Rethinking
Over the weekend I read a truly insightful book that I think will have an enormous impact on the world. While no stranger to inspired writing, Adam Grant’s latest work is a masterpiece for anyone looking to create a new perspective on life.
Here comes the difficult portion…Application. I have been struggling with this concept for quite some time now. I can honestly say that as I grow in age and, hopefully, wisdom I have become more attuned to the need to rethink old positions given new information. Evidence in this concept is paramount. Yet, rethinking is somewhat difficult to accomplish. Why is that? Without much research it is easy to assume that, internally, it is easier to hold to specific ideals which have been untested for the greater portion of one’s life. It is a traumatic experience to realize you have been incorrect about an important subject. That traumatic experience is exacerbated if what you were incorrect about was a core part of your identity. No wonder we are horrible at rethinking.
I think there is a lesson in this concept. Evolution is necessary. The law of entropy states that matter in a closed system inevitably will go from order to disorder. Think about it. New houses eventually need repairs. Clean rooms become messy rooms. Trees will rot, bodies will decay. In this context, our minds and ideas will undergo the same process unless we evolve and change. In short, unless we rethink.
The great mystery is in how this process occurs. This is the irony of life. However, I think it is an amazing irony. One that should be met with the force of our being. Let us rethink on some old assumptions/ideals. Maybe, just maybe, we will get a little better and humanity will be all the better for it.
