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"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."

--Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (1788 - 1860)

"The only way that I could figure they could improve upon Coca-Cola, one of life's most delightful elixirs, which studies prove will heal the sick and occasionally raise the dead, is to put rum or bourbon in it."

-- Lewis Grizzard, humorist, 1946 - 1994

Pronunciation: VELT-shmairts

Meaning:

1. mental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state

2. a mood of sentimental sadness

Example sentence: "Unemployed and risking home foreclosure, I began to sink into a state of Weltschmerz."

Caution: When you use unfamiliar foreign words, preface your comments by saying something like this: "You asked me how I'm doing, and I will tell you I am feeling what the Germans call 'Weltschmerz.' That means I am feeling sad about the situation in the world, kind of a mild depression."

"A conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue. That's why there are so few good conversations: due to scarcity, two intelligent talkers seldom meet."

--Truman Capote

"Life is made up of moments, small pieces of glittering mica in a long, stretch of gray cement. It would be wonderful if they came to us unsummoned, but particularly in lives as busy as the ones most of us lead now, that won't happen. We have to teach ourselves how to make room for them, to love them, and to live, really live."

-- Anna Quindlen

I've often been frustrated when intelligent people resist accepting ideas I think are really good. I've thought a lot about these experiences, and here are some of my conclusions :

They Resist Because of Something About Them

--Systemic. Like organ rejection, a person's temperament or attitude is against what is alien or different. (My late friend, anthropologist Gregory

Bateson, believed humans are hard-wired to resist big changes as too risky for survival. Such as shifting from hunting and gathering to agriculture where a few years of drought could kill off a tribe that no longer knew how to hunt.

--Status: Many don't want to be in a "one down" position (e.g., men hesitating to ask for directions when they're lost)

As Winston Churchill said: "I like to learn, but I don't like to be taught."

--NIH Syndrome: "Not Invented Here." In many groups, corporations, churches, universities, and more, people come to believe that "Because we didn't think of this idea, it can't be very good." Example: The U. S. auto industry from 1950 to 1980, during which the executives at the top rejected the idea of small, high quality autos like cars Japan was making.) Why? Because they thought they knew better.

e.g., Fred Smith, founder of FEDEX, encountered much resistance to his idea, including a C- grade for his plan in a business course.

"Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats." --Howard Aiken

'New ideas pass through three periods:

* It can't be done.

* It probably can be done, but it's not worth doing.

* "I knew it was a good idea all along."

--Arthur C. Clarke

--Tribal or Cultural Resistance or Ideology.

Once basic beliefs and values are instilled, humans resist ideas that deviate from what they believe. "If God had wanted man to fly, He would have given us wings."

"Everything new endangers something old."

--Admiral Hyman Rickover

--Scams, Shams, and Deceits: Infomercials, identity theft, con artists, they are everywhere. Who can we believe?

Mark Twain once bought a "genuine Mexican plug" from an auctioneer whose brother was the owner. Then he discovered the horse was un-rideable. It bucked every time. Later he wrote:

"I gave no sign; but I made up my mind that if the auctioneer's brother's funeral took place while I was in the (Nevada) Territory I would postpone all other recreations and attend it." --From Roughing It

They Resist Because of Something About You

You are not a prophet in own town or family. To them, you're just "Good Old Uncle Thomas." (Edison). This is a teaching of Jesus, who had to leave his home town in order for his ideas to be heard.

Complexity: The way you present your idea is too complicated. Many prefer simple ideas like bumper sticker slogans. You may have to draw them a picture or actually demonstrate what you mean.

Loren Ekroth ©2012, all rights reserved

Loren Ekroth, Ph.D. is a specialist in human communication and a national expert on conversation for business and social life.