If I were to choose a suited collective New Year's resolution, I would choose stopping the eternal blame game in our society. If something bad happens (e.g. a home for the elderly gets infected by Covid-19), the press immediately indicates potential scapegoats. Something few people seem to understand is: in a complex society like ours, things go wrong and it is not necessarily anybody’s fault. As a leading manager in a large organisation, you may be forced to take decisions, the consequences of which you can’t entirely foresee. What happens in the end, may be the result of a complex interaction between different unpredictable events.
When we
think of the Middle Ages, where disease was believed to be caused by witches and devils, we
tend to think we belong to an enlightened era, where such nonsense could not
prevail. Yet if we look at our daily reactions to bad news, we immediately start with the gallows installation. Sin and guilt are considered obsolete remainders of
an all too Christian society, yet sin and guilt have never been more at the
centre of attention than now. Confession and penitence on the contrary are no
longer permitted. Our mediocracy loves hanging the few excellent people in our
society who feel accountable.
The truth
is we judge too fast. We can’t imagine being in someone else’s position.
Therefore, let us practice mildness.
Read my Dutch blog: Het principe van de goede huisvader in een technocratie.
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