EDITORIAL: Investment of the ‘best & brightest’

Marv Knox

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If you’ve been following the financial news lately, you’ve probably seen the phrase “best and brightest” written to describe the men and women who have made millions of dollars on Wall Street the past few years.

Such wasn’t always the case, of course. Nineteenth century poet Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote of lovers, “best and brightest, come away!” David Halberstam employed the phrase in the title of his 1972 book about how America blundered into Vietnam. Most recently, New York Times columnist Judith Warner lamented the application of “best and brightest” to the titans of Wall Street.

“Best and brightest” appeals to an ideal that is both intangible and tangible, qualifiable and quantifiable. “Best” is an intangible quality. How do you determine the “best,” especially among people? The answer bends toward subjective preference. “Brightest,” at least at some level, can be measured. IQ scores, test results and grade point averages offer a measure of credence to mental brilliance.

Editor Marv Knox

The notion that America’s best and brightest congregated on Wall Street got me thinking about where our “best and brightest” young people should spend their lives. Of course, while everyone who owns investments, a pension fund or other retirement savings depends upon the virtue and brilliance of Wall Street workers, finance doesn’t seem a worthy calling for the very best and brightest Americans.

So, where do I wish the next generation of the “best and brightest” would invest their lives? Here are four ideas:

Ministry. One of the most lamentable cultural shifts has been declining respect for clergy. Once, ministers—particularly pastors—were among the most-respected members of any community. Intelligent, vigorous, committed young people aspired to the ministry. Now, it’s often considered a low-end vocation of questionable relevance.

And yet few, if any, professions possess the potential to impact individuals and communities as positively as pastors. If more of our best and brightest young people felt called into this noble and divine profession, they could change lives and touch communities like no other force.

Teaching. Low pay, unreasonable demands and layers of bureaucracy have just about ruined teaching as a possibility for young people who have the skills to make a living elsewhere.

Still, no one can turn a life around quite like a gifted and passionate teacher. If you could survey every balanced, successful adult, you’d find the list of people who made the difference in shaping their lives would be weighted with teachers. Now, more than ever, we need creative, vibrant, caring teachers.


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Ethics. One of the most serious challenges facing people today is what to do with the stunning advances in science, medicine and technology. Many of the smartest people in the world are pushing capability beyond the borders of reason.

We need a generation of ethicists who are smarter than the scientists, doctors and engineers, so we can coalesce around moral, faithful answers to the questions their discoveries and inventions raise.

Social work/social policy. We live in a world of misery and hurt. The gaps between rich and poor, educated and uneducated, justice and injustice are growing exponentially.

The answers to these problems are not handouts and entitlements. If we had more brilliant social workers, we could teach millions of poor and disadvantaged people to care for themselves. And if we had more brilliant social policy analysts, we could resolve systemic problems that push people into poverty.

That’s my list. What professions are on yours? Encourage the best and brightest young people you know to invest themselves in careers that will enrich society, not merely their own bank accounts.

 


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