The Culturally Conscious Board

8 Intention

At crucial moments of choice, most of the business of choosing is already over.

IRIS MURDOCH35

Phil relished getting to the board meetings an hour before everyone else. He had a ritual: He opened the storage room, where the antique table he had donated to City Farm was kept and protected. He pulled out the table, polished it lightly, arranged the chairs appropriately and reflected. He opened the drawers of the table, where etched on the wooden plank, underneath the assortment of notepads, agendas and pens, were the initials B. P. W.—Bruno Phil Wagner—his grandfather and namesake, although he just went by Phil. He remembered sitting on Grandfather’s lap, at this very same table, as he’d sketch portraits. Bruno was a farmer because ...