Stupidity Is Not A Choice

But we can all choose what we do with it.

a man is followed by its own shadow in a futuristic setting, digital art — by DALL·E

Judging uniformly makes for some of the most flawed and insidious objectivity. Nothing is more useless than judging different elements or events equally. We will all agree that 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 is the same as 1 + 4, 2 + 3 and any other equivalent combination. Yet, in this hyperconnected and somewhat hyperactive world, some will rush to conclude that all numbers and sums amount to five.

I remember how a friend decided that all countries were indistinguishable, mere versions of the same problems. She had lived in two. I remember being appalled at the idea because, having also lived in two places, each with its issues, the disparity in corruption, politeness or access to welfare couldn’t be more obvious. In my young mind, ‘all places have problems’ could never equate with ‘all places have the same problems and of identical severity’.

However, the reductionism virus has only spread in the last fifteen years. Thus, we see governments being judged as harshly when their input in the current mess bears no comparison. If a natural disaster ravaged a country due to poor building permits and worse site inspections, and a new ruling party fails to make the country calamity-safe in two years, the latter will be deemed as inept as its predecessor. The same logic will apply to management teams…