The Long Now of Impact

Impact can be assessed programmatically or culturally. It can be measured with statistics and numbers or by chronicling shifts in habits, beliefs and values. It can also be gauged using the clock of the long now. That’s what the former Premier of China, Zhou Enlai did when asked about the historic impact of the French Revolution. His answer, “It’s too soon to tell.”

Here is my three-part answer to a recent question about how I measure the long-term impact of my work.

The moral arc of the universe favours peace, justice and equity. Our role is to keep the momentum going. Here I am guided by Martin Luther King: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
Evil exists and is a force to be reckoned with. Evil is easy to spot in the search for wealth, power and glory. It is also alive in habits, attitudes and beliefs. Here I am guided by Goethe: “I am part of that power which eternally wills evil and eternally works good.” He also said, “There is no crime of which I do not deem myself capable.”
We may not resolve our tough challenges in time. Therefore the guiding question becomes what is the right thing to do regardless of impact. In other words, can it be done with love and without panic or haste? Here I am guided by Aung San Suu Kyi: “You should never let your fears prevent you from doing what you know is right.”

No one intuits this last point better than young people. What a terrible conundrum my generation has left for them. May they be guided by these words from Ivan Illich who explained them to me when I was a lot younger: “We must discover the distinction between hope and expectation.”

NOTE: Click for more information on The Clock of the Long Now.

EH!

“We have a choice in life. We can choose how we are going to behave. We can determine whether we reflect the good around us or lose ourselves in the darkness.” (Wab Kinew, The Reason You Walk)