Lewis: The perils of short-term thinking
My dad was one of those people that lived life in the moment. Throughout his life, he discovered many hobbies. When he found something that interested him, he would drop everything else and throw himself into the new thing 110%.
If there was some type of “club” involved, he would be the club president within a year. Thankfully, my parents both had pensions, as my dad was not one for saving for the future. They lived on the edge and that included credit cards and loans.
I loved the passion my dad had in life. I have never found a hobby that I embraced with his level of passion (well, except for Corvettes perhaps). Passion and living in the moment are great but, unfortunately, we can’t always live in that way. These days, most of us don’t have pensions, so we need discipline in order to do things like save for retirement.
Long-term benefits almost always require sacrifice. For example, if you want to buy your first home, you need to save for the down payment, and that generally requires sacrifice.
We expect our government to be the “adults in the room” so to speak, working to ensure that our desire for short-term reward doesn’t set us up for long-term failure. Social Security is a prime example, as are incentives that motivate people to save more for retirement or their kids’ college.
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Unfortunately, the “adults” in Congress are disappearing — being replaced by a bunch of “children” seeking personal fame (and re-election) by offering us their version of instant gratification. They ignore things like the spiraling national debt, social security funding issues, and climate change by simply crying “fake news” or “it’s not a real issue.” So there is no need for action nor a need to sacrifice.
I love it when people tell me that climate change is not a real threat because this means cheap energy and not having to worry about all these pesky conservation measures. Ah — if only it were true. It is straightforward; we all would prefer to live in the present and not worry about the future, so we are drawn to opinions that claim, “Everything’s OK, no sacrifice required.”
While we may not want to hear it, there are many things that, while not significant problems today, are likely to become ones if we fail to act. One example is supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia. This is the perfect example where, even if the U.S. is not immediately threatened if Russia conquers Ukraine, a loss could enable a far larger future risk of expanding conflicts. Thankfully, most Americans understand and still support helping Ukraine.
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Speaker Mike Johnson, in his second supremely stupid move in just two weeks (after killing the illegal immigration bill), appears willing to defy what most Americans and the majority of Congress want by blocking a vote on aid for Ukraine. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he was on Putin’s payroll — that would at least make some sense but that is not the case. I think we all understand at this point that he takes his direction from one person only — his leader, former President Donald Trump.
It is always easier to ignore long-term issues in favor of short-term, instant gratification. Our country will continually face national and global challenges, from financial stability to climate change, which will require near-term sacrifice in favor of long-term benefits. Political leaders need to step up and address these challenges head-on and not be afraid of sacrificing short-term public adoration (or ridicule). It is imperative that we, as a society, advocate for strategic thinking and sacrifice when necessary. Acknowledging potential future risks and committing to sustained efforts is the key to overcoming the complex challenges of our time.
Mark Lewis, a Colorado native, had a long career in technology, including serving as the CEO of several tech companies. He’s now retired and writes thriller novels. Mark and his wife, Lisa, and their two Australian Shepherds — Kismet and Cowboy, reside in Edwards.
