One of the things that I'm not good at is understanding the complexity of human response. People do things for multiple reasons, and the things that they do have multiple facets. I tend to see things in black and white, with a little grey, whereas people act in a rainbow of reasons and styles.
For example, although it is obvious that I think that the president is a misguided idiot, and the staff of his administration is for the most part similarly misguided, I have to remember they are intelligent and accomplished people, sitting in the collective hot seat, faced with difficult and complex challenges. Few of us would be up to that task. From their point of view, what they are doing, and the way they are doing it, is correct. So, what are their underlying assumptions? What are their goals? Put colloquially, where are they coming from?
To enhance my understanding, I am fortunate to occasionally be able to pluck an insight from the dammedest places. This one comes from a science-fiction novel that I've been reading (intermittantly) for quite a while.
"Though it was more than sixty years since she committed her crimes, high-ranking officials continued to bray for (her) arrest and trial, using her as a focus for public sentiments that might otherwise have been directed at the government. It was one of the oldest tricks of mob-management: give them a hate figure. "
- Redemption Ark, by Alastair Reynolds
Sound familiar?
No comments:
Post a Comment