By Luis Manuel Aguana
Before I titled this note I
checked in my search engine to see who had used the same expression before,
surprising me that there were even poems titled in that way. There are musical
groups, songs, reflections, articles, all of them with a different focus for
those words. I decided then to title this note equally to add an additional
focus to such diverse manifestations.
Indeed, for me the expression has
always meant the tendency that people naturally feel when from outside they
notice the complication in any matter, preferring to use someone else's
judgment to make a decision, without using their own reasoning ability. Hence
the expression that "thinking hurts" not because it is difficult, but
sometimes we look for a reason not to. That's not a bad thing if by taking
someone else's judgment, they deserve such recognition.
But when you let someone else think
for you, that person better not let you down because in some cases your own
life can depend on it. In terms of leadership, it is usually that way of acting
that differentiates those who follow from those who are followed.
And that aspect of leadership is
decisive because people in most cases follow their leaders because they trust
that their criteria and decisions are thought and studied. They decide not to
"think" about complex problems, leaving that to those they trust
because they believe in good faith that these leaders will "think"
well for them. And that in Venezuela has so far proved to be a catastrophe.
It turns out that this “leadership”
has swindled people into that important aspect of thinking about solutions,
confusing it with deciding in favor of what they think the "people
want," rather than working for something previously thought out and
studied after a thorough analysis for the benefit of the majority. It pains
them to think... and it escapes them that they are denied that in their
capacity as those responsible for the fate of others.
And why do I say that with such
certainty? Just look at the results of the opposition disaster. Do you know of
any opposition "situation room"? We know that the regime has one in
Miraflores, because they themselves have said so, as well as others sponsored
by Cuban intelligence. That's just a sample of the importance that if the
adversary - unlike us - gives to thinking. And what do we do? React to what
they first think and then execute. It is no wonder the
opposition results have been so poor in recent years.
Possibly the reasons for this
repeatedly reactive and absurd behavior of our leadership can be found in a
very interesting article in Harvard Business Review's The Forsaken Art of
Thinking by Rakesh Jain (see in https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/forsaken-art-thinking-rakesh-jain/), where the author describes symptoms that are very
similar to what is happening in Venezuela, especially in the opposition
sectors:
“Action has
become rhetoric for all the problems and instant action is much sought after
and celebrated. But
growing chorus towards action is taking its toll on time available for thinking
for the choice of action. Due to
growing multitasking in life, people are forgetting the art and science of
thinking.”.
Hence, in the best style of
classical populism, leadership seeks impact actions that say that "we are
doing something" but without any long-term substance, forgetting its main
role of thinking about structural solutions, which are precisely the product of
time and work invested in active reflection:
“Conscious zone of
mind is about less action and more reflection while subconscious mind is
programmed for managing the action reaction cycle. While
the conscious brain is about processing information, creating new knowledge and
consumes more energy, subconscious brain is about automation, routine and
speed. Thinking is a conscious brain activity and it
is essential for the mind to move away from action to shift its focus from
subconscious to conscious zone.”.
Do you realize that we are moving
away from solutions while acting without thinking? The mind needs time for that
later action to have the effectiveness required for success. If we do not take
that time to think about solutions to new situations, according to the author,
we will repeat the actions already known, which in my opinion is
the moat where we all always fall as a
result of an empty leadership of ideas:
“Thinking is
a pre-requisite for breaking the action- reaction cycle. A new action will always require thinking and in the
absence of conscious brain activity, we will continue on the cycle of old
action- reaction. Thinking is also necessary for finding solution to a new
problem or devising new actions. In the absence of thinking we will choose our actions from the
repository of old actions stored in the subconscious mind.”.
The author ends with the thesis of
making thought a routine and incorporating it into the action itself, as part
of people's lives. In my opinion, that would only come after many times doing
the right thing within the think-action cycle. My aspiration now would be that at least we should at least begin to stop and
think:
“Today, world is
what it is because of thinking done by few people. Let
us imagine the world what it would be if thinking becomes a part of life for
all the people living on this world. To achieve this
goal, we will have to stop the celebration of action and allow time and space
for introspection, meditation and reflection.”.
Unfortunately, like the world, our
country is what few people have thought about. And that is not going to change
in the short or medium term. We will be victims of the success or failure of
the few. Then those few who have assumed responsibility for driving the
opposing wagon should allow themselves time to think about proposals and
solutions. It is not enough to go to the streets as an action if there is not a
clear thought behind it that includes how that action will have the
results we all hope for.
So, like the poet Aquiles Nazoa in
his immortal Creed, I likewise “believe
in the creative powers of the people”. That's why I am finally convinced
that in 2018 only the people will come up with a solution that doesn't hurt
them to think...
Caracas,
December 28 ,2017
Email: luismanuel.aguana@gmail.com
Twitter:@laguana
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario