ZenView: Foresight
By Mary Layton
Foresight, having a sense of the future, is essential to our survival and safety.
The Chinese have two good proverbs about foresight: “Weaving a net is better than praying for fish at the edge of the water” and “Remember to dig the well long before you get thirsty”.
This is what I get out of it. Prosperity, health and happiness are things we have to work for and defend. Good foresight means that I don’t sit idly hoping for the best. Or leaving it up to others to figure things out. It means that I do all I can to understand the situation
at hand as best I can and act on it. I might want to get even more educated in order to make prudent provisions for the future. And I must be realistic. Hopes and dreams alone won’t cut it. I must be aware of the circumstances, the way things actually are. Only then can I grasp what needs to be done and solutions will become evident.
There was the amazing story on NPR last month of the Yuba Community College chancellor who was the only one who didn’t have to be evacuated at the time of the Butte fire because he had had the foresight to clear the land of trees and brush through the years around his house. He had always known that living in a remote, rural area would require him and this wife to be prepared for devastating fires. And so they resolved to get two fire pumps and hoses, and whatever they would need to have or do in order to be safe. It worked. Not only did their place survive because of their foresight, but they were also able to save the livestock of their neighbors and look after their properties. A very inspiring story!
The question is: How do we develop good foresight? Most likely through experience and observation, listening to others and learning from mistakes.
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