The Danger of Living in a Bubble

This tweet above appeared in several papers in the lead up to Christmas and Thomas Massie, the US politician who posted it, copped some flak as it did the social media rounds. As most people know, the 2nd amendment in the US constitution provides the freedom to bear arms but to include the picture as part of sending a Christmas message is rather ironic given that the birth of Jesus is about peace on earth not guns, violence or war.

The question I ask myself is, what would bring a person with significant leadership responsibility to post such a picture? Of course, it might have just been a joke but that’s unlikely when you look at Massie’s support from American gun lobby groups in recent years. I think it is more likely a serious post.

And, if it is serious, what would make someone send out such a message? I wonder whether the answer is actually a challenge for all of us in leadership - that is the temptation to live in a bubble we make for ourselves where we only really listen to the voices we agree with. That is the only explanation I can think of.

Perhaps Massie has lived in the bubble of ‘the right to bear arms’ to such an extent that he is either not able to realise how offensive such a photo would be to some people, or he does realise but couldn’t care less. Either way, this doesn’t speak to me of good leadership.

Living in a bubble is a temptation for us all. Leaders can easily surround themselves with people who just agree with them and that is a dangerous place to be. Our growth happens most when we engage with people who are different from us, with different thoughts and perspectives. That’s why we need to listen to blogs, read books and have conversations that don’t just endorse our existing views but provide a different perspective.