Last month I found myself driving through North Texas. In a state as big of this, there’s a lot of “nothing” between the “nowheres.”
One thing there was a lot of were wind turbines. On some of the back roads you can even get right up close to a number of them. It was awe-inspiring to see these massive, modern objects towering over farmland and hill tops, all while generating clean, sustainable power.
The thought that kept ringing through my head though: Why don’t we as a society do more big things like this in the U.S.? Why don’t skylines, road ways, and neighborhoods look like the futuristic utopian vision seen in movies yet? The closest I can think of globally are places like Dubai or Singapore.
The question is rhetorical of course. I could write a novel as to the “why,” but think one of the big contributors is conditioning in the business world to be risk-adverse and all of the misaligned incentives that follow. “Improving margins” supersedes “do amazing work.” “Quarterly wins” overwrite “long-term benefits.” I once worked on a project for a major, publicly-traded company where our recommendations would have created double-digit growth for the business unit. The main stakeholder’s (paraphrased) response: “My bonus is based on 3% growth, so there’s no reason to try and do more.”
This thinking is why you might hold your breath hoping that 100-year-old bridge, – which was only built for 40 – doesn’t collapse while driving over it.
I continue to wonder how things would look today had we maintained the same ingenuity and determination that:
I’d love to see the modern equivalents:
NASA launching a big mission monthly, with satellites and robots around or on every major body in the solar system.
Urban revitalization to create “15 Minute Cities” where everything a resident needs can be reached within a quarter of an hour by foot or bike.
Transit infrastructure that’s the envy of the world.
If reading this makes you think about the big swings in your job, life, or civilization you may have put in a drawer – pull them back out, blow the dust off, and socialize it! Go big! Find a supportive tribe to help you build momentum and buy-in.
Big things have small beginnings.
Big things take time and perseverance.
Big things take passionate people to champion them – a community.
I’ve been there. I’m there now on my latest “moonshot project.” The few successes make all the interim failures and setbacks worth it. Trust me on that.
It’s never too late. The windmills we’re currently tilting at are just the lack of collective will to do these big, grand things. Let’s change that.
Thanks for reading!
Recently
Screens: “The Boys” (Amazon Prime). Season 4 continues the show’s trend of wild and bloody antics while making some very real pokes at the current state of the world.
Music: “Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Peaky Blinders fans will know it as the theme to the show, but I hadn’t thought to check to see if it was an actual song. Spoiler: It is.