Last week, I wrote a blog post about validation. Around the same time, my daughter, Miranda, shared a link to an article in Medium, How a TV Sitcom Triggered the Downfall of Western Civilization.

In fact, any time Ross would say anything about his interests, his studies, his ideas, whenever he was mid-sentence, one of his “friends” was sure to groan and say how boring Ross was, how stupid it is to be smart, and that nobody cares…

The year 2004 was when we completely gave up and embraced stupidity as a value….

The rejection of Ross marked the moment when much of America groaned, mid-sentence, at the voice of reason…

Instead of validating Ross and validating the role of reason in society, America rejected it.

A few days later, Eric Cooter, a priest and flight instructor; what a great bi-vocational calling that is , wrote a blog post, Encouragement for Experimenters, Innovators, and Risk Takers..

Experimentation is costly and it may never show measurable results. Risk-taking and experimentation requires fortitude in the midst of setbacks, doubters, and detractors. Fear can keep us from trying or sustaining something different, from dreaming new dreams, and from stepping out and taking a risk. If trepidation wins, we will never know what possibilities might have been. Innovators, experimenters, and risk-takers require encouragement and support.

Today, one of the leading candidates is well known for rejecting those who experiment, who take risks and experience setbacks. He calls them “losers”. It is part of the same rejection of reason.

In contrast to this, I’ve been listening to a podcast with Elizabeth Gilbert and Brene Brown talking about writing and failure: Magic Lessons Ep. #12: Brene Brown on "Big Strong Magic".

So please, don’t groan mid-sentence as I ask, “How have you failed recently? How have you celebrated failure recently? What is so important to you that risking failure doesn’t matter?”