Good Eggs and Bad Apples

Over the course of the last two and half years I have run across my share of each, but today I found myself in a meeting thinking, "do I know more good eggs, then bad apples? Or the opposite"? Needless to say, the thought was intriguing and I wasn't able to shake it all day.

More good eggs? More Bad Apples? I just couldn't find an answer. And it wasn't like I was making a list, I was just thinking of the circles I run in and those that I come across daily.

Well, on my forty minute drive home the thought was completely gone! However, it was replaced with another question.

Are bad apples that bad? I mean really. We usually know who these people are and I know that I at least try and avoid these people, however anyone who has stepped out into the public has come into contact with a "bad apple". From the loudmouth at the movie theatre, to the co-workers that do nothing but complain, to the customer service reps that never seem to want to service the customer.

So I return to the question, are bad apples that bad? Well, as of this posting I have to say that just as the world needs ditch diggers, the world needs bad apples, and I'll tell you why. Plain and simple, we learn from them.

Someone once said, "an idiot never learns from their mistakes, an average man does learn from their mistakes, and a truly wise man learns from the mistakes of others".

I say bring on the bad apples! If they're out their in bushels then I say, the more the merrier! After all we are talking about people who prove that the "stove is hot" because they touch it, day after day after day, not us. And the results increase exponentially over the course of a lifetime.

From this point on I welcome the bad apples as much as I welcome the good eggs. After all, they're both out there, and they both bring something to the table.

So who's with me? I welcome your thoughts and comments!

As always, thank you...The Runner.