Carol and her co-author are close to finishing their latest book. I will be glad when the book is done. I will be glad when the late nights and the cries of frustration from Carol’s office finally end. Having said that, when Carol is working intensely, she sometimes throws off good ideas like a grinding wheel throws of sparks. A couple of months ago, she was typing away in her office and I was sipping a cup of tea in the dining-living room while reading the newspaper.
“The age of the paradigm is over!” she called to me.
“Huh?” I said.
“The age of the paradigm is over,” she repeated. “The time has passed for creating new paradigms. This is the age of actually doing things.”
I’ve been thinking about that idea for the past few months, and I think she’s right. I think we’re no longer living in a time when being overly conceptual will pay off. The age of the paradigm has passed, at least for the foreseeable future.
Yup. Action, not jargon. It’s about time.
Yes, but how can you act if you do not really know why you are doing it? Just because it “feels” good? Just because you want to oppose authority? Just because you want to be praised as a good boy/girl by your peers?
Jaume — All valid points. Yet what I see here in the United States is that in many fields the search for new paradigms has replaced any attempts at actually doing anything. Yes, one needs a good paradigm in order to guide one’s actions. The problem comes when you have all paradigms and no action.
Have you read The Fourth Turning? It’s about cycles in history.
I agree. Perhaps the mistake is in mixing levels: theoretical reflection is a different level from actual action, although they should remain interconnected, so that action reflects our values, and vice versa, theoretical discussion is inspired and nurtured by facts and data from reality.
This must all mean it’s time for: BOOK TOUR 2007! Will we have a booth at SolFest? Where’s the latest Pee on Earth product placement/prmotional tie in?