Bea V. Larsen . . . .Commentaries |
|
|
Bea V. Larsen is a Senior Mediator at the Center for Resolution of Disputes in |
|
|
|
Trusting Snap Decisions This entry was posted on 7/29/2006 6:40 PM and is filed under Personally Speaking. The
conventional wisdom: when faced with an important decision, consider
the pros and cons. Sometimes
I do, perhaps just in thought, or with written
lists. But, most often, by the time I get around to this deliberate
approach, I already know what my decision will be, at least what
my more
impulsive self yearns to do. Then, having made the decision,
occasionally I question the lack of serious attention given to the more
analytical
process.
What were some of those decisions? To decide at nineteen to marry Leonard Larsen (we married young in those days.) Selecting the house we bought in the late 1950s. Deciding to go to law school in the mid 1960s, and then, in the 1980s, to transition from the more lucrative litigation based practice into mediation. Major decisions, made almost in the blink of an eye, well in advance of the systematic analysis that at times followed. On my desk is a small black and white photo of two newborn rabbits, eyes not yet opened, nestled on a soft cloth crumpled into an old cigar box. A hand, large in comparison to the tiny creatures, holds the box, and next to it is a small beaker of milk with an eye dropper. I explain to those who ask, that the photo was taken on the day I first met Leonard, to whom I was later married for 53 years. The hand in the photo is his. When walking in the woods that bordered our college campus, he had rescued these little bits of wildlife, after their mother had been killed by a predator. I never examined the reason why I wanted to have the picture close by. I think I now know. A year or so ago, I read Malcolm Gladwell's book, "Blink". He describes the ability we all have to make quick judgments based on our past experiences, which quite accurately serve as a sound guide for current decision making. He calls this instant processing the "the power of thin-slicing" and maintains that as human beings we are capable of making sense of situations based on the thinnest slice of experience. The premise is detailed and well researched, but offered with the emphatic caveat that the results of quick decisions based on erroneous data we may have absorbed,(i.e. unexamined prejudices) are often disastrous. My past experiences suggested that the young man tenderly caring for orphaned rabbit babies was a kind and compassionate person. We were drawn to each other, no doubt making other snap judgments along the way. We married two years later. The very significant differences in our backgrounds suggested to many that our decision was unwise. But, we never added up the pros and cons, and gave little heed to the caution of others. Happily so. Now, when I am "thin-slicing", I am more aware of it, and more readily trust the choice made. CommentsDisplay comments as (Linear | Threaded)
|
|
|
Copyright . http://BEALARSEN.COM. All rights reserved.