Egotism

I must admit JFK paying tribute to artists and Robert Frost in particular got me interested in Robert Frost.  I have looked into his biography, read some of his poetry and looked at some of his quotes.  I did not know it until just now that he is the reason we say I took the road less travelled.  What he said was “Two roads diverged in a woods and I – I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.”
I really like some of the things he said including “The best way out is always through,” “The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.” “Don’t ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up.” “Poets are like baseball pitchers.  Both have their moments.  The intervals are the tough times.” “What we live by, we die by.”
It was something JFK said about Frost that got me exploring more about him.  What was said reminded me of something I said a while back and totally believe. He said  “If sometimes our great artists have been the most critical of our society, it is because their sensitivity and their concern for justice, which must motivate a true artist, makes him aware that our nation falls short of its highest potential.”
I have found that criticism is not always so noble.  There are many reasons for it, but my experience is a concern for justice is often the least among them.  A partial concern yes.  As long as it fits into a framework based less on truth then desire.
JFK’s sentence made me think of a post I put up long ago. “Just because a system fails, does not mean it is a failure.”  It seems these days I can be fond of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. To me, the primary reason why a system that is not ill-conceived fails, is human error.  Often there is much right in what is being proposed.  The proposal may need tweaking rather than over hauling or discarding altogether.
To me though the failure to accept a proposed change can be more the fault of the proposer than the non-acceptors (this is not talking about times when a decision needs to be made alone).  Some people are married to their idea.  It may contain the elements of a good idea, but in the opinion of others it  needs slight changes.  This is the only way to avoid the birth of a caricature.
The disputing of an idea can be a brave act.  Having something disputed that is held to firmly can unleash unreasonableness.  The disputing of my ideas is less of a concern than an unwillingness on my part to accept change.
To me this is one of the primary reasons why we need each other.  A thought may be right in my eyes, but when it is presented to others, it is weighed in the balance and found wanting.  A good idea may only need adjusting.  If my motivation is to see the best for the organisation, I will see the merit of changes.  If it is not, I will be offended.
  Robert Frost says things way better than I ever could. “the worst disease that can afflict executives in their job is not, as popularly supposed, alcoholism, its egotism.”