Standing the Test of Time

We humans do not have the best track record when it comes to determining what pieces of work or ideas will stand the test of time. Also, we do not always do that well in judging quality when it first appears. For instance, I recently started rereading Herman Melville's "Moby Dick." When that was first published well over one hundred years ago, it was judged to be of low quality. The same is true of Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World."  President Lincoln's now classic Gettysburg Address was initially determined to be of little importance. The paintings of Vincent Van Gogh were ignored by the general public until years after his death. And these are just a few examples.

Collectively, these and other examples remind me of that great song by George and Ira Gershwin, "They All Laughed." In it, the authors wrote of such milestones as Rockefeller Center, the invention of the cotton gin and the initial flight of the Wright brothers as being acts first judged to be batty. The fact we as people were so wrong on these achievements and works, yet came to embrace them for being not only memorable but revolutionary reinforces the notion that eventually great quality cannot be denied. It does reveal itself. The power of great words, strokes of the brush or unique ingenuity is unstoppable. Thank goodness.

The same, I  believe, is true of good communicators: people who actively engage in acts of communication based on sincerity, accuracy, sensitivity, and respect. True, they may not always get that pay raise or job promotion, but these men and women do elicit the regard of others.  Further, they become the recipients of good will and trust. Further, while books may not be written about them, they do gain a wide reputation among their peers as being persons of integrity. My point is that those who communicate honorably should not be deterred by what I label flash-in-the-pan communicators who follow less than honorable paths to reach their goals. They do not and will not stand the test of time.