People complicate ideas because they’re terrified of being wrong. They qualify and compromise and hedge their bets, because they’re afraid.
Few people are willing to stand up publicly for the simple, direct, powerful ideas they hold in private. Those that do adopt a no-nonsense approach are accused of oversimplifying the issues.
“Life is complicated,” people say. “Everything’s relative.”
But you know what? People used to say that stuff had to be complicated too. People used to say that working a steady desk job was as good as it gets.
The problem is fear of being wrong. If you defend a simple idea, like “Your life is 100% your responsibility and no one else’s,” people can attack that and possibly prove you wrong.
On the other hand, if you say: “Your life is kind of your responsibility, but it really depends on your upbringing and the neighborhood you grow up in and the kind of boss you have and the opportunities you get through sheer blind luck,” you haven’t really taken a position at all, so you can’t be proven wrong. You can always fall back on “It depends.”
“Compromise: An agreement between two men to do what both agree is wrong.” – Lord Edward Cecil
But when everyone’s busy covering their asses and qualifying every statement, when the game isn’t “find the right answer” but “don’t get caught with the wrong one,” we wind up with a world in which no one’s completely wrong, but no one’s really right either. It’s like a fortuneteller whose predictions are just vague enough to pull the wool over customers’ eyes.
Politicians are masters of the “don’t be wrong” game, which is precisely why so little of what matters gets done.
What we need today are leaders who aren’t afraid of following simple ideas to their conclusion, who aren’t afraid of being proven wrong. I mean that literally. People talk a lot about standing up for beliefs and not compromising on values, but 99% of them never follow through.
“Compromise is but the sacrifice of one right or good in the hope of retaining another – too often ending in the loss of both.” – Tryon Edwards
We try to be everything to everyone, to make everyone happy – and we end up being nothing at all.
Simple ideas are dangerous because they can change the world, for better or worse. They’re dangerous because they’re powerful and don’t leave room for compromise. Simple ideas can hurt – but they’re also the only way to fix what’s wrong.
***
Ask yourself what you believe to be right or good. Now strip away all the caveats and exceptions and little safety nets. What are you left with? Defend that and see what happens. You might be right, or you might be completely wrong – but at least you’ll have an answer. I promise you it’s worth it.
Minimalism teaches us to stop hiding behind our stuff and get out and live. I challenge you to take it a step further: stop hiding behind foggy ideas and get out and take a stand.
Greatness is … Standing for something. Fighting against something. The courage to be right, at the risk of being wrong.
What do you believe in?
“Compromise … does not satisfy, but dissatisfies everybody; it does not lead to general fulfillment, but to general frustration; those who try to be all things to all men, end up by not being anything to anyone.” – Ayn Rand
***
I’m reading 37signals’ new book, Rework
Speaking of new books, my friend Everett Bogue is totally on (e-book) fire. Check out his new e-book, How to Create a Movement. Simple, direct, no fluff. Plus it’s free.
In other news, I’m incredibly excited to be meeting a lot of brilliant people at SXSWi this year. Are any of you planning on attending?
13 Comments on “Uncompromise: Why Simple Ideas are Dangerous – And Why We Need Them”
says:
What a powerful way to start the morning!
So true, so true.
says:
Glad you enjoyed it, Gary!
says:
I think this is a message that needs to be communicated over and over again. The courage to stand for oneself is something that has been overlooked in our society and we are beginning to see the implications of such thinking. Problems never really get solved, and we waste time pinned blamed instead of spending time finding a solution. The idea of individualism and self responsibility is slowly deteriorating and the first step toward a solution is challenging the mind of the individual.
Great Post.
says:
Are you a republican ;)
I do like this stand, but I’m not sure why compromise has to be the enemy of simplicty or of taking a stand. I can see how “hedging” is but I’m not sure hedging is the same as compromise. In fact, I’m willing to stand up for compromise as a simple and great idea!
says:
Haha, no, I don’t actually count myself a part of either major party.
When I say compromise, I’m not using it in the sense of “finding common ground.” I’m referring to compromise in the sense of “giving ground on something you believe in.” I think the art of finding common ground is wonderful – the problem is that such compromise isn’t very common nowadays. Instead, people change their minds and hedge their bets in the name of expediency. They complicate or “nuance” their stances to hopefully offend as few people as possible. That’s what I’m criticizing.
Does that make sense?
says:
Absolutely…thanks for clarifying.
You’re right about expediency…could also be called “convenience.”
says:
Very rousing article.
I’m guilty of this too often: “We try to be everything to everyone, to make everyone happy – and we end up being nothing at all”, rather than standing by what I really believe.
Thanks for the inspiration Jeffrey. Only discovered your blog three days ago, and loving it so far…
says:
I’m thrilled to have you here, Dan. Welcome! I’m curious, how did you wind up on here?
says:
There was just a great story on NPR about the ongoing, frustrating healthcare reform debate that echoed the sentiments of the quotes you included. Basically it seems everyone is working towards on agreeing to something that no one will like so that no one has to feel like the other side won.
Working in the 9 to 5 world, I’ve learned to pick my battles, and sometimes I am forced to compromise in the sense that I concede to someone else’s preferences, but when it’s counted, I have stood my ground and ended up getting great results. This is why everyone complains about doing anything by committee. There’s too many contradictory ideas that are given equal weight, when it’s strong leadership and ownership of one solution that tends to be most effective. Going in one direction and failing is not nearly as bad as trying to go in six and getting nowhere. The former allows you to stop and turn around, and go the opposite way, the latter offers no implications for what to do next.
says:
Love these bits:
“Basically it seems everyone is working towards on agreeing to something that no one will like so that no one has to feel like the other side won.”
“Going in one direction and failing is not nearly as bad as trying to go in six and getting nowhere.”
That about sums it up, Karo :)
It takes courage (especially in the workplace) to make a decision and then stand your ground. You’ve got to do the exact opposite of what everyone else is doing (covering their asses). Kudos to you!
says:
I don’t agree simply on the premise that my perspective is just that, my perspective. It’s not a superficial relativism I’m expressing but the awareness that experience is subjective and perception is too.
Two people experience the same phenomenon differently. For example, no two people can be standing in exactly the same spot and watch…say a car accident. It’s physically impossible. So standing just a few degrees to the right, the one sees nuances the other cannot. They also bring individual life experiences to the occurance. It’s not an unnecessary complexity, but an orientation to human experience.
says:
What you’ve said is so true, I hate that I get caught up in doing the same thing: qualifying the things that I say. As a teenager, I remember getting fed up with everyone and their “grey ares,” that could be either right or wrong or neither. I still feel that way, but it gets lost at times underneath my grown up do-what’s-expected-of-me attitude.. Thanks for reminding me to be resolute. Right on.