Sprinters v. Hikers is one way to look at information. There is a quote from Arthur Schopenhauer, the German philosopher, and this is not an exact quote, but he relates all truth passes through three stages. The first stage is the idea is ridiculed, secondly, the idea is violently opposed. Thirdly the idea is accepted as being self-evident.
That’s the difference between sprinters v. hikers. Stay with me for a minute because this is a fun way to frame information. Lies travel fast, they’re sprinters. Lies often carry with them a salacious tone, the are nasty they can be evil rude, brutal, and harmful.
An overreaction to this, of course, is to see that information and be in a state of ridicule. We may choose to look at the information in a negative light. A quick decision is made and sometimes after everything has played out and with hindsight, which we know is often 20/20, we get a clearer version of what has happened.
This is not always true.
Context of course is the order of the day. When it comes to these kinds of situations you have to have the flexibility and you have to have wisdom. One of the ways to go about that is to treat the information as if it were a sprinter and to wait for the hiker. The hikers aren’t fast but they carry a backpack, a backpack full of information. Yes, it is sprinters v. hikers.
So, go ahead the next time you hear something think of it as a sprinter.
Let that sprinter run on by if you’d like. Then wait for the methodical hiker. Then you can let the hiker sit down and share the information that they gathered on their hike, their trip as they observed everything along the way. Let the hiker share the information around that campfire.
Not a Perfect Method. Sprinters v. Hikers
Measuring information in the context of sprinters v. hikers is not the perfect way to see the world, no question. Often that sprinter has done gone and run off down the hill spreading their words, their thoughts, their ideas. And doing it in a fast way when sometimes we need to step back and wait. Wait for that hiker to arrive and see what they have to say.
Here is a link to another post you may find interesting on the topic of: Cultivating a Life
A 9 minute video on: Arthur Schopenhauer
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