There’s a growing outcry against gigantic institutions and overly grandiose ideas gone awry.

For example, some attribute the difficulties that Toyota is experiencing to preferring expansion over quality control.

President Barack Obama is forever being criticized for his lofty agendas.

Big banks are faulted for placing enormous profits over the protection of customers.

The list of woes about being too ambitious and pursuing bigness to the detriment of people is endless. How might we interpret this?

The professional sports executive Willis Reed once wrote, “Go for the moon. If you don’t get it, you’ll still be heading for a star.” It is a reminder that thinking big and striving for the best is the hallmark of America’s greatness. Had Americans not been ambitious, dreaming of doing the impossible, much of the prosperity we are enjoying would not be possible.

In the Bible Christ commends those who increase their talents, and he fills our minds and hearts with awesome thoughts of achieving God’s kingdom on earth.

Thinking big, dreaming the awesome and expanding horizons are inbred. But if this is not the cause of the problem, what is?

One very big problem is imprudence and seeking quick fixes without weighing all the possibilities.

Prudence, St. Thomas Aquinas tells us, “considers things afar off.” It is looking beyond our noses and immediate gratification to the bigger picture and long-range consequences. It is taking time to sort through all the variables so that important issues aren’t lost in making decisions.

As civilization advances in technology, we are becoming accustomed to instant results, thinking in terms of the here and now and making a killing. This is natural, especially when satisfying results are experienced.

Returning to the Bible, however, we need to keep in mind the wise virgins who foresaw the bridegroom coming and were prepared. They remind us that good times are no excuse for going to sleep at the switch and neglecting farsightedness.

Former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said, “The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning, but without understanding.”

Living in a post-modern age that embraces grandiose ideas, we are not only shooting for the moon but have landed on it. One reason we achieved this was the foresight and understanding of men and women who were not only zealous and well-meaning but who diligently studied all the variables needed for understanding success.

We live in a wonderful new age that requires that glorious ideals and thoughts of bigness be accompanied by ever-greater foresight, vigilance and balance.