The iconoclastic thinker

Tonight, I was corresponding in real time with a friend in the United States. We have known each other for several years and she wrote to me and said that she felt like an “outcast”. Now, I know this lady well. Our emails number in the hundreds, if not thousands, over the years. She came to Thailand to study with me in a five-day Master Thinker program. She is a doctor who lost her practice, her spouse, her house and all her worldly possessions because she stood up for people. She took on the entire health care system single-handedly and was a whistleblower. They sought to destroy her but could never diminish her spirit. She has been an inspiration to me since before I met her. They even made a movie about her, but it only served to make her one more target. She is an iconoclastic thinker. I will not use her name in this article because she has been attacked enough already.

I immediately answered the first thing that came to my mind. “The iconoclastic thinker is always an outcast. I use the stones that others throw at me for batting practice. It improves my concentration, aim, accuracy and distance.”

Most of the great leaders in virtually every field are iconoclastic thinkers. Most managers are not. Most managers encourage their people to “think outside the box.” What they don’t say then is: “Don’t think outside of me!” For the iconoclastic leader there are no boxes. They just don’t exist. Some examples? Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Jesus Christ, Buddha, Copernicus, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, and many, many more. We are surrounded by them but, instead of listening to them, we are usually the ones who throw stones.

Iconoclastic thinking is not just the domain of leaders and this is where it gets really interesting. An iconoclastic thinker is anyone who thinks against the current while everyone else around them relaxes in their inner tubes of perception and floats idly against the current. They can be a teacher, a parent, a friend, an enemy, or even the smallest child.

Have you ever felt like the weird person? Welcome to the world of iconoclastic thought! Understand, it’s not about being right or wrong, but about thinking differently. You can (and will) place your own values ​​into your thinking, but know that others are willing to (and will) place theirs as well. Hope that others think differently from you and that the stones they throw don’t hurt as much.

I cannot think of a single iconoclastic thinker who has lived his life without pain, attack, and opposition. We all, at different times, ask ourselves, “Is it worth it?” The resounding answer is yes!” Sure, we have our moments of doubt. One of the signs of a true iconoclast is a constant defiance of our own beliefs. Another is unwavering flexibility as situations and circumstances evolve. Yet another it is the ability to act on those beliefs despite the fear of the unknown that inevitably accompanies them. That is the essence of courage and commitment. That is the makeup of the iconoclastic thinker. Do you qualify? If not, why not?

Note that the iconoclastic thinker does not always go against the grain. Great iconoclastic leaders have a way of uniting what others believe or want to believe and lead the way to change and evolution. There was a great experiment done in Japan which is known as the “100 Monkeys Experiment”. It involved a group of monkeys relocated to an island with only a supply of yams (sweet potatoes) to eat, something that was outside of their normal diet. One day, a monkey from the company picked a yam, went to the sea, washed it and began to eat it. Soon the entire company was doing the same thing and everyone survived as a result.

The fact is that we are all potentially iconoclastic thinkers. We all have ideas and thoughts that go against the winds of current thinking. I suspect that passion is what separates the iconoclasts from the masses. What is your purpose in life? Are you willing and able to pursue it with unfettered passion and without getting discouraged? Are you willing and able to take the blows of others? If so, welcome to the world of the iconoclastic thinker. Get off your butt and get out there and engage and include others. It does not matter what the area of ​​human activity is.

Artists, musicians, poets and dancers, they are all iconoclastic thinkers when they break out of the mold and take their art in a new direction and to a new level. The same is true for businessmen, politicians and theologians. When I was 11 years old, I remember an older boy who devised a system that checked how we package food at the store he worked at, which improved customer service and raised our tip level. I still consider him a genius, an iconoclastic thinker. Management was totally opposed to the change, but he convinced us all to try it in one shift and management couldn’t deny the results. I was so inspired that I decided to apply what he had taught us to my newspaper route and the result was that I duplicated it in two weeks! Iconoclastic thinking can be contagious to the point of becoming mainstream.

Find your purpose and pursue it with passion. Be brave enough to think differently and have the courage to follow the dictates of your heart, mind, and spirit. Live what you preach. Walking the way. Dare to be different!