BY DICK ROWLAND – I just saw a quote by C.S. Lewis that got me thinking.
“We all want progress, but if you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.”
To absorb that thought, it is necessary to decide what exactly is “progress” before deciding whether the road one is on is right or wrong. Progress implies advancement and improvement, moving toward a goal. Could that be a goal that is bad – socially destructive? I suppose so but that certainly isn’t the prevalent view.
Politically, progress should mean that we all prosper and that no one is being discriminated against by government without just cause. Using that definition, I find this describes the typical elected official:
“If you do not know where you want to go. Any road will take you there. Take the easy ones.”
At this point, someone is bound to remind of Yogi Bera’s famous remark: “ If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
What about you? Do you need to reverse course? Or do you need to get your elected official on course? Or perhaps both?
Dick Rowland is the president emeritus of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. Reach him at dick@grassrootinstitute.org