tiberry

I had a crappy day at work today, and since there's not really a "crappy day at work forum" and I love the philosophy forum I decided to merge the two into a philosophical rant.

/rant on

Nothing is so frustrating as seeing and understanding the “big picture” but not having the words to describe it to others.


Ramblings of an uneducated professor –

It happens every day. Someone at work poses a problem or a question to me which I consider for some time and then formulate an answer. After all, that’s what contractors are paid to do right? Solve problems. Yet it never fails that regardless of my answer or how painstakingly I try to describe the rationale I seem to miss the mark on selling my answer as the “right answer”.

Now if someone, anyone were to pose a better solution or even demonstrate logically how my answer is flawed in the context of existing (generally accepted) factors I could understand that. Obviously. But invariably I am met with a barrage of counter rationale such as: “I agree with you but…”, “Well, yes and no….”, or here’s the best one – “You’ve perfectly described point Z, but I have no clue how to get there from where I am here at point A.”

So then, it boils down to this. I must not only supply the correct answer, but I must also provide a practical step-by-step methodology for implementing what we all agree is right. Therein lies the rub.

Its simply not enough to do what’s right because its right – we have to be supplied with a roadmap to do what’s right. In this way, we can absolve ourselves of all responsibility for the decision (to do what’s right) in the unlikely event that it turns out that it wasn’t the right thing to do. What a conundrum.

Let’s take this up a notch or two (jump to Z if you will) and pose that this is the fundamental approach, as well as the apparent need for religion – which also mirrors the same conundrum albeit with a twist called “faith”. Because humans have a tendency to need someone to blame or stated another way, someone to absolve them of all responsibility, they’ve created the notion of a “higher being”. Someone who has all the answers, someone who can never be wrong, is all powerful, etc.

But wait! What’s this? Our higher being hasn’t provided a detailed enough roadmap! How do we implement these higher truths? How will we know the “right answer” when confronted with a problem not explicitly covered in our ‘bible’? Oh, what’s that? We must have faith. That is – we must trust that our “higher being” knows what he’s doing. He’s left out the explicit roadmap for a reason. A test! It must be a test! And if we pass the “test” we’ll be given a reward! Ahhh…I knew our “higher being” wouldn’t let us down.


Can you see the comparison between the “corporate” and the “theological” aspects of human nature? Those in power (those charged with responsibility) are paid to absolve others of responsible thinking. Further, we've removed the problem of those pesky roadmaps by imposing the illusion of authority. "Do what I said or your fired!". Or, "Do what I said or you'll burn in hell!" Never mind the details.

Those that can effectively provide a roadmap to implementing solutions are successful, those who can’t are not. I pose that Jesus was an unsuccessful CEO. Your thoughts?

/rant off