Time with little kids uncovers an amazing and deeply-instilled sense of ownership. It shows up as the word, “mine”. It is accompanied by tight grip, taking away from others, holding in a secure and protected stance, and a general exclusive posture of solitary control.
The mature practice of ownership transforms into stewardship (a term almost never heard in the general conversation today). Whereas owning means control, mutual-exclusivity (either/or, but not both) and a lasting and permanent possession focused on the owner; stewardship embodies temporal responsibility for the care of the item or opportunity, and the focus is away from the steward and directed towards that for which care is extended. Quite the contrast.
Owners and stewards both take care of things. The owner is interested in “what I can do with what I possess”, while the steward is committed to “how did that for which I took care mature, prosper, and expand”.
Owners and stewards leave very different legacies.
Let’s steward the opportunities we have at hand today.
