Seven Generations

I recently came across a quote from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy (also called the "Great Law of Peace").  Before I give the quote, let me explain.  The Iroquois (or Haudenosaunee) was a Native American confederacy of six different tribes, the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora.  The "Great Law of Peace" was the oral constitution of the Iroquois, one of the oldest forms of participatory democracy known.  The United States Constitution, in some respects, was modeled after (or at least inspired by) the Great Law of Peace.

The quote that I read is as follows:

In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.

In essence, what this quote is saying is that leaders should be careful in making decisions, even considering the impact of the decisions that they make on future generations.  In fact, if you consider that one generation lasts about 25 years, the Great Law of Peace is suggesting that leaders should consider the impact of their decisions on future generations for the next 175 years!  Just think if our nation's leaders made decisions that took into consideration the impact of those same decisions on future generations for the next 175 years!  If you consider that in just 9 years time, the United States will be celebrating the 250th year since becoming a nation, a decision's impact for the next 175 years sounds even more powerful.

I make a number of decisions on a daily basis - some, actually most, are fairly simple and relatively time-limited by the specific circumstance.  However, in regards to the more important decisions that we make, imagine what a difference it would make if we considered the impact of those decisions for the next several generations (metaphorically, "seven generations").  We hear all the time in the news, how businesses have taken a very short-sighted approach and make decisions primarily focused on the next quarter's earnings.  Imagine the change that would be required in order to take a more long-term view of the world.

It seems that this issue of "temporal myopia" is not exclusive to the business world.  As it turns out, our brains are wired to think short-term, as opposed to long-term.  It seems that we evolved to focus on immediate gratification.  I don't know if anyone has figured out (or will ever figure out) how to shift our thinking to a more long-term approach.  Regardless, the next time that you are making an important decision, pause for a moment and consider what the impact of your decision will have on future generations.  I think you will find that this kind of long-term focus takes a deliberate, proactive approach and will require practice, but I bet that it will make a difference in how you weigh your options and come to a decision.