Defining Moments

82 D

EFINING

M

OMENTS

deciding what to do. Perhaps with a clearer sense of the personal

stakes in this decision—the ways this decision will reveal, test, and

shape his values and character. Perhaps also with an awareness of

the importance of four questions: How do my feelings and instincts

define the dilemma? Which of the responsibilities and values in

conflict have the deepest roots in my life and in communities I

care about? Looking to the future, what is my way? And how can

expediency and shrewdness, along with imagination and boldness,

move me toward the goals I care about most strongly?

These questions can also serve as practical criteria for devising a

plan of action. Notice how the questions balance each other and

limit the risks that each one, considered ...