Asking the Right Question

A thought-provoking article in the New York Times Sunday Review by Geoffrey Wheatcroft (January 1, 2012) examines the role of “unknowing” – or deliberately choosing to acknowledge information – in the occurrence of several fiascos in recent history. (You can read the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/opinion/sunday/unknown-knowns-avoiding thetruth.html?_r=1&ref=geoffreywheatcroft)

In the situations he highlights, Wheatcroft points out that People in Power derived benefits from the situations, and neglected to utilize the information available to avert crises like the following:

1. The Iraq War (The real question wasn’t determining the kinds of weapons Hussein possessed, but recognizing that we needed a pretext to invade).

2.The Bernard Madoff fraud (Investment officer Harry Markopolos spent almost nine years trying to explain to the Securities and Exchange Commission that Madoff’s reported figures were incredible and mathematically impossible, but the S.E.C. chose to “unknow” it).

3.The Penn State scandal (Enough was known about what was happening in the showers by people who could have acted, but who chose instead to “unknow”).

4.The mortgage fiasco (“An intelligent child would have known that there is no good time to lend money to people who obviously can never repay it.”)

5.The failure of the euro  (“A single currency embracing countries as diverse in social culture, productivity, work practices and taxation as Germany and Greece... is economically impossible without much closer fiscal and financial union.”)

The point is: If the right question is not asked or is side-stepped, the right answer can’t be found or acknowledged. To ask the real question requires courage and honesty and sacrifice.

What we glean from these examples from World Politics is that self-serving behavior is a pervasive pattern of Human Nature; and may overrule the common good for a period of time with detrimental results that impede progress.

As the innovative Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.C. Williams (1883-1963) said, It is difficult to get the news from poems, yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there.

In the words of this poet, I hear that the most important happenings may not be found in the news.

(On a personal level, I began my residency in child psychiatry because I wanted to know and understand my six-year-old daughter’s thought process. However, this wasn’t the real question, so I didn’t find the precise answer. I’ll discuss this topic in a future blog).

What can we do in the face of this discouraging predicament? 

We can increase our Awareness.

 We can avoid participating in these situations.

Conclusion: The least practical and expedient in the short run may be the most expedient and practical in the long run. Recognizing and embracing this Paradox helps us to understand the human condition and therefore diminish stress.

Dear Reader: I welcome your comments. (jsimon145@gmail.com)