Let's not deal with it now
Sunday 14th June 2020 – 5pm
The cry of 'Let's not deal with it now' can be widely heard in the land. Rather like the return of birdsong. For years, our bird population has been coughing in the lamposts. Now they sing in the trees. As I speak, however, I hear the increasingly rasping note re-establish itself in the avian population, as the clouds of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, formaldehyde, benzene and soot, burgeon once again. Like birdsong, the cry of 'Let's not deal with it now' is becoming a commonplace. Anyone who has been following politics, as I have, for the last 50 years, will know it for what it is – the standard cry of those who are responsible for egregious errors.
The idea is good, in a highly limited sense. As we are stumbling down the mountain from the peak, goes the idea, this is not the time to be distracted with those things, however important, when each step that presently faces us is treacherous, filled with mortal danger or at least a severely damaging fall.
What's wrong with this? On the surface it is a perfectly rational suggestion, mature and even prudent. It encourages a total focus on the vital present, pushing to one side other worthy (even important) matters for now while we concentrate on making each descending step as sure and certain as we can. No distractions. Focus on survival. We can deal with that other stuff later, when we are down safely.
Here's a few things that are wrong with it.
1) Who is leading the call for this approach? Oh my word! It seems to be our leaders, the same leaders who have made appalling errors of judgement on the way up.
2) What does the call to ' not deal with it now' guarantee? More mistakes of the same sort as were made on the ascent. Why? Because the lessons have not been learnt because they are 'not being dealt with now.'
3) It is much more dangerous to deal with it later than now. Why? If the desire is to focus on the descent from the peak with maximum efficiency and safety, we should have learned the lessons from the mistakes made on the way up. How can we judge the best route down, and the best way of descending safely, if the tragic lessons of the route up are not learnt from before the descent begins? Whoever is making decisions about the descent must surely have learnt the lessons of the ascent, and this cannot be done without examination, enquiry and analysis. To turn your back on those things, or brush them aside, and deliberately not learn the lessons immediately, more or less guarantees a descent every little bit as perilous as the ascent. Learn the lessons from errors made. Learn them now. Learn them quickly (the idea will obviously be suggested that such consideration takes time. It doesn't. [Note how quickly things can be done when speed coincides with government desire.]) Having learnt the lessons, now descend with improved knowledge. It will improve your decisions. DO NOT deal with it later. Deal with it NOW! Which party of mountain climbers having ascended with the loss of huge numbers, will plunge on down the other side without taking pause? Every party of mountain climbers in such a position says: 'Sorry about this but just before we plunge downwards, perhaps we should very quickly just go over what we've learned during the ascent, identify the main errors and use those to inform our descent. Anyone fancy a digestive?' To which the prevailing reply threatens to be: 'No. We're going to plunge on without considering what we have learned. We'll deal with all that stuff later. See you at the bottom.'
4) It is specious, since it will lead to a tendency not to deal with it at all. And everyone knows it. Delay in learning from the ascent is fatal to the descent and to the final truth emerging.
5) 'Let's not deal with it now' guarantees more dead that could have been avoided.
I would like to suggest that everyone who thinks we should 'not deal with it now', should be required to attend the resulting and inevitable funerals of the descent in person. All of them.
Presuming, of course, that it is eventually, some time or other, dealt with at all.
The cry of 'Let's not deal with it now' can be widely heard in the land. Rather like the return of birdsong. For years, our bird population has been coughing in the lamposts. Now they sing in the trees. As I speak, however, I hear the increasingly rasping note re-establish itself in the avian population, as the clouds of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, formaldehyde, benzene and soot, burgeon once again. Like birdsong, the cry of 'Let's not deal with it now' is becoming a commonplace. Anyone who has been following politics, as I have, for the last 50 years, will know it for what it is – the standard cry of those who are responsible for egregious errors.
The idea is good, in a highly limited sense. As we are stumbling down the mountain from the peak, goes the idea, this is not the time to be distracted with those things, however important, when each step that presently faces us is treacherous, filled with mortal danger or at least a severely damaging fall.
What's wrong with this? On the surface it is a perfectly rational suggestion, mature and even prudent. It encourages a total focus on the vital present, pushing to one side other worthy (even important) matters for now while we concentrate on making each descending step as sure and certain as we can. No distractions. Focus on survival. We can deal with that other stuff later, when we are down safely.
Here's a few things that are wrong with it.
1) Who is leading the call for this approach? Oh my word! It seems to be our leaders, the same leaders who have made appalling errors of judgement on the way up.
2) What does the call to ' not deal with it now' guarantee? More mistakes of the same sort as were made on the ascent. Why? Because the lessons have not been learnt because they are 'not being dealt with now.'
3) It is much more dangerous to deal with it later than now. Why? If the desire is to focus on the descent from the peak with maximum efficiency and safety, we should have learned the lessons from the mistakes made on the way up. How can we judge the best route down, and the best way of descending safely, if the tragic lessons of the route up are not learnt from before the descent begins? Whoever is making decisions about the descent must surely have learnt the lessons of the ascent, and this cannot be done without examination, enquiry and analysis. To turn your back on those things, or brush them aside, and deliberately not learn the lessons immediately, more or less guarantees a descent every little bit as perilous as the ascent. Learn the lessons from errors made. Learn them now. Learn them quickly (the idea will obviously be suggested that such consideration takes time. It doesn't. [Note how quickly things can be done when speed coincides with government desire.]) Having learnt the lessons, now descend with improved knowledge. It will improve your decisions. DO NOT deal with it later. Deal with it NOW! Which party of mountain climbers having ascended with the loss of huge numbers, will plunge on down the other side without taking pause? Every party of mountain climbers in such a position says: 'Sorry about this but just before we plunge downwards, perhaps we should very quickly just go over what we've learned during the ascent, identify the main errors and use those to inform our descent. Anyone fancy a digestive?' To which the prevailing reply threatens to be: 'No. We're going to plunge on without considering what we have learned. We'll deal with all that stuff later. See you at the bottom.'
4) It is specious, since it will lead to a tendency not to deal with it at all. And everyone knows it. Delay in learning from the ascent is fatal to the descent and to the final truth emerging.
5) 'Let's not deal with it now' guarantees more dead that could have been avoided.
I would like to suggest that everyone who thinks we should 'not deal with it now', should be required to attend the resulting and inevitable funerals of the descent in person. All of them.
Presuming, of course, that it is eventually, some time or other, dealt with at all.
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