Anticipate Consequences

Dwight David Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and the 34th President of the United States of America, famously said, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” Eisenhower or Ike reportedly made this statement at a conference in 1957, which speaks to the wisdom he had learned over a lifetime of successes. Ike’s point, things seldom pan out the way we expect, because the future is always changing. 

It easy to overlook the unintended consequences.

The truth is that life is complicated. It involves people with freewill. This makes it easy to overlook the unintended consequences. Our actions have consequences, but it is not usually easy to forecast all the possibilities. This doesn’t mean that we should not have a plan. We must start any project by first doing some planning. Then, add the strategy of “pausing to reflect” to allow time to adjust the plans as needed.

Construction Technology

One popular programs offered at my school is Construction Technology. This program gives high school students the opportunity to learn the building trades, while constructing a house that someone will actually live in. Students love the experiences because it gives them a relevant, hands-on experience. In other words, it is a real project and they learn by doing. An important outcome of this class is for students to learn to read a “blueprint” or architectural drawing. 

A great deal of information is required to build a modern house or commercial structure. A single drawing could not possibly hold all the needed information, many sheets of drawings and specifications are bound together to make a set of plans. Many people rely on these plans. A contractor will use the plans to bid on the construction project. An estimator will study them to determine the project cost. Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and heating contractors need the plans to build and install the systems. While the plan is very detailed and well thought out, it is not perfect.

Changes Have Consequences

Minor changes—such as the size of a window– can be handled by the carpenters and tradespeople, with sketches and notations recorded on each set of plans. However, more often our actions–such as moving a staircase—can generate a “chain reaction” of problems that will require changes to the drawings by the architect and approval by the owner. 

For those of us with logical minds, changes can present an uncomfortable truth, because, of course, life should go according to the plan. Why wouldn’t things work out as we planned? We have carefully considered the options and logically sequenced the steps. Then, “life happens!”  Be like Ike and plan according.

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” 

Luke 14:28

Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear

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