Monday Moment - Let go of certainty

I had a lot of car time today on a drive to a meeting to Albany and back. Lots of NPR – Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Six plus hours to catch up on what’s going on in the world.

One of the most thought-provoking pieces I heard was one about a book written by Matt Miller titled The Tyranny of Dead Ideas. Miller attacks what he says have become ‘rules for our time’ by suggesting that the times have changed. Those ideas include:
§ our children will earn more than we do
§ free trade is “good” no matter how many people it hurts
§ employers should play a central role in the provision of health coverage
§ taxes hurt the economy
§ “local control” of schools is essential
§ people tend to end up, in economic terms, where they deserve to

Well, aren’t these ideas fodder for deep thinking? In the space of a radio interview, Miller only had the chance to speak about the first three ideas on his list, and regardless of what I’d believed before, he made a darned good case that these were, in fact, dead ideas. And furthermore, Miller suggested, our allegiance to these ideas that we have believed were true – and that we have used to build both policies and ways of seeing the world – are not only no longer true, but are holding us back from real progress.

I’ve not had enough information nor enough time to digest Miller’s arguments to fully establish my own informed opinion about whether these ideas are dead, and if they are, whether our commitment to these ‘dead’ ideas paralyzes us. I confess, though, that I find the contemplation of such challenging notions an intellectually enjoyable process.

Gail Sheehy says that an important step in creativity is to “let go of certainty.” David Roth sings of getting all his “answers questioned.” Hmm… Whatever the result of the exercise, I believe that Sheehy, Roth, and now Miller, are telling me to “THINK!”

And so I will. I encourage you to do likewise. Are you willing to let go of certainty and really examine what you believe about Miller’s ‘dead ideas? Let me know what you conclude.

May it be a thoughtful week.

Sally