Wednesday, December 6, 2017

A Minute Meditation

VII.22

"Plans made swiftly and intuitively are likely to have flaws.  Plans made carefully and  comprehensively are sure to."
-- Robert Grudin --
Time and the Art of Living

This seems to contradict conventional wisdom or common sense, no?

12 comments:

  1. Hmmm. I thought I understood, but then I read the second sentence. This all seems to argue against all plans. What is our option? Shall we live according to impulses without plans? Color me confused. I respond and comment even as I am pondering my plans for the future. What do you make of it?

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    1. R.T., That was my reaction when I read it. He seems to be arguing for "plans made swiftly and intuitively" since they are likely to have flaws while the other kind "are sure to."

      He certainly is telling us that all plans have flaws, so be prepared for them.

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  2. All plans have flaws - to err is human and all that. But this statement seems to imply that intuitive plans have *less* flaws than thoughtful ones. Occasionally I suppose that your gut feeling is correct and the plan works. But personally I wouldn't use intuition for anything bigger than deciding on what I'm eating this evening. In order to have a go at the Middle East issues I'd *much* rather go with thoughtful and comprehensive planning..... Imagine if they went with gut feeling to solve something so, apparently, intractable. Just imagine.....

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    1. CyberKitten, that's my reaction also. I would go intuitively only if I had to make a quick decision and lacked the time to play carefully.

      Of course, there are those times when something pops up and I "just know" this is the right way to do it.

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  3. Ha, ha. I like that one. The best-laid plans ...

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    1. madamevauquer, yes, of mice and men . . . A fact of life.

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  4. i view it as a comment on the "nowness" of everything, and our inability to predict the future...

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    1. I agree with CyberKitten. I personally think Grudin is trying to sound witty.

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    2. Mudpuddle, I can the inability to predict the future, but I'm not clear on how "nowness" fits in.

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    3. Sharon, that could be. The books consists of short statements, at most a paragraph in length and many no longer than the one given above. Short and pointed is usually the tone striven for.

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  5. I guess the point is that carefully made planes are likely to be detailed and thus flawed. Hastily laid plans might be vague and thus flexible.

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    1. Brian, interesting idea. The longer one spends on a plan the harder it is to give it up or change it. I like that.

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