Time for another Latin phrase in our Monthly Latin series. This time about something that will become increasingly important in our modern world as we move towards times that will most probably challenge the ways we handle global adversity collectively.
Sapiens qui prospicit
meaning “Wise is he who looks ahead” – or “Wise is he who foresees”. On a personal level it signifies naturally the wisdom in looking ahead in one’s life – making plans and foreseeing possible problems and obstacles in one’s attainment of goals. Always a good attribute to have. It is also the motto of Malvern College in England. A good motto for an educational institution for sure, but a motto that we all, every single person on this planet, should own and heed to now.
We must all become wise, and look ahead. Act wisely and responsibly. Whether we have children of our own or not, we do need to leave this world a good enough place for those who come after us. We may not bring to fruition what Charlie Brown aspired towards when he said “I want to make this a better world for me to live in“, however self-centered that sentence was meant to be. We may damage the world and the people in it with our own actions throughout our lives, and then perhaps make amends every now and then to feel and be better. But what we all can easily do each day is not to damage the planet or at least minimize the damage we inflict by the simple choices we each day make.
A friend of mine once said she stopped sorting her garbage because she couldn’t trust that her recycling would be carried out at the next instance, at the waste disposal plant. So all her recycling would be futile and just a big waste of her time, she thought.
All we can do is trust the system, and trust that promises will be kept and laws will be adhered to. It could of course be that things get bad before they get better, but still, sapiens qui prospicit!
PS. The above image portrays the Chinese character for Wisdom.
Journeys of Life 