Einstein on Crisis
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As corporations grapple with the changes possible in the midst of an economic crisis, thoughts attributed to Einstein offer food for thought. Whether they are or are not Einstein’s words, the words are relevant to the opportunity offered by life’s interruptions.
Let’s not pretend that things will change if we keep doing the same things. A crisis can be a real blessing to any person, to any nation. For all crises bring progress.
Creativity is born from anguish, just like the day is born from the dark night. It’s in crisis that invention is born, as well as discoveries, and big strategies. Who overcomes crisis, overcomes himself, without getting overcome. Who blames his failure on a crisis neglects his own talent, and is more respectful of problems than of solutions. Incompetence is the true crisis.
The greatest inconvenience for people and nations is the laziness with which they attempt to find solutions to their problems. There’s no challenge without a crisis. Without challenges, life becomes a routine, a slow agony. There’s no merit without crisis. It’s in the crisis that we can show the very best in us. Without a crisis, any wind becomes a tender touch. To speak about a crisis is to promote it. Not to speak about it is to exalt conformism. Let us work hard instead.
Let us stop, once and for all, the menacing crisis that represents the tragedy of not being willing to overcome it. — Albert Einstein
Translated from Spanish. Courtesy Ernesto Mendez.
