there is this innate sense of joy we experience in watching those who did not heed our advice fail! I know you might be thinking, "That's not true, I really feel bad for those poor souls!" but we know that's bullshit, so let us just cut the chase. We love having the realization that someone failed because they did not do it as we told them to!
But we aren't that sadistic. Our real kick comes from the fact that if you were wrong, then it automatically means that I am right! So it is this need of being proven right that drives this rather instinctual behaviour. But when the dust of the disaster settles and you look at the casualties: the countless who suffered, the money that was squandered, the time that was lost, the people who were left dejected, it just does not seem that fun anymore; or does it? This is what worried me: that people willfully refuse to see beyond the point of their argument at the bigger picture; the picture that they all are working for.
If an argument goes all the way around the world, it would cause nothing but chaos and destruction. Even a well constructed argument I have seen has only killed time and used little imagination. That because imagination truly lies not in your 'Right' but in another person's 'Wrong'. In an argument you choose to look at the issue as Black or White while imagination colours the mind with a million hues and shades! It is easy to argue on endlessly about why you are right and why someone else is wrong. Quite another story when you have to look at it the other way. Worse still when you have to take the best out of you so-called 'Right' and the other's so-called 'Wrong'.
I chanced upon something called 'Lateral Thinking' a couple of years ago and what inspired me about the concept was how little we seem to use it everyday. When asked to think from a different perspective, we begin to sweat, the brain begins to tingle and we begin to feel an out of body experience! And the funny thing is that this form of thinking was before us all along, right in front of our eyes. All we had to do was to choose it. But we never do, just like our ancestors never did when they believed in superstitions, when they said the earth was flat or when they called all forward thinking people heretics and witches! We commit this crime against all humanity to satiate our ego: an ego that does not know right from wrong, good from evil, ingenious from mundane, extraordinary from ordinary and calls whatever it wants to the truth.
I for one believe that the world will always continue to need more periods of 'Renaissance' with grater intensity and following for each of them and the serenity to for once choose choose Other's Rights over My Wrongs!
But we aren't that sadistic. Our real kick comes from the fact that if you were wrong, then it automatically means that I am right! So it is this need of being proven right that drives this rather instinctual behaviour. But when the dust of the disaster settles and you look at the casualties: the countless who suffered, the money that was squandered, the time that was lost, the people who were left dejected, it just does not seem that fun anymore; or does it? This is what worried me: that people willfully refuse to see beyond the point of their argument at the bigger picture; the picture that they all are working for.
If an argument goes all the way around the world, it would cause nothing but chaos and destruction. Even a well constructed argument I have seen has only killed time and used little imagination. That because imagination truly lies not in your 'Right' but in another person's 'Wrong'. In an argument you choose to look at the issue as Black or White while imagination colours the mind with a million hues and shades! It is easy to argue on endlessly about why you are right and why someone else is wrong. Quite another story when you have to look at it the other way. Worse still when you have to take the best out of you so-called 'Right' and the other's so-called 'Wrong'.
I chanced upon something called 'Lateral Thinking' a couple of years ago and what inspired me about the concept was how little we seem to use it everyday. When asked to think from a different perspective, we begin to sweat, the brain begins to tingle and we begin to feel an out of body experience! And the funny thing is that this form of thinking was before us all along, right in front of our eyes. All we had to do was to choose it. But we never do, just like our ancestors never did when they believed in superstitions, when they said the earth was flat or when they called all forward thinking people heretics and witches! We commit this crime against all humanity to satiate our ego: an ego that does not know right from wrong, good from evil, ingenious from mundane, extraordinary from ordinary and calls whatever it wants to the truth.
I for one believe that the world will always continue to need more periods of 'Renaissance' with grater intensity and following for each of them and the serenity to for once choose choose Other's Rights over My Wrongs!
I agree Kenny. We need to challenge more without getting into the right and wrong of it.
ReplyDeleteI agree Kenneth...what you said in the blog represents something I experienced a few months back.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, "I told you so" works like a mirror...
and I realised.....When ego overtakes imagination, we just don't account for practicality....what I learned was that...people who consider something is right should be courageous and humble enough to agree that what they considered wrong was actually right !!!
The value of success is truly understood only when someone who forecasts the wrong gets the right.....right in their faces and the so called wrong rejoices the victory.....which he already knew belonged to him!!!!
some experiences in life are worth a million mistakes !!!