For the last few days I’ve been helping the local Wildlife Trust plant thousands of trees on an upland farm. It’s hard work but very satisfying. The trees will soak up carbon, reduce flooding and provide a home for wild life. Lying in the sun at the end of the day a tired, contented, bliss descends on me knowing that in 50 years time a wood alive with bird song will be in existence.
But of course in 50 years time some one could chainsaw it all down in a few hours. Creating something takes a lot of time and effort, Destroying something is easy.
In the same way, Trump and his chums are taking a chainsaw to America. What they are destroying they don’t really understand or care. They have told the American people that the reason they are losers, ie poor, or second rate to China, is not because computers and globalisation mean that well paid low skill jobs no longer available, but because of the previous US Government, migrants and foreign governments. You are not responsible for your low, status they say, it's the deep state, immigrants and foreigners that want to keep you down. So lets get rid of the deep state, kick out the immigrants and put tariffs on all foreign goods. It's not Americans that are responsible for their situation, others are to blame.
Will this destruction lead to a better future? No. It will save dollars as government employers are sacked and raise revenue from import duties , but it will create nothing to help people improve themselves and thus increase their wealth, status and well being.
In the same way Putin destroys Ukraine as he takes territory. Who will rebuild it after? Destruction is easy. Creating something worth while is time consuming and expensive. It also needs wisdom, intelligence and luck.
So before you destroy something, make sure you always have a plan to create something better to replace it. Or you will just be left with a mess.
(Begin with the end in mind, as the "Seven Habits of Effective People" tells us).
