Shades Of Life #18 – Stand Apart

Hey guys.. Hope you all are doing just fine. Wanted to share something really interesting today. It is about the Abilene Paradox. To know more, continue reading. 

It is a hot afternoon in Coleman, Texas. A family is sitting enjoying themselves on the porch when the father-in-law suggests they all take a trip to Abilene, some 53 miles away to the north. “Sounds like a good idea,” says his wife. “OK, if you want to go”, says the father looking at his wife in the hope she detects some reluctance. “Well, of course I’d like to go,” she says. “I haven’t been to Abilene for ages.”

So off the family go on the long, hot and dusty trip. When they arrive, they go to a restaurant where the food is bad. They try to find something to do, but most places are shut. They just wander around in the heat of the day getting tired and irritable.

On the way back, one of them dishonestly says, “It was a great trip, wasn’t it?” The mother-in-law admits that, actually, she would rather have stayed at home. The husband says, “But I only went to satisfy you.” The wife says, “And I only went along to keep you happy.” The father-in-law then says that he only suggested it because he thought the others might be bored.

The group stops the car and sits back, puzzled why they all decided to take a trip when they would all have been happier sitting on the porch enjoying themselves at home.This my dear friends is the Abilene Paradox. It is a symptom of people who do not have the confidence, security and skill to voice their own needs in a group setting. This needs to be overcome for the entire personality development. 

–Shades Of Life