Some time back, Gene said: "People always, always, always, do exactly
what makes the most amount of sense to them at the time they do it!!!"
To which I replied, "On the one hand it explains everything, and on the
other nothing."
And Gene said, "Yes, it explains everything and it explains nothing. And I
would ask, what is more important, an answer, or a basis for understanding
which could lead to many answers?
When I finally stumbled on and accepted the above as a truth, when I ran
into situations which seemed to make no sense at all the truth caused me
to pause and ask, what am I missing, what point of view haven't I seen,
etc. etc. etc. I seem to have developed a far greater passion for
understaning than for answers. Answers seem to be quite transient, correct
today and absolutely wrong tomorrow. Understanding seems to provide a
basis for longer term appropriate interactions with environments.... it
promotes answers, and it promotes transformed answers when the last ones
are no longer appropriate...."
--- End prior quotes ---
I think there is a grain of fundamental truth in what you said, and my
goal was not to question that. I think your statement is helpful in
gaining insight into people's motivations, at least some of the time.
In the spirit of asking why, I continue to wonder why do people behave so
differently. To take one example, why did Martin Luther King choose a
course of behavior that you and I and thousands of others -- at least
based on their behavior and your rule -- find so lacking in sense? Why do
we all have such disparate viewpoints on 'what makes sense?'
Does my question make sense to you? According to your rule, my failure to
take similar actions to MLK imply about me that I believe that attacking
injustice does not make as much sense as working for a living, raising a
family, and so on. I am not alone. The vast majority of people do not
attack injustice. I still wonder why.
--Rol Fessenden LL Bean 76234.3636@compuserve.com
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>