The danger of spiral events has been much in evidence recently. Simple events, in and of themselves not so bad that you would think anything disastrous would follow, come together at wrong time or in a sequence that triggers outcomes that everyone involved did not anticipate or wished would happen.
As one watches Formula 1 drivers on a road circuit, one ever so slight error can cascade into a series of spiraling events. Too wide on the first corner means that one loses momentum and speed. When there are three corners in quick succession, each mistake, correction, or attempt to recover builds on the other. What seemed minor leads, by the time one is at a point of rebuilding momentum, into a tangible deficit that is almost impossible to make up.
There is an obvious goal of putting in a perfect lap. Few accomplish the feat. For every driver, his focus is on the realities of his shortfalls which continuing to drive at 180 miles per hour plus! There is no time for sentimental regret, at least not if one wants to have a chance at succeeding. With sensors, real time reporting, and camera feeds from different points on the car, support crews often know more about the driver and his actions than he does himself. One can blame another but the facts and truth will tell their story.
The way they react helps me see myself more clearly.
The best drivers acknowledge their shortcomings. The warning is there for those blaming others; the facts will, in time, reveal themselves. You can build a story on your myths, follow the lead of the characters in an old story where “they cast in metal a bull calf at Horeb and worshiped the statue they’d made,” (Psalm 106.19) and it may look good for a time. The truth will come.
Great drivers look within to understand without. Accepting ways to be better is more than just getting rid of what is not so good.
Winners work with others. Team support, engineers, and trusted confidants are just the start.
