Consistency

Each day brings new proven facts and information, and, each development can lead one to different conclusions as situations change and new facts emerge.

The openness and ability to change are among the most important attribute any leader can possess. The openness to change allows one to process new information and perhaps to arrive at new conclusions. The ability to change can therefore lead to new courses of action.

As former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali once observed, a person who thinks at age 50 how they thought at age 20 has wasted thirty years of life.

Rigid ideology and dogma – be it political, social, or religious – can constrain a person and deprive them from learning and growing.  

Lately, for example, I have seen strong reactions on-line to Pope Francis’s declarations that LGBTQ persons have the right to civil unions and to have their own families They base their criticism on scripture. They forget that the modern bible dates from the time of King James, that it accepts things like slavery, states that wearing clothes made from different fibres is sinful, and that consuming shellfish and pork is also a sin.

Anyone who literally believes the bible would be hard pressed to dress in today’s era of blended and synthetic fibres or enjoy equality before the law regardless of one’s color.

They either believe every word of the bible, or else admit that it isn’t the eternal word of God.

But they cannot and should not cherry-pick what is convenient, and ignore what isn´t.

Human values evolve constantly, and the laws and customs that govern our lives must evolve as well. Especially when they embrace concepts of love and inclusion.

Another example of blind obedience to words written centuries ago is the reverence of many in the United States for a constitution drafted in the 18th century. Yet, many political and judicial leaders and others today revere it word for word, taking many passages literally and out of context with how that the world, values and technology have changed.  

For example, the second amendment of the US constitution called for a well-regulated militia at a time when the most offensive weapon was a musket. In today’s world an AK-47 certainly does not fill this bill, yet a literal interpretation of this amendment is considered a vital litmus test for judicial and political positions in the United States and is finding an echo in other countries.

So today we find that texts composed hundreds or thousands of years ago by human beings are still being interpreted literally and used to underpin many of our tenets of human governance.

As many of my readers know, one of my favourite quotations is one by Charles Darwin who observed, in his seminal book The Origin of Species, that those that will survive are not the strongest or the most intelligent, but the ones that best respond to and manage change.

And managing change means allowing oneself to evolve in one’s thinking and beliefs when faced with new provable facts.

I believe that our schools should focus more on teaching critical judgement in order to train all to consider respect additional facts, assess the pros and cons of any situation based on proven knowledge and not ideology or religious orthodoxy, and adapt to new realities when relevant new facts come to light. The scientific method should be taught as an instrument with which to evaluate facts and accept their veracity based on actual proof.

Critical judgment, and a well-honed intuition and a willingness to listen and find common ground within the context of a civil discourse allow us all to better evaluate and learn to respect the differences between us while setting the stage for mutually beneficial progress.  

I don’t believe that I have the right to tell anyone what to believe. Indeed, if one chooses to believe the bible, the koran, or the kama sutra, that is indeed their right.

But when they try to make their interpretation of that book, regardless of context, the basis for how I live my own life, I draw the line.

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Edición: Ana Ordaz