The 10 Principles of Rational Living - Softcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

JOHN VESPASIAN has lived in New York, Paris, Madrid and Munich. He is the author of the books “When everything fails, try this” (2009), “Rationality is the way to happiness” (2009), “The philosophy of builders” (2010) and “The 10 principles of rational living” (2012). His work reflects the values of self-reliance, tolerance and entrepreneurship.

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

From Chapter 1

What happened later is what makes the story fascinating. Against all expectations, a great part of the medical profession reacted with scepticism to the discovery. Instead of honouring Semmelweis for his scientific breakthrough, they began to view him with open hostility.

To make things worse, Semmelweis himself became the object of massive attacks from his colleagues, was forced to quit his job in Vienna, and had to accept a position at a less prestigious hospital. It did not matter that he was right and that he had the facts to prove it. His ideas simply did not spread because too few people were willing to listen to him.

In those situations, a man only has two options: he can become a crusader or an entrepreneur. He can fight against the world and waste his time in bitter disputes, or he can take the entrepreneurial route, shrug his shoulders at the critics, and look for a feasible way to exploit his ideas commercially.

Unfortunately for Semmelweis, he possessed all the psychological traits of a crusader, and did what crusaders usually do. He became obsessed with his mission, adopted an antagonistic tone, wrote offensive letters to other physicians, and increased the ranks of his enemies. He also began to drink heavily and his behaviour became erratic.

What would have Semmelweis done if he had possessed an entrepreneurial mentality? On the one hand, he would have acknowledged the difficulty of convincing other doctors and would have taken their rejection philosophically. On the other hand, he would have looked for a job at another hospital, which he would have turned into a model of cleanliness, efficiency, and good health. Eventually, the benefits of his methods would have spread by word of mouth, and other hospitals would have been pressed to adopt his ideas.

If Semmelweis had taken an entrepreneurial approach, the victory of his ideas would have been irresistible. Regrettably, he decided to become a crusader instead of an entrepreneur and wasted the last years of his life in constant fights.