Study it More

     (Posted from Haiti)

"We need to study it more" is committee-speak for "Are you stark raving mad?"

And it’s always the wrong answer. Usually a way to avoid making a difficult decision, or to reject a proposal, or to say "no" when we don’t have the energy to say, "Yes."

As a dad, I used to say, "We’ll see." My kids knew that meant "No, unless we find a suitcase of cash today." But even "we’ll see" is more optimistic than "we need to study this more."
Here’s the way I see it…if it’s a dumb idea just find a kind way to say, "it’s a dumb idea" rather than "we need to study it more." Or, if it’s a good idea but we don’t have the energy to jump into it, say, "Dude, your idea rocks, but I’m a tired old man, could you do it alone if I give you permission?"

Or, and here’s a novel thought, say, "We don’t know all the answers but this sure seems right, let’s do it! If we need to make mid-course corrections, we will. If we need to stop after a little while, we will. We will study it as we go."

The only time I like to hear, "Let’s study it more," is when it’s the Bible.