The Debate

You are not judging the winner of a "game" but the best person for a different job.

Didn’t Biden’s performance in the debate make you uncomfortable?  A legitimate question.  Yes, it did.  But it also, as all uncomfortable moments usually do, made me thoughtful and gave me a bit of self-knowledge. 

As we age all of us discover limitations.  There are mental effects as well as physical, and while I realize that this is a useful distinction, I do not deny that they are both in essence physical. 

I say it is useful because the physical changes that we experience are significantly limiting.  However much I would like to return to a softball diamond, I realize how little I would contribute to victory.  The mental, however, is much less diminishing and seems in some sense to contribute in a positive way to our mental performances. 

That is to say, I feel more qualified for many tasks than I was in the past.  Some might want to call it wisdom, I see it more as a set of skills or abilities.  More experience, broader and deeper perspectives, less drawn to first impressions and more likely to see the fit or lack of fit with what I believe.  The memory of having been wrong as well as right in the past, teaches both humility and courage.  We listen more intently, but we also speak more confidently.

Outward signs may not be encouraging.  Our balance is less.  We walk, go up and down stairs, with patience.  We forget words and phrases, particularly names.  The better our vocabulary the better the work around and after a pause we do at least as well if not better in expressing our ideas. 

Don’t expect us to remember your name.  Of course, we will momentarily pause to recall minor details.  We seem on automatic pilot, a routine bias, on occasion and turn toward the wrong direction for a moment.  I leave it to neuro-scientists to explain this more fully, but I have not found it in any way more than a nuisance.  Of course in a timed standup debate it can be a “point loser.” 

So back to the Trump – Biden debate.  Trump didn’t say much more than his speech practiced lines.  He’s repeated them over and over again. They seem automatic.  They are not deep or nuanced.  On the whole, they are not evidence based or fact checked.  Biden tried to cram two much information into a short space.  He spoke fast, he once of twice lost his train of thought for a moment.  He seemed over prepared and wanted to present more facts than fit his time limitations. 

Fortunately for us voters, that did not demonstrate much or anything about how he performs his job as President.  No one walks into the Ovel Office and says you have two minutes to answer this question and don’t consult with anyone.     

That isn’t how executives do their job.  You don’t judge pitchers on their batting. 

Now, it would have been interesting to see how they deal with information and invite advice, and second guess themselves and seek second opinions and then make  choices with as much understanding as possible of unintended consequences and ways of responding to them if necessary. 

By the way, in typing this I noted how often I finished a set of letters, or should I say my fingers finish the word, with how most frequently in my lifetime I have finished that first set of letters.  Yes, autopilot and not a mental error.  At least not one than matters.  I should in any event proofread and when I do I may spot and consider real problems with my analysis, or choice of expression.

I said at the beginning, “a bit of self-knowledge.”  Don’t think you can go down to the field and pinch hit; don’t go on quiz shows; don’t try to speak fast and say as much as you can say in as short an amount of time as possible. 

Never let people judge you on what is important by testing you on what is irrelevant to the job at hand.