Convening for Action in British Columbia

banner

DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia Will 2025 be the year of the re-set?” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in January 2025

Note to Reader:

Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published on January 21 2025 kicked off the 2025 season of “stories behind the stories” of those who are leading changes in thinking and implementing in BC. The unifying theme for upcoming editions is this question: Will 2025 be the year when decision-makers within government build on lessons from the past to initiate a re-set that overcomes organizational amnesia?

 

May you live in interesting times

Memorable quotes that encapsulate wisdom are timeless. Consider what Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote in 1849:  the more thing change, the more they stay the same. Despite apparent changes or advancements in society, certain fundamental aspects or patterns of behaviour remain unchanged over time.

A second quote…”may you live in interesting times”…aptly describes the array of local, provincial, national and global challenges that we face today. The phrase is ironic because “interesting” times are usually times of trouble.

 

The “may you live in interesting times” quote has an interesting history. In a 1936 speech, Sir Austen Chamberlain used it to great effect in his appeal for rearmament to combat the rise of Nazi Germany. Three decades later, in 1966, Robert F Kennedy popularized the quote with his “Ripple of Hope” speech.

The first documented use of the quote was in a 1898 speech by Joseph Chamberlain, British politician and social reformer. He was the father of both Austen Chamberlain, a Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 1930s, and Neville Chamberlain who was Britain’s prime minister at the beginning of WW2.

Lessons from the past inform the future

In the world of government, it helps to understand what works and what does not. Having deep knowledge provides a foundation upon which to base sound decisions. During troubled times, there is no substitute for lessons learned through lived experience.

 

 

“And everyone here will ultimately be judged – will ultimately judge himself – on the effort he has contributed to building a new world society and the extent to which his ideals and goals have shaped that effort,” added Robert Kennedy in his Ripple of Hope speech.

As of 2025, organizational amnesia is “the challenge” for governments to overcome

 

To Learn More:

To read the complete story, download a copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia Will 2025 be the year of the re-set?

DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_year-of-the-re-set_2025.pdf