This week there has been a lot of tension between less-than-ideal solutions that may be more practical in the short term, and ideal solutions that might allow things to worsen in the present moment. Ever since I was young, I have believed there is always another option that was missing from these limited conversations.
The uncertain caterpillar asks the ant: should they choose practicality or idealism? And the ant responds with another question: why are these the only two choices? Aren’t there other paths you can forge for yourself that meet the needs of you and your community at the expense of no one?
We have to think outside of black-and-white frameworks, and consider how we can craft solutions to problems that don’t sacrifice short-term or long-term progress. If we choose a more ideal option, how will we make it work right now? And if we choose an imperfect option for practical reasons, how will we make it up to ourselves in the future?
The idea that only one method can be correct runs counter to the goal of collaboration and collective progress. We need to combine our concerns and work together on lots of different solutions at once so that they meet everyone’s needs, instead of focusing on a battle for the “right” way of doing things all the time.
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