Taking Time to Think It Through

Dig deep. Your decisions may have wide-ranging effects.

The Death of Socrates by Jacques Louis David, 1787 (public domain - Wikimedia Commons)

“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.” ― Lao Tzu

The present is imperfect. We never know what will happen next.

When we look back at history or perhaps a favorite story, we know how things turn out. We know the beginning, middle, and end.

But to those involved in the action of the moment, at that moment, the future is anything but certain.

In the winter of 1776, George Washington didn’t know he’d defeat the British. In fact, it was very much in doubt.

In the early 1930s, Germany had no idea they were backing a dictator and genocidal maniac as their leader.

They had to make decisions based on the information available to them at the time, and sometimes with haste.

In some cases, decisions like these are made without as much information as we have in hindsight; in other cases, outside forces like the weather or the reaction of rival forces may change the course of history.