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"Never Give Up!" -- A Well Hidden Vice!

Gideon Samid

It is the common verbal defiance in struggling business ventures, in personal therapy sessions, in politics, and in matters of religion: "Never, never, never give up!" No less a figure than Winston Churchill beamed this message to his embattled nation. The smartest and most knowledgable people stand by it, impressing humanity with its imperative.


Who would dare challenge this maxim?


A cold shower of logic is a good way to start.


If I want to go to point A, and I plan to get there through point B and the going gets tough -- what shall I do? The "never give up" wisdom directs me to keep at it, on and on, no matter what -- never give up. Alas, suppose there is another route from here to point A, one that passes through point C, not point B. Since my ultimate goal is point A, not point B, it is a logical imperative to check out the "here-C-A" route, perhaps it is a better one. However, a blind attitude of 'never give up' towards B will keep me blind towards the C option, losing its greater appeal.


Any stubbornness of 'never give up' towards any interim goal is logically bankrupt. There is only one aim, goal, objective, for which the never never give up applies with full blessing of logic, and that is the ultimate aim of life. In fact one way to identify your ultimate goal in life is whether this goal is worth pursuing no matter what.


I for one, having searched for my 'ultimate goal in life', I must admit failure. Which in turn defined my present day ultimate goal in life to be the effort to find this so elusive ultimate goal of life. And this effort is the one I pursue and go for, regardless of my chances to be successful. Everything else that I do is justified by this present day ultimate goal, and therefore whatever this interim goal is, I always consider the possibility of another route, or achieving my ultimate goal without crossing this particular roadway milestone.


This logical argument answers the theoretical call to never give up. Alas, say its defenders, the call should be interpreted not in a theoretical context but as a practical battlecry. When people run into difficulties they tend to escape these difficulties with the above logic; saying: there must be an easier way. It must be stupid to keep pushing so hard here, let me be smart and find an easier way to get things done. Which is a serious argument. It is tempting to exchange hard work ahead with a walk- in-the-park hoping that some attractive alternative will present itself. We all have our personal experience to testify for that premise.


In summary: both ends are emotionally charged: the obsessed never-giver-uper on one hand, and the 'forever search for an easier way' on the other hand. The rational logical approach is to navigate a midway driven by the overriding aim of life. For which, again, you need to have a declared overriding aim of life.


When it comes to the area of technological innovation, there are objective tools helping the innovator to chart an optimal course of action. This is part of Innovation Science which is my profession, helping people innovate better (innovationScience.net). Curiously enough I have found these technique applicable beyond science and technology, which led me to regard innovation as the de-facto religion of this century.



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Innovation is our shared tool-box to fix what needs fixing in a very practical way.  But the very act of turning unknown into known is spiritually uplifting. Innovation is shaping up as the religion of the 21st century.

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