Thinking

I have been thinking recently about what it means to have a big picture view of anything. It is accepted wisdom that you need to know where you are going so that 
a) you can have directions in how to get there and 
b) to know when you get there; 
        ...and this takes us to the old Ithica narrative as to whether the journey or the destination is the ultimate goal.

As a fundraiser I am constantly challenged by the need of one part or an organisation to raise funds, because that is what we are on about and the need to have an answer as to what the funds are to be used for. I sat with someone recently who refered again and again to what she called the 'Light on the Hill'.  I like the imagary of the goal as being that is where we are going and when we get there all the world will be well and we will know that we have achieved.  It is interesting to note that the Person that I was talking to was a board member of an organisation that completely folded a few months later.

However having said that, it is almost an end in itself, and there is no more need to 'do' anything. I am much more comfortable with the idea of a chain of responsibilty where we are all building on to what others have put in place and in our turn passing the fire on to others who will follow.

By all means lets look for that 'Light on the Hill' but let us also keep our eyes firmly on the task that is at hand, the things that we have to do every day so that we will eventually get to that light on the hill.