Without being fully aware of the process, we have absorbed norms from the world around us; unquestioningly inheriting assumptions from family, class, education, peers, and culture as well as from the moment in history we by chance happen to occupy. These defaults are not necessarily wrong, it’s just that they deserve closer scrutiny to see if they are applicable to any given circumstance.
- Changing your mind demonstrates weakness: Au contraire! Just the opposite when new information arrives. In fact, refusing to update despite evidence may be the greater weakness.
- Consistency is a virtue: Or merely loyalty to yesterday’s mistake? Or mental lethargy?
- Consensus generally equates to correct: Or to group think, mindless/lazy conformity, fear of being ostracized from tribe.
- Confidence signals competence: The wise generally have doubts, fools are often certain.
- Problems require action: Preferably with immediate visible results. The masses often demand a quick response when no effective one is available. The result is political theater, often counterproductive.
- Experts are expert: Beware authority bias; every silo has its priorities and norms that may not align with yours as well as belief systems and traditions that can become blinders.
- Education means ability: Credentials and time in grade are not always the same as knowing and understanding, nor does intelligent always mean smart too.
- Efficiency is unquestionably good: Resilience and effectiveness are also of value; redundancy, slack, buffers, and spare capacity all make for robust systems.
- Busy means important: As Henry David said, “The ants are busy too but what are the busy about?”
- Good intentions will inevitably lead to good outcomes: Moral beginnings have relatively little connection to consequences; outcomes belong to systems, feedback, and process far more than intentions.
Closing Quotes:
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” – Proverb
“When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?” – John Maynard Keynes, 1883-1946
“The individual has always had to struggle to not be overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.” – Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900
As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier
Note: Every effort has been made to properly source any 3rd person material. I am, however, a voracious reader. If anyone finds any unattributed material, pls let me know asap and I will be delighted to give credit where credit is due.
“All intelligent thoughts have already been thought; what is necessary is only to try to think them again.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832
