There's the right way to do something - and then there is the way that I do it. At least, that is how I often feel, where what I try, never quit works. The best laid plans or something to that effect I guess. I know some people who no matter how bad their results are, they act as if it is awesome, like they planned it. And I wonder, is it better to be that naïve?
Is ignorance really bliss?
Perhaps it is, but I think that it might only work in a narrow bad, where for instance, ignorance is bliss in a specific condition, but if that condition changes, the only way to maintain bliss, is to get more ignorant. It is a process of getting stupider by knowing less, isn't it? It requires ignoring new information which would otherwise break the sense of bliss.
Some people also say that they make the most out of a situation, regardless of the conditions. But, is it really possible under any conditions, or is there a limit, or some kind of situation where even the most staunch supporter of "make the most" says, nope - this sucks. I think a lot of people who start out quite positive in life, end up quite negative, as time and time again, their experience doesn't meet their world view, and at some point, one has to give and it is the world view.
Things aren't always rosy.
I was talking with my pseudo-coach at work today about building a reference group, which is something that I believe is important. However, I also mentioned that one of the traits I am looking for in members of the group is life experience, not just work experience. People who have "lived a little" tend to have a better understanding of the world outside of a narrow skillset and as such, also tend to be able to value-add to any direction they provide.
As I said to my coach (who is a highly technically proficient person), people without much experience think that no matter how complicated, there is always a solution to a problem. But someone with experience understands that there are complexities that mean that there is a best solution right now, but it might not be the best tomorrow, as things can change very rapidly.
Experience comes in many forms, but I feel that a lot of the younger generation these days are limiting theirs to more of what they can buy, to what they can consume, rather than any deep learning. I think that this leads to them not having broad enough experience to understand the complexities of the world, because what they consume is largely engineered and therefore, built for complication.
For example, whilst at breakfast in the hotel, I saw numerous parents giving their children screens to watch, which kept most of the kids quiet. The youngest I saw staring unmoving at a screen couldn't have been more than ten months old. This is a technological solution to the complex problem of children being curious and exploratory in nature, and I believe that what they are doing is conditioning their children to be robotic. They are programming them, engineering their behaviors into submission, even though they will lead complex lives in the future - all to make the lives of the parent a little easier, a little quieter.
Parenting isn't complicated. It is complex.
The problem is that without the experience of the future, people will of course feel that they are doing the right thing now. But, when that future arrives, if what they were doing wasn't actually the right thing, then it is too late for most to course correct. It is similar to when in the 50s and 60s women took Thalidomide to ease the nausea from morning sickness, without knowing it was going to cause severe birth defects in their yet to be born children. Medications are very complicated, but the human body is very complex. Just because it is easy to solve one problem with a medication, it doesn't mean that the same medication isn't going to create other problems in the complex system.
We are too smart for our own good at times.
And, perhaps this is why I am looking to build a reference group with wide experience, because it is kind of like decentralizing the intelligence a little, with key people with diverse specialties, but a common understanding of life's complexities. I know a lot of smart and intelligent people, but that doesn't mean that they have all the skills in all areas. Too often we think that because someone is good at something, they must be good at many things. And perhaps, this is also something we do when we reflect on ourselves, where we overestimate our own skills, like when 80% of people believe they are above average drivers.
Are we comparing ourselves to the worst, or the best?
As said, there is the right way to do something, and then there is the way that I do it. And while I don't usually get it completely wrong, I am often far from right. I guess I should be glad that so far, I haven't messed up massively to the point there is no recovery, but I often question if it is because I have enough experience, or I have just not taken large enough risks.
More of my ignorance shining through..
Taraz
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