When the present trumps the future

Professional futurist Adam Gordon has a good post up exploring similar issues to my future/mindfulness post the other day, but focused on how the Haiti crisis focuses us on the present, while making us wish we had anticipated this kind of future ahead of time:

In a foresight community we are, I think, rightly vociferous in getting decision makers to see the benefits of taking a long-term view, despite the systemic short-termism of incentive cycles (annual reports, political elections, and – dare I say it – banking bonuses) that most organizations and human systems use as basis of reward. But at times like this, similar to post-Katrina, post-the 2004 tsunami, and previous epic-scale natural and human disasters, we should not bury our heads in the sand of tomorrow. For now it is the present that counts: focusing on what matters to save lives and give food, shelter, and a modicum of respect to those with shattered lives.