Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Now and then, something surfaces that is BIG and IMPORTANT. What was believed to be important in the past isn’t. Move on. Who, however, moves on?

Person A: Look what I found. This is important.

Person B: What now?

Person A: No look. This is really important. This is the way we should go. This will change everything.

Person B: Okay, I see the merit. And …

Person A: Great. You see that this is far more important than what you wanted earlier. So you’ll drop that, right?

Person B: Uh, now what a moment.

Person A: Come on. You agree that this surpasses your old ideas.

Person B: Yes, it does. It also surpasses your old ideas, right>

Person A: Well, yes. It does. But

Person B: So how about you drop your old ideas, I keep my old ideas, and we combine my old ideas with this new idea that surpasses everything?

Person A: Well, I just assumed we would combine my old ideas with this new idea and …

Person B: Why not the other way around? We agree that this new idea surpasses both our old ideas. You won’t mind dropping your ideas.

At this point in the conversation, a third and wiser person enters the room and shows the loss of rational thought in Person A and Person B. It is a shame, however, that the third and wiser person rarely exists and walks into the room at just the right moment. It is left to Person A and Person B to resolve this. We can do this. Let’s do better.