Which is Better: Action or Thought?
Winston Churchill- you might have heard of him- the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, led Britain to victory in World War II. Though he held just about every possible post in the British government over the course of his political career, you might be surprised to learn that he also wrote and published 6 books in his spare time.
Churchill himself embodies a striking dichotomy: a Man of Action and a Man of Thought. A famous political figure leading a nation through war, and simultaneously a private philosopher, musing under the stars about leadership and legacy. In his autobiography, My Early Life, Churchill writes that "a man’s life has to be nailed either to the cross of thought or action". It begs the question then, which one did he choose?
In 1898, Churchill dramatized this problem in the form of his semi-autobiographical novel, Savrola. The novel follows his fictional counterpart, a young statesman leading a revolution while struggling to resist his own political ambition. (Spoiler Alert) In the end, his rebel army successfully dethrones the dictator, but the rebellion is quashed by the loyalist Navy after Savrola refuses to sacrifice himself to the authorities. As he escapes arrest, he watches the city destroyed from afar- the very city he was trying to save. Savrola is indeed a man of action who inspired a movement, but he couldn’t overcome his fatal flaw: his own selfish ambition. He could not follow through on his promises to his fellow statesmen- because he never stopped to think “Would I do what I am demanding of them? Would I lay my life down for this cause?” The hypocrisy of leaders is laid bare in Savrola’s story. He talks the talk but, can’t walk the walk. So this beg the question: which makes a better leader- a man of thought or a man of action?
The problem here, is that Churchill sets up a false dichotomy- as if you can only be one or the other. But the good news is, you don’t have to choose. In fact, you can’t. Thought and action by nature have a symbiotic relationship. They work together. Thought without action leads to endless rumination without progress. Action without thought leads to- in Savrola’s case- disaster. Without each other, both factors are destructive. But together, they are unstoppable.
Action is great. Action is what gets results. Its the part that takes you from point A to point B. But if you don’t preface your action with intention, you might set off in the wrong direction, wandering aimlessly, wondering why you started to begin with. Meaningful action requires forethought. But you also can't make progress if you sit around theorizing without putting what you've learned into practice. If thought is the compass, action is the vehicle that gets you there.
So to respectfully rebut Churchill’s statement, perhaps one’s life has to be nailed to the cross of thought, then action.
