Need To

 

 

Is anybody familiar with Need To,

That distant cousin of Done It

That is often mentioned in speeches

That come across as sacred edicts?

 

Try counting the “need to”

Then compare them with the “done it”

And you will discover, as I have,

“Need to” has “done it” eclipsed.

 

So many decisions are taken

On what we need to do

But there are fewer and fewer “done it”

That ever become true.

 

We need to fix this

And we need to address that,

And the “need to” list gets longer and longer-

And of “done it” there is lack.

 

 .

Can someone tell me

When “need to” will morph into “done it”?

Concerning the things that should be fixed,

“Need to” is a disconcerting habit.

 

For sure, we know the things

That we need to do

But it takes an inordinately long time

For “done it” to come true.

 

We need to do this

And we need to do that

And everything we need to do

Is a commonly known fact.

 

Yet the account is the same

Every time we report,

The “need to” idea remains in the pipeline-

And done it comes up short.

 

I leave you, the reader,

To compile your own “need to” list,

No doubt you would discover some

That I would certainly miss.

 

Yes, there are many “need to”

And relatively few “done it”,

Therefore, I would really love to see

The two become a habit.

 

So that one would follow the other

Very closely behind

And the “need to” aims and objectives

Would reflect “done it” every time.

 

“Need to” spells responsibility:

It is what needs to be done

While “done it” speaks to accountability

From which we should not run.

 

“Need To” is like the promise

That needs to be fulfilled,

While “Done It” is the implementation-

An act of the will.

 

These two walk hand in hand

Like as in matrimony,

The former without the latter

Breeds acrimony.

 

Stewart Russell © August 10, 2023