Sustainability - The Elusive Dream

“There is nothing more common amongst men than the desire to be great.” -William Shakespeare

These words are as true now as they were when Shakespeare first penned them down. We all desire to be great; to be remembered for the eons to come. It is the driving spirit that makes Elon Musk send a car to space. It is the impact that made Wangari Maathai setup the Green Belt Movement. It is the impulse that gives David Rudisha the energy to run kilometre after kilometre in pursuit of gold. It is what makes us human.

Mine may be a young person’s dream, but I believe that we were all created equal and for a unique purpose. Our existence means something and that means we’re all bequeathed with an important role to play. Consequently, we all pursue that which makes us great; we endeavor to use our God-given talents and experiences to try to impact the world around us and this takes on many forms. It could be your amazing voice that you use to create music or the technical expertise that allows you to produce it. Our claim to glory is as varied as the uniqueness of our souls.

However, one thing stands out. Nobody would invest in something that at best can only give them their capital in return. It would be pointless to create a machine that only serves itself. Similarly, our greatness and legacy must mean something more than success for self. It should impact those around us. This, ideally, should be a circle wider than that of close friends and family, for true greatness serves a community. These are the guiding principles of chasing sustainability. Popularized by the Brundtland Commission (Our Common Future), sustainability can be defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising on the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” It is our common pursuit of greatness in such a way that future generations can also achieve their greatness.

In the subsequent sequel of posts we hope to tackle a number of key issues; what makes people great? How can we achieve our own personal greatness? And above all; how can we do so sustainably?

We hope you shall enjoy the chase, however elusive.

Written by Andrew Ondimu, Kenya