BEING UNREASONABLE
AND USING REASON, TOO!
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man." - George Bernard Shaw
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A reader writes a question asking to clarify some confusion of terms where she is being instructed to be unreasonable: "I'm not sure of being unreasonable..."
Well, yes, the term does seem to need to be be better defined and more clear. After all, we do want to be reasonable about being unreasonable, while not being unreasonable about being unreasonable, surely...
However, there are doors to be opened here, doors of opportunity and coloring "outside of the lines" to create greater masterpieces in the living and doing of life.... and you'll find, more often than you might think, that there are "no lines", that they are figments of our imagination, unnecessary and false limits...
DOES IT MEAN...?
But does it mean "throw all caution to the wind, be stupidly courageous...?"
Does it mean not being stuck unreasonably in your reasons for why not?
Is it about faux fears and seeing that the only legitimate fears are physical ones?
Could it instead suggest that you "suspend reason" for the moment, explore? (But, of course, BUT DON'T JUMP IN BEFORE THINKING!)
Let's look deeper...and see if we can't derive something that would be useful for bettering our lives...
DEFINING REASONABLE AND UNREASONABLE
Being reasonable: Capable of rational behavior; agreeable to reason or sound judgment; logical; not exceeding the limit prescribed by reason; not excessive.
If that is the definition of reasonable, then it would certainly seem to be bad advice to "be unreasonable". Surely, no one, except a lunatic, would advocate that literally.
So "being unreasonable" must mean something else in the context of the course you're taking - such as "don't be 'too reasonable'", don't restrict yourself with "reasons why not", "reasons you can't do something", or unduly conservative estimates of what your limits are. Don't "misuse" reasons to justify holding yourself back or not doing something that might be of great benefit.
So, logically, then the definition of "being unreasonable" means "not using conventional thinking limitations". It is basically "unconventional thinking". (Book: The incredibly capable Eli Broad, who I interviewed in 1968 about his company, has written a book entitled The Art Of Being Unreasonable: Lessons In Unconventional Thinking. One of the reviewers states "Instead of being unreasonable, Broad champions logic over the unreasonable desire to stick to convention because it's comfortable", but I think that reviewer misses the very point and advantage of "being unreasonable" as it must be, still, ultimately reasoning that provides the solution, but not limited (conventional) thinking.)
"Being unreasonable" seems therefore to be a catchy phrase that is a "play on words" that you might have "stick on your mind" and potentially change your behavior to where you are a broader thinker who does not accept "reasonable" (i.e. too limited) thinking limits. If that works, then it could be truly transformational for the person living by it!
The problem, then, it would seem is that the use and meaning of the term might be unexplained and not really made clear. I would, therefore, ask for clarification from your instructor.
DEFINITELY BE UNREASONABLE ABOUT REASONABLE LIMITATIONS
It seems that if we are reasonable (meaning restricted and conventional) we judge ourselves and others by what they have done in the past and/or by how we see their limitations. But if we coddle people and stay on the safe side by not challenging them, they will continue to live within their limitations.
"UNREASONABLENESS" AS A WAY OF DUMPING FALSE REASONS
In the context you are talking about it would appear to mean "do not let false reasons based on fears hold you back from doing something that will benefit you more."
And "do not let 'the culture' tell you to be timid, to be overly cautious."
It seems to be a "shortcut" saying, to get people out of their restrictive boxes.
Restrictive boxes are boxes we put ourselves in "unreasonably" by believing in "unreasonable" beliefs but thinking of them as being reasonable. The biggest "unreasonable" boxes we put ourselves in are where we have "deminimus" fears, where the impact of the fear coming true is either fictional or so small that the occurrence of it has so little cost compared to the benefit, that it is not worth fearing at all or even hardly worth having any concern about. Read Threats And "Fear" - Differentiating As To What Is A Legitimate (Real) Threat - and follow the line of reasoning (being reasonable) to the point where you see that there are very few things to legitimately fear - and that we need not be limited by conventional but erroneous beliefs.
UNREASONABLENESS AS A SOURCE OF CREATIVITY
Since we can, at times, unreasonably restrict ourselves to limited thinking, there are a few methods commonly employed to have us be more creative by allowing ourselves to be unrestricted by "reason".
In "brainstorming", we are encouraged to put out wild ideas that are uncensored for reasonableness, so that we come up with ideas on the other side of the false boundary/limits. This can often create "new thinking" and "new ideas". But the final step in the brainstorming process is always to review and use reason in making the final decisions.
SO, BE UNREASONABLE, BUT REASONABLY SO!
So, challenge the limits and the limited thinking, conventional thinking, the thinking of the masses, beliefs you thought were true but never really questioned - and be unreasonable, even ruthless, in your challenging. And do all of this in the name of getting greater results in life and throwing aside all of those faux limitations!
So, definitely, I agree: Be unreasonable!
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ARE YOU IN ANY OF THESE BOXES?
Please don't do this to yourself!
