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Off the Yellow Brick Road
byBrian J. Armitage, Ph.D.
Ohio Biological Survey
Vol 6, No. 3, August 1998
It was a dark and stormy night. [I've always wanted to start
a piece with that hackneyed sentence. Finally, I can - it was
true]. My wipers were at the max, everyone coming
toward me seemed to have their brights on, and I was
approaching an intersection. Needing maximum visual
input to make a left turn safely onto a larger road, I was
confronted with those solid yellow lines which barred me
from entering the turn lane on a smooth and direct line.
Who draws these lines, or more importantly, who designs
them? Have you ever looked at them in detail? They are
usually configured, even in parking lots, so that anyone
driving more than one mile per hour could never
completely follow them (or easily walk them). They are
more artful than functional. Yet, because they are solid and
yellow, like the lines separating lanes of traffic heading in
opposite directions, they are supposed to be followed.
How silly. A civil engineer's doodle. I ignore them.
Phase shift with me now. We are on the yellow brick road
with Dorothy, Toto, and the gang heading for Oz. You had
to follow the yellow brick road, that was the way it was
done. No information is given about what would happen if
you got off the yellow brick road. Would the Cowardly
Lion have found courage sooner? Would the Tin Man
have received a heart sooner? Would Dorothy have gotten
her shoes muddy, but gone home sooner? Would Toto ....
well, let's leave Toto out of this. We'll never know
because the story line only allowed them to follow the
yellow brick road culminating in a confrontation with that
diminutive conman known as the Wizard of Oz.
It strikes me that there are all manner of parallels to the
yellow brick road, most more important than the solid
yellow lines mentioned above. In my opinion, the yellow
brick road equates to stagnation and complacency, even
death. Too negative? Ok, how about equilibrium, the
status quo, the output of committees, and micro-
incremental change (not always in a positive direction - the
change occurs too slowly for you to predict future
outcomes). My thesis is that you have to get off the yellow
brick road frequently to make any progress, to effect any
significant change, to achieve any commendable goal, to
make a difference.
Where are the parallels to these contrasting positions? In
evolutionary theory, the gradual accumulation of
mutations is the yellow brick road compared to the notion
of punctuated equilibrium. In ecology, the belief that
maximum diversity in ecosystems occurs under
equilibrium conditions is the yellow brick road compared
to the view held by others that maximum diversity is
realized from disruptive events and occurs at the
battleground between ecosystems, not in the heart of
ecosystem darkness. In ethics, altruism and frugality are
the yellow brick road compared to the perception of greed
evoked by an individual following his or her own ideas and
mechanics. In politics, always voting the party line is the
yellow brick road compared to voting according to the
merit of individual issues and the best interests of each
constituency. In business, the corporate mentality is the
yellow brick road compared to the innovative minds of a
few who begin in a garage or a basement (alas, the yellow
brick road in business no longer guarantees that you will
reach Oz). The parallels are endless in subject and
complexity.
For the last six years, the Ohio Biological Survey has spent
most of its time off the yellow brick road. We are
publishing more and different things over a greater
geographic area than ever before. We are involving more
individuals in member institutions. We are interacting
with new and different organizations, singly or in
combinations. We are hosting or cohosting more
meetings, supporting more lectures, gaining more
financial support, attracting notice, members, and projects
in other states and countries, and joyfully leaving the
yellow brick road behind. But, wait! What's that up ahead?
A solid yellow line, laid out at an impossible angle, leading
right back to the yellow brick road. ARGHH! Won't you
come and lend a hand? By doing more, we're reaching
equilibrium (or saturation). There are opportunities ahead,
significant benefits, real accomplishments, fun. Give us a
little push, those bricks are hard.
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