It is one of the issues that will have to be worked through

Hear the words of John Anderson, who spoke with the clarity of one seeking harmony between prosperity and preservation: “It is one of the issues that will have to be worked through however let me make the point and I think anyone would accept that if you set it up properly, not only will you get better environmental outcomes, you have a chance to create more wealth with the available resource.” These words carry not only the reason of policy, but the timeless wisdom of balance. They remind us that the earth and its bounty need not be destroyed for mankind to prosper, but that true wealth is born when stewardship and enterprise walk hand in hand.

At the heart of his saying lies the conviction that environmental outcomes and wealth are not enemies. Too often in the history of nations, the two have been placed in opposition: one voice crying for profit at any cost, the other for preservation without progress. Yet Anderson, with the patience of one who has observed the long arc of consequence, declares that if society is set up properly, both blessings may be achieved together. The key is wisdom, foresight, and the courage to build systems that honor both man and nature.

Consider the tale of the Netherlands, a land wrested from the sea. For centuries, the Dutch people worked through the problem of flooding, learning to set up their dikes, canals, and windmills with care. In so doing, they did not merely protect themselves from ruin; they transformed swamp into farmland, scarcity into abundance, fear into wealth. Here is a living example of Anderson’s teaching: a people who faced an environmental challenge, and through careful design, found both protection for nature and prosperity for themselves.

Yet history also teaches the opposite, when this wisdom is ignored. In Easter Island, trees were felled without foresight, resources consumed without restraint. At first, wealth grew from the bounty of the land, but when the last tree fell, collapse followed. Poverty, conflict, and despair became their inheritance. Their tragedy proves the truth hidden in Anderson’s words: if resources are not set up properly, the pursuit of wealth will destroy itself, leaving both earth and people desolate.

The emotional core of his teaching is hope. Anderson tells us that these issues—the conflicts of environment and economy—are not walls that must divide us, but challenges that can be worked through. He affirms that the choice is not destruction or stagnation, but creation. With wise systems, clean rivers can flow beside thriving towns; forests can be preserved even as trade flourishes; energy can be harnessed in ways that sustain both future generations and present livelihoods.

The lesson, O listener, is this: never accept the false choice between prosperity and protection. Seek always the third path, where both are preserved together. To do this, one must plan with long vision, care for the smallest details, and resist the temptation of quick gain that sacrifices tomorrow for today. Better outcomes are not accidents—they are the fruit of wisdom, discipline, and courage.

What then shall you do? First, honor the resources in your care as gifts, not spoils—use them well, but never waste them. Second, support leaders and systems that pursue harmony between wealth and environment, not one at the expense of the other. Third, look upon your own life and ask: where can I act with foresight, so that both I and the world around me may flourish together?

And remember always: as John Anderson declared, if you set it up properly, prosperity and protection will not be adversaries, but allies. The land will yield wealth, and the air will remain pure; rivers will nourish both crops and children. This is not a dream, but a destiny, if wisdom guides our hands. Let this truth be passed down as teaching, that those who come after may inherit not ruin, but abundance joined with harmony.