When a group of concerned people are assigned a complicated
task to accomplish, it is hard to get started, unless someone shows up with an
idea, often called a strawman. If that person is allowed to explain the idea in
a manner that is understandable to others in the workgroup, they have an agreed
understanding and a place to start. Everyone else in the work group may have
ideas that will make completion of the task simpler or more effective, so they
try to include as many of the good ideas as they can. Some ideas conflict with
others and an agreement must be made on which idea to implement and which to
exclude. When the proposal is ready to submit or work is ready to begin on the
project, they put the proposal in a format that is easiest to explain.
When the proposal is presented to the leadership team, there
are usually several members of the leadership team that say the proposal will
not work. Most of the leadership team members are skeptical of everything and
some object, before understanding the proposal. That starts arguments between
members of the leadership team and usually one or more of the leadership team
walks away from the presentation angry or frustrated that everyone else does
not see their point of view. The leadership team leader is normally the one to
accept or deny the proposal, after understanding the concept and hearing all
objections. Some minor changes may be made after the presentation, but usually
not major changes. If the proposal is deemed improbable of success it is
usually scrapped and a new workgroup is assigned to take on the problem. If the
proposal is deemed probable of success, the proposal is made public.
Some of the public likes you and they listen with an open
mind and are willing to go along with implementation of the project. The
portion of the public that does not like you will not listen to the
presentation, will never understand the proposal and will harp and complain
constantly that it will not work. We usually call these people ignorant and
they are ignorant by choice. The people that understand the least complain the
most.
We have a country full of people that choose ignorance,
rather than listen to someone they do not like. We have a political party that
survives by dividing us. So many know so little they do not realize the enemy
is themselves. Or like Pogo said many years ago, “We have met the enemy and it
is us.”
If you want to know the truth, do not waste time talking to
people that agree with you. You learn the truth by trying to understand the
people with whom you disagree.
