What Matters

I came across a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt the other day. It made me stop and think. It also made me reflect on what I've been writing in this blog. A lot of reflection. A lot of thinking.  Here’s her quote:

            “Great minds discuss ideas;

             Average minds discuss events;

             Small minds discuss people.”

                        ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Now then, that stopped me in my tracks.

Consider what you consume in the media these days. How much time and space is devoted to ideas, events and people?  Take a look at your morning newspaper. Scan the headlines. Count the pages devoted to celebrities and sports figures and advertising. Note the pages that report on ideas that do and will make a difference in our lives. Count the pages of reports on events and calendar items.

What does that tell you?

Are you challenged to use your mind on thinking about ideas? Or are you preparing to discuss the football game you watched over the weekend with your workmates?

Not to worry. There’s always gossip. Someone is always deserving to be laughed at behind their backs. Or copied in their apparel. Or worried over their marriage breakups.

What matters is the realm of big ideas. It is why we have schools. It is why we have meetings. It is why we read. It is why we spend private time wondering and thinking.

That is the sport we should be about doing.

Great minds. Perhaps there are too few of those around? And why is that do you suppose?

And how do we count the average minds? Is this a bell curve distribution? Is this the meat and potatoes of our work together?

Ah. But the small minds we have plenty of. No need to tally their number. They have so much to do. Mostly in distracting us from what the great minds are doing but need our help.

What matters is that we care about the big ideas. But then, when will we do that?

December 5, 2014