As a first grader the Titanic captivated my attention. It was recently discovered by Dr. Robert Ballard and a classmate had a grandmother who was on the Carpathia during the rescue. At one point I had just about everything memorized about the ship that an elementary student could.

I discovered in college the reports on the Titanic investigation. The clever intro to the report was simple: Pragmatism went down with the Titanic. The Titanic set sail the way things were always done. Even with new technologies and size, no one challenged the status quo. New technologies gave a sense of false safety or their potential ignored. New size changed the way things operated. Sailing at full speed on a calm night was normal practice and no injuries happened as a result… until Titanic sunk.

The bottom line:
Change in life happens. Challenge the status quo went changes arrive. Because it always worked doesn’t mean it will work in the future. We cannot predict the future, but we can always revisit why we do what we do. Principles don’t change but methods and programs do and must. After all, pragmatism went down with the Titanic.