A consummate storycollector (and teller) it was with mixed emotions that I heard this story* - "The Missouri Compromise". I love stories but this one gave me the chills. 

I don’t like compromise. I would almost go as far as to say I hate it. Except that in general I don’t hate things.

This doesn’t mean I don’t like working with people, groups or co-creating. I love nothing more. It is just that compromise seems to set the lowest possible bar for success/a great outcome. It doesn’t inspire me to leap or reach further. Compromise is sometimes an easy way out because it saves us time from looking at the core elements of our challenge and imaging fresh ways to approach them. I very much doubt that a culture of compromise is ever found in a culture of excellence.

But back to Missouri. Circa 1820-1821.

In 1820 the ’slave states’ and the ‘free states’** had equal representations in the Senate. A bill came through to abolish slavery in Missouri. The issue was resolved with a two-part compromise. Maine ( a free state) was admitted to the Union as a free state at the same time that Missouri was admitted as a slave state, thereby maintaining a balance of 12 slave and 12 free states. Missouri was authorized to adopt a constitution having no restrictions on slavery.

If we are ever to learn lesson from history this seems to offer a powerful one.

* This historical story was relayed to me by Leslie Rule, from San Francisco’s KQED at the Digital Story Telling Workshop I was attending. I backed it up by doing some reading.

**those who still have legalised slavery, primarily the southern states, and those that did not 

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 8th, 2005 at 7:31 pm and is filed under change, knowledge & wisdom, stories, walk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.