Thursday, October 30, 2008

What experience can't tell us?

It is very common that people use their experience to tell us to do something.

Someone once told me, "Look, young man, until you get married you will then know how difficult it is."

My parents told me, "I eat salt more than you eat rice."

When I took on my first job in Maxis, someone told me, "I've been working here for 6 years so don't you try to tell me what to do!"

They all have one thing in common. They are trying to tell me to do something, just because they have the experience.

But having experience, doesn't mean we are right. In fact, it may blind us into believing that we are right. Thus, making us repeating the same wrong thing over and over again.

More appalling so if a MP tries to justifies his/her decision by saying that he/she has been an MP for X number of terms. Just because you've been an MP for a decade, doesn't make you any wiser. Worse, if you've been a BN MP because you've been sticking to the wrong decision for the entire decade.

If the number of terms you are an MP is any indication that your decision is correct, then Samy Velu would be the 'truth'. Then next time when he speaks, you shut up (because it's the 'truth' speaking). Unfortunately (or rather, fortunately) this truth is no longer in the Parliament for this term.

If you do not agree to let Samy Velu take charge, then let's not decide everything on experience alone. Use logic and reasoning.

However, experience is not that useless. What it can tell us is when we are making decision in an ambigious situation. Where we do not know the correct answer, but we know that it lies somewhere between point A and point B. Experience will help us to narrow down the range.

E.g. If marketing tells you that 2000 people would be coming for the MATTA fair at PWTC, would 3 TRX suffice to cater for the GSM traffic? As a fresh engineer, you would try to come out with all types of calculation and engineering maths to justify your decision. But there's too many uncertainties and an exact answer is almost impossible. Experience, however, will tell that 3 TRX will not be sufficient, not in a million years. Besides, marketing's crowd estimation is always wrong.

I'm not saying experience is not important. After all, one of the biggest attack on Obama's campaign from the McCain's side is that Obama lacks experience. So yes, experience does matter, especially when it comes to a leader.

But it can also blind us. Just beware.

Experience doesn't tell us a lot of things. And the last thing it will tell us is the truth. That's the reason for 'emptying your cup', and re-learn!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

其实会有那么多问题,追究谁对谁错真的重要吗?
有谁能够完全的客观作出判断?
假设有一放在操纵,你们这样的被玩弄下去,后果会有几严重,你们知道吗?
就算给你知道了真想又怎样?
谁是好人谁是坏人重要?
现在继续提出指责的人不才是真正的坏人吗?
真的是对公中辩论队有正面的发展吗?
还是对现在的辩手有好处、会有进步的发展?
身为那么有经验的辩手,到头来连轻重事情的重要性都不会分辨了吗?
你们自己想想,已经演变成现在的情况,不提出解决方案,辩论队怎么办?
大家为了个人利益,连带队都要搞风搞雨,辩手怎么办?
真的是解决问题的话,有必要在那里公开骂话,互相指责吗?
最后收拾残局的是谁?
受益的人是谁?
指责人的那方傻,被指责回击的人傻,看到了傻眼被影响的人更傻!
玩弄真相的人傻,知道真相不说话的人傻,不懂什么事情去找真相的人最傻!

shinliang said...

朋友,我是因为雪琴与张庆信“风波”让我联想到这个的啦。。。。拜托。。。。

有兴趣的话,可以参考她的博客。

不过,我注明,我也不是在形容张庆信,因为他并没有说因为他当过3届国会议员所以他就是对的。他只是叫我们看一看他过去3届做得如何,我觉得没错啦。只是让我想起这个标题而已。

“哇捞”无端端给你扯进公中的问题来。。。。

shinliang said...

我真的不知道上面这位是公中哪一派,哪一届,或是谁。

不过,你真的太激动和冲动了。冷静一下吧。况且,现在的状况不就是双方太激动所致吗?

对公教中学的事,我只想和解不想冲突。

我不知道你为何在我的博客乱写东西,弄到好像我有搞风搞雨。这几年来,我甚少回公教。会去过一次,是看班际辩论而已。在籍的公中辩论员可作证。

看来,你不是真的很懂来龙去脉的人。所以你不要乱乱讲话噢!

至于,如果你要胡乱猜测有什么阴谋论,那是你的事。

其实,我不认同那一届的辩论员把‘肥佬’赶走。也不认同‘肥佬’的所有作风。也有点paise我现在比较关心马大多于公教。但我坦诚,我没害过公教。

我觉得很多事情,是个误解。可惜,没有人愿意跟说出所有的真相。

但是这都不用紧的,好好地‘干’吧。不管是黑猫白猫,会捉老鼠的就是好猫!这几年来有zhenlin, chuanlong带的公教辩论队,虽然有些细节上不认同,而且觉得他们辩论经验不足,然而成绩还是很不错。这我们外界的都有看在眼里。

反而我这个人多次想要回去帮忙,却心有余而力不足,惭愧!

不管是谁,不管是哪一派,加油吧!

WhyTea said...

哈哈我也很想知道这个到处留言却不敢留名的到底是哪一派哪一届的。

Snowpiano^ ^ said...

你是很冤枉一下。。。:P

shinliang said...

eh我澄清一下,以免误会。我是说,“我不认同‘肥佬’的所有作风”。。。意思是,部分作风我是认同的。。。