GET 'R DONE Posted by EFain

Posted 11/13/08 Last updated 11/13/08

The people who are attracted to the Campaign for Liberty are ideas people and they tend to be idealistic.  That’s good and bad. It is good to have a vision and to know where we need to go.  We hear an awful lot of talk about change and reform, but often there is no vision for what exactly it is we want to achieve.  But there are problems with being visionary.  Some horse sense is in order:

 “What you cannot make perfect make as little imperfect as possible.” –Sir Thomas More

Sir Thomas More was one of the most influential and persuasive advocates n history.  His silence and quiet resignation as Chancellor of England in response to the totalitarian ambitions of Henry the VIII sent shockwaves through England and Europe. 

More had refined and well-developed thinking on getting things done.  A given situation, he said, has limited room for improvement. If one is too ambitions the whole project fails and no progress is made.  To put it in concrete terms, let’s say that American Government is 20% good and 80% bad and thus needs to improve 80%.  Now, let’s say for the sake of this example that it is only possible to move the ball 10%. More would say that if you try to make America perfect all at once, you will fail to achieve the real progress that is possible under the circumstances. 

Isn’t it better to move the ball 10% and make America 30% good than to shoot for the stars and get nowhere?

“Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”