I've always been a strong supporter of environmental protection

Hear the words of Judd Gregg, a man of governance who balanced care for the earth with the burdens of leadership: “I've always been a strong supporter of environmental protection and initiatives in that area. But I'm willing to set priorities. If we have to make reductions in one place, we'll have to—in order to increase another place, I'm willing to do that.” These words resound with the weight of wisdom, for they remind us that in the affairs of nations, as in the lives of individuals, one cannot preserve everything equally. Choices must be made, priorities must be set, and strength lies not in clinging to all, but in discerning what matters most.

He speaks first of being a supporter of environmental protection, affirming that the earth is worthy of defense. In this, he stands with the prophets and sages of old, who declared that the land is not man’s to plunder without restraint, but a trust to be guarded for generations unborn. Yet Gregg does not speak as a dreamer unbound by reality. He speaks as one who knows the weight of governing, where resources are finite, demands are many, and each gain demands sacrifice elsewhere. His wisdom lies in accepting this truth: that to strengthen one cause, another may need to give way.

History shows this struggle clearly. Consider Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Great Depression. His heart yearned to heal many wounds at once—poverty, unemployment, failing farms, dying industries. Yet with limited means, he set priorities, channeling resources first to programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps, which not only gave men work but restored forests and parks. He could not heal every wound in one stroke, but by choosing wisely, he laid foundations that endured. Gregg’s words echo this same spirit: to increase one place sometimes means reducing another, but if guided by vision, the sacrifice brings greater good.

So too did the ancient Romans understand this principle. Their empire stretched wide, and their treasury was not endless. To guard their borders, they sometimes abandoned distant outposts to strengthen the heartland. To build aqueducts that nourished many, they delayed the construction of monuments that served only vanity. Their survival depended upon this art of setting priorities—a lesson modern peoples often forget, as they attempt to hold everything at once, and in the end, lose more than they gain.

The emotional essence of Gregg’s words is humility before reality. He acknowledges that desire without discernment is folly, and that even noble causes—such as environmental initiatives—must sometimes yield in one part to advance in another. This is not betrayal but wisdom, for the health of the whole depends on careful balance. A farmer knows this truth well: if the rains are scarce, he must water one field first, that at least part of the harvest may survive, rather than spreading water too thin and losing all.

The lesson for us, O listener, is this: do not confuse compromise with weakness, nor prioritization with betrayal. True wisdom lies not in attempting everything, but in discerning what must come first. To guard the earth, to protect society, to strengthen communities—these tasks are endless. One must learn to weigh them, to know where a sacrifice today may bring a greater harvest tomorrow.

What then shall you do? First, examine your own life with honesty: where do your resources of time, energy, and wealth flow? Are they scattered too widely, or focused where they may bear the most fruit? Second, when you support causes, understand the necessity of balance; do not demand everything at once, but be willing to set priorities so that progress, though gradual, is real. Third, embrace patience, for building wisely often requires sacrifice, yet in the long arc of time such sacrifices yield abundance.

And remember always: as Judd Gregg declared, to protect the earth and its people is noble, but to do so wisely is essential. To increase one place may require reducing another, but this is not loss—it is the art of stewardship. Walk this path with courage, and you will leave behind not chaos, but harmony, not waste, but a legacy of balance for the generations to come.