“All generalizations are dangerous; even this one!”
– Alexander Dumas
“You always…”
“We never…”
“Every time…”
The dichotomy in Dumas’ statement here is kinda cool. Yes, generalizations are dangerous. Words like “all,” “always,” and “never” can paint us in to a corner pretty quickly, and, at the risk of generalizing, no one ever likes to be painted in to a corner, right?
But when he says, “even this one,” it makes ya think… What are the generalizations that are scary because they might have a ring of truth in them?
Are the “always” and “nevers” in our lives tending toward the positive (I always prepare for meetings/conversations/projects), or the self-defeating (I never seem to have enough time in the day)?
Danger isn’t, in and of itself, a bad thing. Today, though, let’s pay some attention to the generalizations we use….avoiding them if possible, but being aware of the direction they set for us when they creep in to being…
I bet it makes a difference.
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