SOMETHING

One of the most unfortunate, dangerous, destructive forces in humanity is the impulse to do or say SOMETHING … anything. At many critical moments, both large and small, the only good option, and the very best thing, is to do or say NOTHING. We humans tend to have a problem with that. I doubt that anyone is totally immune to this urge, but it is especially notable with people in authority, and leadership positions.

This morning, the news is filled with historic developments on the opposite side of the world from the United States. Expert after expert is being interviewed on television and radio. To their credit, they all admit that there is no way of knowing how the situation will unfold, or how things will turn out, or whether the historic changes will end up being a good thing or a bad thing for the world in general. Actually, the various experts seem to agree on only one thing -- that there is nothing positive the American government or American leadership can do or say at this moment, and it is important for the American President NOT to make any official statements. So now they have announced that in a few minutes the American President will give a speech to address the unfolding situation.

I am not giving the specifics of what is happening, and I probably never will, and I will wait some time before I actually post this, because the specifics are both arguable and unimportant. I am horrified that the President is about to make an official speech, but not at all surprised. It is what Presidents do, and it is what everyone does, and if the President did NOT make a speech, there are those who would criticize him for his “inaction”. In fact, perhaps a large part of the blame for this unfortunate tendency lies with ALL of us, who regularly criticize the LACK or action, or the LACK of words, failing to acknowledge that inaction is sometimes/often the very best thing that can occur.

Any specific situation is arguable. Perhaps in this precise situation, making a speech is NOT the wrong thing for the President to do … but this does not change my overall point. SOMETIMES the very best course of action is no action at all, but we are all hesitant to “do nothing”.

This problem is not limited to global politics. Every day, each of us encounters situations in which our best course is to say and do nothing at all. Fortunately, many of these situations go un-noticed, and we DO in fact say and do nothing. IF we had some sort of narrator jumping out at us asking, “What do you do NOW?” we would probably be more inclined to do SOMETHING -- anything -- and THAT would be the wrong course of action.

I suspect part of this is a cultural bias. I suspect there are other cultures that more highly value the idea of doing nothing -- just as some musicians place more value on silence, while others focus on the sound interrupting the silence. Actually, I guess probably it is a “yin and yang” thing -- though I am not the best one to discuss the principles of yin and yang.

Hmmm. I have arrived at a point where the discussion could lead into fruitful areas of Chinese philosophy, but at the same time, I realize I am not particularly well-qualified to continue. This is a perfect moment for me to follow my own advice, and say and do nothing more.

Truth is complicated.