Shlomo Benartzi Saving for tomorrow, tomorrow

In a society where there is no hope for tomorrow. What should they do?

Therefore don't be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day's own evil is sufficient.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Because A, we can make it easy, and B, we can maybe give people a reason to act today, rather than wait till tomorrow.

This commentary draws on a recent co authored report, Global Currencies for Tomorrow A European Perspective (Bruegel and CEPII, 2011).

Say to the people, 'Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, and you will eat flesh for you have wept in the ears of Yahweh, saying, Who will give us flesh to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt. Therefore Yahweh will give you flesh, and you will eat.

And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.

Because, if you can envision, as I do, a future of zero emissions and freedom to move around the country and around the world like we take for granted today, that's worth the hard work today to preserve that for tomorrow.

If we make today s problems the excuse for failure to save the environment, we will simply pile up much bigger and potentially catastrophic problems tomorrow.

Get up! Sanctify the people, and say, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, There is a devoted thing in the midst of you, Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted thing from among you.

Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

By playing this endless game, our ministers leave for tomorrow what they lack the courage to face today, knowing full well that this ruse will end tragically for Argentines.

But continuing to use energy inefficiently will not mitigate the painful effects of the global economic crisis. If we make today s problems the excuse for failure to save the environment, we will simply pile up much bigger and potentially catastrophic problems tomorrow.