In Anthony Trollope's fiction Barchester Towers his character Mr. Arabin says to Eleanor Bold, "I can become equally convinced of the logic of completely opposite points of view." Another inconsistency would be the assertion that one " always believes the last thing he was told or heard." Myself on the other hand has in some ways envied those who have strong and lasting points of view, though possibly they fall into the category of " frequently wrong but never in doubt".
I remember when my turn as Chief of the Medical Staff at the Royal Jubilee Hospital began, my predecessor saying to me, "You're going to have trouble with this job unless you get rid of your naivety. There is a difference between being open-minded and having " holes in your head" . I told her I thought my ability to see all points of view gave me the opportunity to mediate, a valuable resource as Chief. She said that argument, is often marshaled in a facile way by the dogmatic and manipulative, that can beguile the open minded.
As we talked of decision making and points of view I thought of Mr Arabin and Eleanor Bold. If one hears reasoned argument for opposing points of view and does not have time for the logic, then put it on the shelf till you do. There is nothing like time to resolve issues and the urgency is rarely ours. Where urgency exists, Eleanor's observation to Arabin was apt to me as well. She believed he had strong points of view which he was unwilling to reveal. She had to give him a nudge but he loved her and she knew it. Those who care for you will always tell you their truth about yourself. Though my relationship with my predessor was that of stewardship of the hospital rather than love, I valued her opinion, but like Arabin tried to soften strong points of view, for unity !
I remember when my turn as Chief of the Medical Staff at the Royal Jubilee Hospital began, my predecessor saying to me, "You're going to have trouble with this job unless you get rid of your naivety. There is a difference between being open-minded and having " holes in your head" . I told her I thought my ability to see all points of view gave me the opportunity to mediate, a valuable resource as Chief. She said that argument, is often marshaled in a facile way by the dogmatic and manipulative, that can beguile the open minded.
As we talked of decision making and points of view I thought of Mr Arabin and Eleanor Bold. If one hears reasoned argument for opposing points of view and does not have time for the logic, then put it on the shelf till you do. There is nothing like time to resolve issues and the urgency is rarely ours. Where urgency exists, Eleanor's observation to Arabin was apt to me as well. She believed he had strong points of view which he was unwilling to reveal. She had to give him a nudge but he loved her and she knew it. Those who care for you will always tell you their truth about yourself. Though my relationship with my predessor was that of stewardship of the hospital rather than love, I valued her opinion, but like Arabin tried to soften strong points of view, for unity !
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