The Good Doesn’t Exist

A known proverb goes like this:

Polish – “Lepsze wrogiem dobrego.”
English – “The better is the enemy of the good.”

Likewise – “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

This was the motto in life & business of an ex-superior of mine. The man was advanced in years. Perhaps that explains his approach. Especially, if we have in mind another saying:

“We do not become wiser with age. We become more cautious.”

Considering my age (I’m in my thirties), considering the rapidly changing market conditions, I’d rather say:

The good is afraid of the better.

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In some cases, it even seems that “the good sabotages the better.” Striving to improve constantly, we change tools and processes. We make beginners’ mistakes or typical resistance of matter kicks in. We might become discouraged, we might revert to old ways of doing things. That’s when we are most tempted to say: “the better is the enemy of the good.”

But it’s not. The good doesn’t exist. Before it becomes good, it already has to be better.

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