Better to Ask for Forgiveness Than Permission
We have been brainwashed into asking for permission before we do a thing.
I’m not talking about stealing stuff or taking drugs for example but day-to-day stuff like taking initiative at work or doing something out of the ordinary.
My friend saw once guy driving along a road made into one lane with traffic cones. His car was on fire but he continued to drive up the road with his car on fire until he found a layby to stop in. He was so conditioned to following the rules that he didn’t even consider ploughing through the cones and running out of his car.
He was prepared to risk his life to stay within the ‘rules.’
When I was in the police I met with the head of security at my local hospital and arranged disposable cameras to be given to all wards to take photos of people who trespassed there in order to steal. When we met with the hospital security committee the chairman congratulated us for taking iniative without getting their permission.
I hadn’t even considered asking! Not out of rudeness but because I saw something needed doing and I did it.
If you think something needs doing then do it and if somebody gets upset you can apologise later.
Paul Browning
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Tag:Action
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11 Comments
I have to agree with you. Most people will see that something is wrong but won’t take the initiative to correct it if they feel they might get in trouble some how if they do. This has become something of an epidemic in society along with the fear of failure and it has made us stagnant.
I often wonder why people are so hesitant to take initiative. I hadn’t considered the possibility that people are concerned with breaking the rules. I agree with you that if something needs to be done, the logical decision is to simply take action. I think we would all live in a better world if more people were more pro-active.
I admit that I worry sometimes about being perceived as a rule breaker. I feel like we are encouraged to be followers rather than leaders. The people that I respect the most, however, will do what is right, even if they haven’t asked for permission to do it. They are seen as being very progressive and strong.
Rules are just parameters, and they are not always absolute. Innovative people push the boundaries of those parameters. Obviously, there are ethical and moral rules that we all observe to live in a harmonious society, but there are some rules that are manufactured to keep people “in line”. I think that those are the boundaries that can be tested.
I admire people who do that kind of thing. They see something wrong and they are confident enough to change it. Or they have a better idea and they put it into action. That seems like a true leadership quality.
I agree with the other posters. Breaking the rules is a good way to get noticed, especially when what you did pays off.
I agree with Gene’s comment. Most of us are too afraid of repercussions to do much about anything. And he’s also right about the fear of failure. Being afraid to fail means that you just accept whatever happens easily.
Willingness to jump in where needed is a quality of leadership.
Taking action, and Initiative. I think that is what a lot of people lack nowadays. I think you are totally right. But then again in America, taking initiative isn’t advisable, since anyone can be sued for anything and usually people don’t appreciate your helpfulness and initiative. I’m not saying everyone’s like that, but there are a lot of cases like that.
Its so hard to do anything on your own nowadays. its like only the system can decide whether you are right or wrong. Different people, different perspectives. Most of the time two judges in court will not have the same ruling. Even if someone broke into your own house, it might be you who will go to jail.
Can’t really blame people like that. We all are since childhood been taught to first seek permission from our parents. Even the kids these days are given consent to have intercourse so long as they have protection. It really sounds disturbing but really its reality.