Daydreaming or spacing out or, as some wise people call it, reflection, gets a bum rap in the go-go life of the modern chap. To all you spacer-haters out there, reflect on this:
I believe one of the reasons why reflection has gradually been excluded from organizational life has more to do with the prevailing “command and control” approach to management than concern for practicalities.
Reflection is dangerous to the authoritarian character, even the petty tyrants that inhabit boardrooms. You never know where it might lead. It may cause people to question what they’ve been told, and encourage them to doubt the wisdom of their “betters.”
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Reflection opens a pathway to criticism, and that’s never comfortable for those in charge. Far better to make sure people are kept too busy to waste their time in matters that could lead to discontent or awkward inquiries.Reflection is the enemy of complacency and corruption. It leads to change and threatens the status quo. It’s the basis of all freedom and democracy. Without questioning our actions and purposes through reflection, we are little different than slaves who must do without question what they are directed by their masters.
From the fine, reflective blog The Coyote Within :: The Value of Reflection.
