Few believe that America today is better off than in 2000. What must we do to avoid another unhappy comparison ten years hence? My grandfather was a Congregational minister, given to philosophical writings. Here are excerpts from a book published in 1910, in which he hypothesizes a conversation with Jesus. One hundred years later I find them relevant.

On the Future: "Fierce voices call me to rise to the double labor of gathering the fruits and sowing the seed. I can handle the harvest of other days more competently, and today as a commentary on yesterday is not a hard matter; but today as the seed field of tomorrow is the test of humanity."

Currently, America is failing that "test of humanity." Why so? We compare yesterday to today, and react vigorously to adversity. The "war on terror" is a prime example. The threat is immediate and all too visible. We are alarmed, angry and determined. With such citizen understanding, government can act, even though the situation is complex and difficult.

But what of incipient problems with impact years off? Our present economic difficulties trace to failure to regulate financial institutions years ago. Must we wait until the damage is as close as today is to yesterday? No. We should sow the seeds of prevention now, long before the impending danger is upon us, thus "meeting the test of humanity." But here we are less resolute.

On the Environment: My grandfather asked "What are the rights and duties of man towards the natural world he lives in? He seems to be within his privilege as he cuts the grass and casts it into the oven; for the grass will grow again, and the cattle on the hills need provender. But he cuts down the forest, and the rain washes the face of the earth till it shines with a stony smile, and no more forests glorify Lebanon, and no more vintages climb the mountain slopes. Or he digs deep into the earth and rifles the treasures of ages. What are his duties here? He seems to sin against God in despoiling the earth of its beauty; he seems to sin against posterity by robbing it of its garnered wealth, yet he must live. Oh that he might live as you lived, that he might move from utility to reverence."

In 1910 grandfather sensed environmental problems, without knowledge of greenhouse gasses, carbon footprints, or that world population would expand four-fold. But he concluded that mankind should tread lightly on the planet, consuming less of its material resources. Today many can list environmental problems and suggest cures, but some dispute the science, others say change will cost too much, still others are preoccupied with immediate concerns. Collectively, we fail to act expeditiously.

On Education (In 1910 grandfather had one son in college, and a second headed there.) "In one thing I admit extravagance. Education takes a large part of my income, and soon will take more than I receive. Should I educate my own this expensively, or spread the worth over society? Could not my children cut down their style and equipage so that others might have a chance? But the question arises, Is it wise to put a youth accustomed to some dignity upon a bare subsistence? My Master, I do not know. But I seem obliged by the noblest examples and emotions to care for mine own …."

Grandfather valued education, and provided for his own family at some sacrifice. We know that education is the key to America's future - perhaps its survival – but we resist being taxed to better educate the less fortunate, thus impoverishing the world's future for all.

It is high time that all of us - Red, Blue, and Purple - minimize our differences and address our common future together, sowing the "seed field of tomorrow." The ancestors who gave us this great nation, and our children who will inherit it, deserve no less.