Thanks to those who answered my call for support last week. It is greatly appreciated. I hope more do the same this week
There is an old adage that we should never question another person’s motive. It harkens back to medieval days when to do so was to question one’s honor and potentially end in a deadly duel. Later it was popularized by Dwight Eisenhower who believed it undermined trust.
This reluctance to question motive – while perhaps well-intentioned – seems misguided today.
On one hand we should not presume to know someone’s motive, we are not inside their head nor appreciate the fullness of another’s lived experience. On the other hand, it would seem that trying to understand someone’s motives – often through questioning them – is essential for making sense of the actions or judgements that may have an effect on our own lives. Questioning one’s motives can deepen our potential connection rather than fray it.
Over the last week alone, I stumbled upon several thoughtful pieces of content that did just that.
A fascinating PBS documentary, Ghost in the Machine, helped me understand the motives behind the growth of Silicon Valley and AI (actually lessening my fear of it).
The moving new film, Don’t Look Back in Anger, helped me understand not only the motives behind the break up of Oasis, but more importantly the motives behind their music and people’s deep connection to it.
A new book, Profiles in Cowardice, explores the motives behind people with immense power who nevertheless refuse to stand up to abuses of power by others even though they appear to be in direct contrast to their own stated principles.
An American Experience film examined the motives behind Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid whose train-robbing exploits were fueled by their repudiation of robber barons and the exploitation they wrought on their own families.
The first three chapters of the book Enshitification, which I just started reading, offer a riveting look into the motives driving the actions and evolution of large tech companies.
Now it must be said that in all of the cases above, the authors and filmmakers questioning the motives of others, have motives themselves. Some are artistic, commercial or personal. It is fine to question their motives as well.
Yet they all seem to be offering a reasonable and deep questioning of why some people and organizations do what they do. When done well, questioning motives is a necessary act of critical thinking that seems in short supply today.
Asking ourselves, “why is someone doing this?” is a first step that can alleviate our own frustration, enable the joy of discovery, and offer insights for our own actions. Failure to do so lessens our appreciation and leaves us only to superficially judge the actions of others.
Asking others, “why are you doing this?” when done without judgment and with genuine curiosity can be the first step across a bridge that otherwise will never be crossed.
The poet William Butler Yeats wrote, “The light of lights looks always on the motive, not the deed, the shadow of shadows on the deed alone.”
Let there be more light.
This Week’s Recommendation: Watch or read one of the above or anything that earnestly tries to answer the question, “why?”
Consider sharing this with someone whose motive you want to better understand.