Efficiency and results are important things in business and society at large and rightly so, but is there a down side to this drive for better and faster?
One thought that has been in my mind for a while is that this drive seems to be creating a type of ‘societal perfectionism’ which sets unrealistic expectations and lacks in compassion and empathy.
An environment is created where people are driven to hide their weaknesses and offer instead the illusion of being in complete control.
We can be left thinking there is a pattern, a way of being to which we have to conform. If we just think more carefully, try harder and be different.
This creates the perception that mistakes and errors are intolerable completely stifling our ability to learn from mistakes. In short we are gradually losing the ability to see failure as a vital part of growth in creativity.
We become terrified of failing to such an extent that in the blink of an eye our morals are cast out the window if it will preserve the shimmering gloss of perfection we seek to upkeep.
In this type of environment community becomes fragmented as we fall into self-preservation mode. We lose compassion for ourselves and others, and turn our backs on supportive and life-giving ways of being.
Could there be a better way, a more gracious way? What would it look like to allow room for mistakes and even more importantly create an atmosphere where people can be vulnerable, mistakes can be talked about and learned from?
Are we willing to take the risk and push for change?
“We must be willing to fail and to appreciate the truth that often ‘Life is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived.'”
M. Scott Peck
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