help Somebody

It seems like there is a lot of talk about planning these days. People are constantly urging us to make retirement plans on the radio, especially for the young. Cities are told they have to make 20 year solid waste plans, along with Comprehensive Plans through 2030.

Paint Mine Creek

What’s the obsession with plans? Why can not we as a society simply learn to live in sustainable ways today, and not spend so much effort focusing on tommorow? There is a difference between planning and sustainability:

Planning is…

  • Abstract plans
  • Based on a view of tomorrow by today’s ziegist
  • Educated guess based on today’s technology
  • Excuse for not doing things right today

Sustainability is…

  • Taking sensible steps today that are right for today and tomorrow
  • Not consuming more resources then we currently have access to
  • Avoiding debt unless it shows short-term benefit, and can be shown also to have a long-term benefit equal to payback time

There is a lot of talk about short-term pain for long-term gain these days. Yet, what should be the threshold for pain? While it would be irresponsible for us as a society and individuals, to ignore long-term consequences of our actions, it’s just as bad to scrimp today on false beliefs on what tommorow would look like.

Thru a Tree

Planners of all stripes are bound to take issue of prioritising sustainability over planning. They say, without a plan, how can you really know if your actions will lead you where you want? I disagree. Do what’s right for today, but also don’t destroy your world for tomorrow.

A Fork in the Road

Lately it seems like I’ve be coming to many a fork in the road. It seems like they come much too quickly and frequently, and I often do not know which one to take. Do you go left or right? Which is the right way to go and which is wrong?

It’s frequently not clear. If there where signs to direct you along the way, the signs have long since disappeared. They’ve been stolen, because others didn’t want you to follow in their path. They wanted you to make up your own decisions, and find your own way.

 Goodrich Corners

Not that I ever was much of a fan of road signs. I’ve never been one to follow the directions of others, and often when I see one sign pointing to good and bad, I choose the bad road, just to see what’s down there. The good road, after all wouldn’t let me check out how well my hubs worked.

So that’s where I stand in life.