The Human Race Could Benefit From Better Planning and Vision
Frequent commenter Cameron Atwood sent me this gem on sustainability from a beautifully wise and youthful 76-year-old oceanographer Sylvia Earle that I heartily recommend. Audio is here.
Thanks, Cameron. That’s an incredible insight into our responsibilities as human beings vis-a-vis planning for the future.
I’m reminded of my friend Tom Konrad, whom I interviewed for my 2nd book, who said, “We’ve evolved as hunter-gatherers, whose premise is: if it worked last year, we’ll do it again this year. Long-range planning is not our strong suit. I don’t want to offend the creationists, but if we had been designed, we would not have that flaw.” (more…)
Though I agree with very few of conservative columnist George Will’s conclusions, I find him to be one of the most impressive intellectuals in our world today. And occasionally, he will let out with something that really resonates with me, like the fallacy of predicting that the future will be a continuation of the past. As he points out, “The future always looks like the past – right up to the point it looks like something different.”
I was sitting at the train station, writing blog posts, and I happened to overhear one side of a cell phone conversation of the guy sitting next to me, who, before the phone rang, was working on his laptop as well. Apparently, the young son of a close friend or relative had hit his head on a kitchen counter and needed to be taken to the hospital. I couldn’t help notice how calm, helpful, and encouraging the man next to me was in his approach.
Whenever possible, I like to take the train as opposed to renting a car. It’s normally less expensive, it’s more sustainable, and affords me the opportunity to read, write, and talk to people.
It appears that our client Vision Motors may have succeeded in securing the capital it needs to begin soon manufacturing its uniquely attractive design of light-duty battery-electric trucks. That will mean an important new set of responsibilities for me. Vision’s CEO Brooks Agnew and I have become friends and colleagues over the last couple of years, and Brooks has repeatedly asked me to act as the company’s chief marketing officer. In fact, he’s often quipped during our phone calls, “Hey, Craig, I turned down someone else for the marketing job today; I told ‘em, ‘No, sorry, that position’s reserved for Craig Shields.’” I’m flattered. 
