Important Things

See, I came back from a meeting today that discussed about things. That is what meetings are about- we discuss about many things. Lots of talking- mostly genuine concerns; others skepticism, and perhaps yet others, undue worries. But we talk, nevertheless. Isn't that what a good organization does- freedom of speech, and the obligation to listen. Duh~

Then there are the important things. We spend way longer, much more resources, much more deliberation discussing about these important things. Sometimes these things are measured in magnitude- the amount of money involved, the number of people involved, the scale of planning etc; other times, we inject personal importance- a friend is perhaps more important than a distant someone.. 

In any case, we talk a lot. 

But that's besides the point. 

Importance.

What is important? 
To an accountant, presenting accounts and getting the document in place to tide through a smooth auditing process may be important. 
To a striving young man, saving up for a comfortable retiree's life may be important. 
To a budding family, ensuring a child's competitiveness in the society may be important. 
To a friend, preserving peace may be important.
To a superior, creating a well-oiled system to churn out good productivity may be important.
But what if... What if an individual is an accountant, a striving young man, part of a budding family, a friend, and a superior all at the same time. 

Genuine concerns remain genuine, then I guess we have to take a pick. 
On the one hand we have administrative concerns, on the other we have life and death threading on a thin line. The choice is obvious, but that is what dehumanising does to our judgment. 
Re-contextualize a little, perhaps it helps to ask ourselves. Is saving for a comfortable living/for the unexpected events in life more important than the immediate needs for funds to aid desperate causes like human trafficking, disaster relief, poverty, hunger etc.