I was told an interesting tale today, which is as follows:
'A small Hungarian detachment was on military manoeuvres in the Alps. The lieutenant sent a reconnaissance unit out into the icy wilderness just as it began to snow. It snowed for two days and the unit did not return. The lieutenant feared that he had dispatched his people to their deaths, but the third day they returned. The lieutenant asked them how they had made their way back? Yes, they said, we considered ourselves lost and gave up, waiting for the end. Then one of us found a map in his pocket. That gave us hope, we pitched camp, waited for the storm to pass and then took our bearings, and here we are. The lieutenant looked at the map and found to his astonishment, that is was a map of the Pyrenees, not of the Alps at all.' (Albert Szent-Gyorgi)
So, if you're completely lost, any map is better than none at all. It can provide a reference point, a place to start from, the hope that things can change, all of which may become secondary once an activity gets underway.
9 comments:
One of my favorite quotes is 'A bad plan is better than no plan at all'.
Thanks Rupert - perhaps that's the Labour party moto these days on medical issues! Michelle
sounds like good advise....
I've been taught through leadership training to make a decision - no matter what it is, and even if you're terrified it's the wrong one, still you must make a decision. It's suppossed to be a similar principle - people see that someone is going to take charge and therefore responsibilty... lo! We have generated hope!
I guess the story and rupert both reiterate that training - any decision, any map, any plan...
So Hewitt really didn't, and still doesn't, know what she was doing?
Curious Ex-Pat
There is a wisdom in this but I'm not entirely sure why. Goes back to the adage "do whatever it takes." And, mountains are mountains, I guess. The rule of thumb in the mountainous parts where I live is: Follow the stream downhill and eventually you'll reach the ocean.
Ian
mm sometimes wonder if my sat nav has the wrong map !!!
I found this really interesting. By the way, is that the self-same Albert Szent-Gyorgi who discovered the molecular structure of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)?
ju's little sister. Spot on. It might be the wrong decision but it's better to make a decision than stay on the fence.
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