The best way to spot an idiot
For our final assembly reading of the school year I referenced the speech I mentioned on Prize Day last Saturday, which was given by the Governor of Illinois to students who were graduating from Northwestern University in 2023. In giving a few words of wisdom to the young adults who were heading out into the world, he introduced this part of his address with the following words, which come from the US sitcom The Office:
‘Whenever I’m about to do something, I think, would an idiot do that, and if they would, I do not do that thing.’
– Dwight Schrute, The Office
‘The entire efficacy of this incredibly useful piece of information hinges upon your ability to pick the right idiot. I wish there was a foolproof way to spot idiots, but counterintuitively, some idiots are very smart. They can dazzle you with words and misdirection. They can get promoted above you at work. They can even be elected President. If you want to be successful in this world, you have to develop your own idiot detection system. I’m going to share mine…
The best way to spot an idiot is to look for the person who is cruel. Let me explain. When we see someone who doesn’t look like us, or sound like us, or act like us, or love like us, or live like us—the first thought that crosses almost everyone’s brain is rooted in either fear or judgment, or both. That’s evolution. We survived as a species by being suspicious of things we aren’t familiar with.
In order to be kind, we have to shut down that animal instinct and force our brain to travel a different pathway. Empathy and compassion are evolved states of being. They require the mental capacity to step past our most primal urges. I’m here to tell you that when someone’s path through this world is marked with acts of cruelty, they have failed the first test of an advanced society. They never forced their animal brain to evolve past its first instinct. They never forged new mental pathways to overcome their instinctive fears. And so, their thinking and problem-solving will lack the imagination and creativity that the kindest people have in spades.
Over many years in politics and business, I have found one thing to be universally true – the kindest person in the room is often the smartest.’
As we reflected on what has been a very successful year in many respects, I asked everyone to consider whether, above all, they had been kind this year – because we could all do worse than remember Governor Pritzker’s last point – the kindest person in the room is often the smartest.
Have a great summer and we’ll be back raring to go again in September.
Best wishes
Michael Bond
