Grandchildrens' World

What can we do now to ensure that the world in 2050 and beyond is a good place in which to live - socially, politically, economically and environmentally?

The guiding principles for each element should be the answer "Yes" to the questions:

Will this action reduce social inequality?

Will this action lead to better governance?

Is this action economically resilient?

Is this action environmentally resilient?

These tests can be applied in a domestic, an organisational or a global/universal context.

At times an action may have to go in apparently the wrong direction, like a plane taking off eastwards whose destination is to the west: This should not however be an excuse for fundamentally flawed short termism. Put yourself in the position of today's baby in fifty years time and assure yourself that your actions are in its long term interests.

Of course, as we move from the domestic to the organisational and ultimately to the global/universal, our ability to either predict or control outcomes diminishes. For me it is a matter of personal judgment as to whether an action is so strongly influenced by factors beyond the individual's control that the four tests above become irrelevant. In many cases this analysis will lead to the need for other actions that you, your organisation or your government can take.

Think before you act.