For example, how about paying public school teachers a minimum salary of $100,000? How about moving the U.S. House and Senate to a different city every few years? How about moving our companies to retirees? To ease the transition and prepare the next generation of workers, why not create new roles for people age 65 and older to mentor younger employees?Why not in our family? give Not a present for our birthday receive they?
In these rapidly polarizing times, my aim is to shock us into broadening our horizons and elevating our horizons.
This is not an exercise in tender feelings. Crunch the numbers and analyze cost and feasibility for each idea. I interview academics, civil servants, and front-line workers to surface counterarguments and anticipate pitfalls. Sometimes I visit people and places where different versions of an idea may have been tried and learn from their experiences.
In many cases you will not agree with my suggestions. Are you okay. In fact, it’s part of our mission.
At the core of the project are three values that are becoming increasingly rare and therefore increasingly valuable.
Curiosity over certainty. If you’re looking for uncompromising positions and definitive doctrine, look elsewhere. Here at Why Not?, we approach our work differently than cable news screamers and other columnists. In this corner, there are more “I’m curious…” than “I’m sure…”. The world is uncertain. Curiosity and intellectual humility are the most effective solutions to unsticking society’s gears.
Openness that goes beyond cynicism. Social psychologists have long found that critical and cynical people are perceived as more intelligent. They impress their colleagues by announcing why something is not working. However, scientists have also shown that this perception is completely wrong – something called the cynical genius illusion. A more accurate predictor of intelligence and achievement is the trait of openness to new experiences and ideas. Cynicism is easy but empty. Being open is difficult, but enriching.
Conversations over conversions. Our goal is not to slam down your phone (or newspaper) and declare, “Pink is right!” when you finish reading a column. Instead, they want you to text a friend or ask a coworker, “Is pink right?” And talk about it. Ultimate dream? That you read something I wrote and say, “Wait, I have a better idea,” and then share it.
The column itself is not the destination of this project, but the catalyst. Say the first word, not the last. Our team encourages you to discuss your ideas in the comments section and on social media. However, you can also pitch your own “Why Not?” We’ll work together to select some of your ideas and explore them in print or video. This is a true collaboration between writer and reader.
Finally, a word about me. I grew up in the American Midwest, so this column will always be polite. I have a linguistics degree and a law degree, but I have never worked as a lawyer or as a lawyer. Early in my professional life, I worked in the political field, primarily as a speechwriter. Over the past 20 years, I have written his seven books on science, creativity, and business, and in doing so visited dozens of countries and hundreds of organizations, institutes, and universities. I am the proud father of her three children, husband to one, and have lived in a state other than the District of Columbia for many years. (Wait until you hear my proposal to revolutionize traffic flow in DC!)
Over the next 12 months, I’ll use this background to help inject some adrenaline into America’s lulled imagination.
In the process, we may even transform the media business itself. The Post is rightly known for its opinion, explanatory, and investigative journalism. But we are inventing new categories. Call it “possibility journalism.”