Pause ... and think

I am not immune from careless or overhasty thinking. Recently I read a report on new developments for air conditioning making devices more energy efficient.

My immediate thought was that we should just get rid of air conditioning and, for example, stop living in places where cooling is necessary.

Of course, at the time, I was reading that report on my iPad and it’s associated data centres consume a lot of air conditioning.

So, be wary of first thoughts. They often lead to hasty conclusions, poor decisions and inappropriate action.

Sometimes, we just need to stop and think - again. Think through the consequences. Think what others are saying about the issue. Then start to form our view. Our view might not change but it will be clearer and more robust.

It is not often we are in situations where a short pause would do a lot of harm.