Is purpose more important than opinion?

This morning I met with a potential new client and an important life lesson was again reinforced in my mind. The lesson is that too often I have had opinions about things without a clear contribution to the vision or purpose other than perhaps that I just disagreed. Critique is easy, contribution is harder, to purposefully construct in a diverese environment is hardest. It is funny that this learning has not always been top of my business mind considering that in the Baha'i community purposeful reflection and action is something that we practice regularly through a uniquely democratic yet non-adverserial form of community consultation.

As South Africa heads to the elections on the 22nd of April it made me think of how many of the discussions around topics of mutual concern play out. Think of education. Most agree that education is a critical function to the country's future success. Many agree that things can improve. Ask specifically what education should achieve and usually there are a lot of ideas that are shared in common. Then if you ask how the various different contributions and competing interests, theories, academic perspectives, teachers needs, students needs, legislative and qualification frameworks would work together and there is suddenly a multiplicity of voices not dissimilar to a tower of babel! Would it be possible to pick and choose from those ideas regardless of who offered them in order to purposefully build the best model? Yes it would be. Would it be easy? No, as it might require me to sacrifice some of my own cherished ideas.

And if you think opinions can't change overnight, watch this video....!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il5TBgD9kHI&NR=1