Everybody has an opinion, but very few people want to discuss constructive ways to resolve issues. Complaining is so much easier than solving.
You see this in many ways. Politics is the easiest example. We love to harangue our elected officials about what we don’t like, but how many of us choose to run for office? How many people even contribute money to a campaign for a candidate they prefer over the one who is in office? Or, if money is something you don’t want to donate, how many people actually volunteer time for a candidate they prefer?
On all those counts, I’d argue most people stay on their couch, watch TV, and yell at it when something isn’t going the way they’d like rather than take a step in the direction of contributing to a changed environment. Someday they’ll pop a blood vessel in their forehead.
During a recent conversation with a work colleague, we got into an extremely spirited discussion about Ebola. He was adamant about all the things that “had” gone wrong – airplane flights should have been prevented, the hospital messed up procedures, we weren’t equipped to properly deal with it.
It was a “blame” argument. I asked what we could do to move on from where we are now.
He continued to blast away on what was wrong. So I changed tactics and asked whose fault it was.
Was it the airlines for letting people fly out of the hot spots? Was it the hospital for not dealing with it properly? Was it President Obama? Was it the “government,” and if so, which one? Was it the medical community at large?
The point was that there is not one person to blame. It’s a complex situation and you can’t control all the variables. All you can do is manage them in a smarter way moving forward.
The irony in this conversation was that we were attending a summit on creativity and working to “move forward” on issues rather than backwards. That meant flushing the past and looking instead at making progress regardless of bad decisions previously made.
That’s hard for many people to get their arms around. Be part of the solution instead of complaining about the problem.
When you blame, you remain mired in the past. It seems like that’s what most people want to do these days.
It would be interesting if somehow we could craft s system where you weren’t allowed to complain unless you volunteered a solution and to be part of implementing it. When you start thinking of the public issues we face, complexity once again rules the day. It would be hard to figure out where to put the person who has to volunteer.
If someone wants to fix healthcare, do you send that person to an insurance company, hospital, doctor’s office, claims processing company, a diagnostics firm, someone in preventive care or a pharmaceutical business? They are all hooked into healthcare, but where would you put a person to “fix” things?
Similar statements can be made about global climate change, immigration or Ebola. Many variables are involved if we’re going to improve the situation, and they require discussion and analysis before proceeding. There is no one-stop shopping solution.
I think in many ways, people are just plain impatient. We want things we don’t like to be changed yesterday. “I’m tired of the potholes on Main St. The city should repave the entire street.”
Where’s the money? Should the potholes be refilled or paved over? How many days will it take? Where do you reroute the traffic? What will it mean for downtown business when the work is being done?
Seemingly simple problems still require thoughtful consideration. Then, don’t look back.
You see this in many ways. Politics is the easiest example. We love to harangue our elected officials about what we don’t like, but how many of us choose to run for office? How many people even contribute money to a campaign for a candidate they prefer over the one who is in office? Or, if money is something you don’t want to donate, how many people actually volunteer time for a candidate they prefer?
On all those counts, I’d argue most people stay on their couch, watch TV, and yell at it when something isn’t going the way they’d like rather than take a step in the direction of contributing to a changed environment. Someday they’ll pop a blood vessel in their forehead.
During a recent conversation with a work colleague, we got into an extremely spirited discussion about Ebola. He was adamant about all the things that “had” gone wrong – airplane flights should have been prevented, the hospital messed up procedures, we weren’t equipped to properly deal with it.
It was a “blame” argument. I asked what we could do to move on from where we are now.
He continued to blast away on what was wrong. So I changed tactics and asked whose fault it was.
Was it the airlines for letting people fly out of the hot spots? Was it the hospital for not dealing with it properly? Was it President Obama? Was it the “government,” and if so, which one? Was it the medical community at large?
The point was that there is not one person to blame. It’s a complex situation and you can’t control all the variables. All you can do is manage them in a smarter way moving forward.
The irony in this conversation was that we were attending a summit on creativity and working to “move forward” on issues rather than backwards. That meant flushing the past and looking instead at making progress regardless of bad decisions previously made.
That’s hard for many people to get their arms around. Be part of the solution instead of complaining about the problem.
When you blame, you remain mired in the past. It seems like that’s what most people want to do these days.
It would be interesting if somehow we could craft s system where you weren’t allowed to complain unless you volunteered a solution and to be part of implementing it. When you start thinking of the public issues we face, complexity once again rules the day. It would be hard to figure out where to put the person who has to volunteer.
If someone wants to fix healthcare, do you send that person to an insurance company, hospital, doctor’s office, claims processing company, a diagnostics firm, someone in preventive care or a pharmaceutical business? They are all hooked into healthcare, but where would you put a person to “fix” things?
Similar statements can be made about global climate change, immigration or Ebola. Many variables are involved if we’re going to improve the situation, and they require discussion and analysis before proceeding. There is no one-stop shopping solution.
I think in many ways, people are just plain impatient. We want things we don’t like to be changed yesterday. “I’m tired of the potholes on Main St. The city should repave the entire street.”
Where’s the money? Should the potholes be refilled or paved over? How many days will it take? Where do you reroute the traffic? What will it mean for downtown business when the work is being done?
Seemingly simple problems still require thoughtful consideration. Then, don’t look back.