I was in the bathroom today and thought of an interesting concept. It's nothing groundbreaking or all that innovative. I'm not sure where the idea came from, but I think it had something to do with how the softball team I pitched against last night (slow pitch, mind you) did a good job alternating height from batter to batter. It was a good balance. We still outscored them (though somehow lost via forfeit; we found out this morning to our disappointment).
The concept is this: there are people in the world who try to make things more efficient. They look at a system, look for the flaws, and try to fix it. At the same time, there are people in the world who make things bigger or better by adding on. The first group of people that comes to mind with the latter personality is the art-loving part of society. They take a good looking house and make it look better through artistic expression.
This is a sort of balancing act. While some keep adding on, others make things more efficient. You can see it everywhere in politics, technology, business, sports, or any major industry of human interaction. The age-old Liberal vs. Conservative argument is based on the role of government in the life of the individual, and it's a constant battle. Some of the more remarkable electronics companies, like Apple, are known for making complex electronics look sleek and easy. It's an incredibly difficult process.
I think this push/pull relationship is necessary for society to progress, and it works in many dimensions. It's also not true that any one person has to be a pusher or a puller. It often depends on the topic, or even your age. While some people are more often pullers, like engineers, and others pushers, like artists, there are times when they may both look at something and say "This needs to be fixed." Every one has at least a little of both going on at any one time.
What makes it work, at least in my eyes, is that the pullers and pushers appeal to two different mentalities housed in most human beings. Part of us wants to make things better because we are lazy. Yet, part of us wants to make things nicer and more fulfilling. This balance is key, and no one side should receive an overall advantage. Sure, you may think the pullers are winning right now because things are much easier than they used to be, but with the advent of the Internet, do you think interpersonal relationships have gotten better or worse? Are children being raised to rely on technology or utilize it to enhance their developing skills? What progress has been made?
Are you a pusher or a puller?
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