Reflections

Puff the Magic Dragon · 8/12/21

Hooked said:
View attachment 245238

What really gets me about housework is that I mop the floors, dust the furniture, make the bed - and then I have to do it all over again next year.

I have always incorrectly believed that the quote, "Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results" was coined by Bert Einstein.

It turns out that, " There is no substantive evidence that Einstein wrote or spoke the statement above. It is listed within a section called “Misattributed to Einstein” in the comprehensive reference “The Ultimate Quotable Einstein” from Princeton University Press".

It seems that the earliest strong match appeared in October 1981 within a Knoxville, Tennessee newspaper article describing a meeting of Al-Anon, an organization designed to help the families of alcoholics.

How boring is that?

At first, I thought that the meaning of the quote was pretty sound but then my troubled mind began to think about it.

I quickly came up with many cases where the truth of the claim is tested.

I am probably already boring you so I will only give a couple of examples.

I train for a marathon and fail to finish the race. If I repeat the same thing over and over again (train and enter marathon) I am almost certain to get the different result i.e. complete the marathon.

If I study for an exam and fail would I be insane to think that if I continued to study I would never pass a future exam? I think not.

Perhaps the above-discussed quote should always include the exception that "practice makes perfect".

Raindance · 8/12/21

Puff the Magic Dragon said:
I have always incorrectly believed that the quote, "Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results" was coined by Bert Einstein.

It turns out that, " There is no substantive evidence that Einstein wrote or spoke the statement above. It is listed within a section called “Misattributed to Einstein” in the comprehensive reference “The Ultimate Quotable Einstein” from Princeton University Press".

It seems that the earliest strong match appeared in October 1981 within a Knoxville, Tennessee newspaper article describing a meeting of Al-Anon, an organization designed to help the families of alcoholics.

How boring is that?

At first, I thought that the meaning of the quote was pretty sound but then my troubled mind began to think about it.

I quickly came up with many cases where the truth of the claim is tested.

I am probably already boring you so I will only give a couple of examples.

I train for a marathon and fail to finish the race. If I repeat the same thing over and over again (train and enter marathon) I am almost certain to get the different result i.e. complete the marathon.

If I study for an exam and fail would I be insane to think that if I continued to study I would never pass a future exam? I think not.

Perhaps the above-discussed quote should always include the exception that "practice makes perfect".

Try working for a state owned entity. You will quickly see the light... errmmm, well in a manner of speaking.

Regards

Grand Guru · 10/12/21

Hooked · 15/12/21

So don't doubt yourself - just do it! To me, success or failure is not linked to the outcome. It's linked to the fact that an attempt was made.

Trying something expands your knowledge base, even if the outcome is not what you had envisioned.
What do you learn if you don't try? Absolutely nothing.

Grand Guru · 15/12/21

Hooked said:
View attachment 246468

So don't doubt yourself - just do it! To me, success or failure is not linked to the outcome. It's linked to the fact that an attempt was made.

Trying something expands your knowledge base, even if the outcome is not what you had envisioned.
What do you learn if you don't try? Absolutely nothing.

That's exactly what our politicians believe... outcome is just a detail. You can always find something/someone to blame.