The 100% Solution

It will soon be 30 years since my father died. He was a small man, taking after his mother, but what he lacked in stature he made up for in an extraordinary amount of home spun wisdom that for the most part was wasted on me during the time it would have been most beneficial. Like many of his generation his formal education was short lived with most of what he knew resulting from paying attention to life. His “higher” education came from North Africa and Italy during the Second World War and years spent focusing on responsibility to his family and community. It is only now that I am at the age where remembering things my father told me seems to be easier then recalling the code for the garage door opener, that the effect of my father’s little “pearls” has become clear.

Dad’s solutions, which were not taught but non-the-less caught, were quite simple, first; Do what works. If it doesn’t work, do something else. Secondly, none of us are better then any of us. Always remember what you say is who you are so remember who you are. Finally, always do your best. Maybe it’s the age thing but is seems to me in a world that has become increasingly polarized by ideologies that this basic common sense has been misplaced.

What if we did what works rather then doing nothing because we can’t agree on what works? The willingness to be flexible has been compromised by the gods of idealism. It’s good to have a sense of who you are and where you’ve come from. A tradition of thinking that ties us to who we have been and defines who we have become is a good thing. However, blind faith is just that, blind. Tradition is faithfulness to the living ideas of the dead. Traditionalism is faithfulness to the dead ideas of the living. Traditions says, “How can we change and remain faithful to who we are?” Traditionalism says, “How can we stay the same at all costs?” The first is inclusive the second exclusive. It is many times characterized by subtleties, such as the ideology behind the statement; “You’re either for us or against us.” rather then, “If you’re not for us you’re against us.” The first statement sets up the 100% solution that if you don’t think and act like we do there is no other choice than to be “outside.” The second statement exposes the crack of flexibility and becomes the starting point of compromise rather then the ending point. The 100% solution is usually not the solution because it alienates rather then integrates.

It seems as though things have become more one dimensional. People are categorized by one issue definitions. You can be conservative or liberal, business or labor, pro security or privacy, tax or anti-tax, bigger government or smaller government but being a liberal businessperson that favors the idea of minimum living wages is outside of many professed ideologies. The result of the 100% solution is the fanaticism of polarization. Rather it is in government, religion, or personal affairs ideas have become more divergent, less tolerant, and more offensive in dealing with different opinions. The axiom that the purpose of the confrontation of compromise is to change relationships has fallen into disfavor.

The 100% solution has always had an effect on all levels of culture. Human history if full of the pendulum of tolerance and intolerance and I suppose this is no different. Dad would say, “Sit down and think about it for a minute, none of us are better then any of us. Remember who you are and just do your best.”