There’s something about the United States idea of a hero: we love the come-back kid. Rocky Balboa made Sylvester Stallone a star and we applaud bootstrap startups, rags to riches stories, and the come-from-behind underdog. Even the Constitution of the United States was created in such a way that it could be modified. The Founding Fathers (probably prompted by a few founding mothers) knew that the initial document would be far from perfect and that subsequent amendments would make it “more right”. What is needed are intelligent failures—failures that become learning opportunities. It means transcending ownership of an idea and letting go of ego attachment. It means seeking from 360 degrees of difference and then stepping out and trying. Today, Congress would jeopardize all of us by their rigidity born from ideology. By floating all or nothing ideas, we’re enslaved to responses that don’t take into account a 360 degree input. I love it that USA TODAY started running a series on what we could learn from other countries. We don’t have it right. We have failed in many areas. But instead of pointing a finger, could we instead embrace the freedom of failure and become intelligent and creative about our future.
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