MAKING DECISIONS

This past weekend, the Very Rev Bill Phipps, former Moderator of the United Church, reminded me (and others at the Northern Region Symposium) that it is important that the decisions we make (as individuals, as the church, as governments, as communities, etc.) cannot be only focused on the short-term, we have to think about what kind of future we want and need.  He invited us to change the focus of we want to impact by our decisions.  So echoing what Bill was talking about ...

• Think of the youngest child in your life: your child or grandchild, a relative or friend's child, a neighbor.  Think of the youngest child in your life.
• She is worthy of life, isn't she?  He is worthy of a future, isn't he?  And wouldn't you say that he/she has 'done nothing to make themselves unworthy' of the best that is possible for her/him?
• What if we made every decision based on what was in her/his best interest?
• How would that change the way we govern?  How would that impact how we relate to the world in which we live?  Would we be so intent on wars over ideology and wealth?  Would we insist on burning every giga-Joule of fossil fuel in the next 100 years until all that which took millions of years to develop is gone forever?  Would we continue to believe that a growth-at-all-costs based ecomony serves us all?  Serves this child?
• We can't blame him/her for the problems we have created?  But if we truly cared about her/him and her/his future, what would we do about it?