The Right Thing for the Wrong Reason
I’m sitting on a comfortable sofa in the lobby of the Wexner building at Harvard University, waiting for the 2026 Behavioral Science and Policy Association to begin their annual conference. My younger son is one of the co-founders of the BSPA and its conference.
The last time I graced these hallowed halls was more than 30 years ago when my older son (now in his 60’s) was enrolled as a student. I sat in on one of his physics classes and while I understood the professor’s greeting, “Good morning, gentlemen,” I didn’t understand a word of the lecture that followed.
I remember back then feeling impressed by its reputation as an elite institution of higher learning. I believed a Harvard degree was a sure bellwether of success. But as I’m sitting on this couch, I also think about an episode of the TV show “Shark Tank,” in which a graduate from Havard seeking to fund his genius idea was so entirely obnoxious that the Sharks didn’t bite. They didn’t even nibble.
I guess that even a degree from Harvard is not a license to be unpleasant to the hands that might potentially fund you.
On the ride over to the conference from the Marriott Hotel in Cambridge, my son mentioned that in organizing the event, the university had been both difficult and expensive to deal with. I told him what Daveen might have said. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy both of your experiences dealing with Harvard — your first, and your last.”
Actually, I’m writing this blog as a favor to Harvard, with the genuine hope that they listen, and perhaps consider that reputations, even theirs, can wax and wane. And theirs is waning. (On a similar subject, I highly recommend the book I’m reading, “How to Rule the World” by Theo Baker. It’s a great expose written by an undergraduate at Stanford University.)
I should mention that when I graduated from high school, I seriously considered applying to Harvard. I ultimately didn’t, but only because I wanted to stay close to my high school sweetheart, and so I made the decision to attend USC. Later we married, and our three terrific children thanked us.
All of this is by way of saying, sometimes we do the right thing for the wrong reason. Or maybe, in my case, it was the right thing for the right reason.
Homage to Shakespeare’s Puck —
“Ah, what fools these mortals be.”
Foolishly yours,
Alan