Will.

Many will write long essays today, so I just want to leave you with a simple idea:

The other day a close friend was lamenting about how her kids hear of a new Something, and then throw a tantrum if they can't have it. She expressed dismay in particular because they didn't know the thing even existed five minutes before, and now their life wouldn't be complete without it.

I think even as adults, that "just gotta have it!" feeling never quite leaves, we just get far more selective, we understand how much work goes into attaining our heart's desires, and let's face it we've tried most things by the time we're all grown up, so it takes a bit to get us to the point we're going to do whatever we must to get what we want.

But, we still do! Whether it's a new electronic gizmo, or a house, or something else entirely, somehow, some way, we do everything we can to make it happen.  We have the will.

Now, it's Earth Day again.  What if we had the will to pursue clean water and fresh urban air with the same "gotta have it!" feeling as we do for good education or our prized possession?  What if we pursued the creation of economic systems that protected the stability of the physical environment with as much enthusiasm as we do the stability of financial markets?

Can we muster the will of an average 10 year old?