22nd Edition
Why is it that many of history’s most impactful utterances have been the shortest? The Gettysburg Address, arguably the most famous speech ever given by a U.S. President was only 272 words and took President Lincoln only 2 minutes to deliver. Secretary of State Edward Everett was actually the keynote speaker that day and he spoke for over 2 hours, but no one remembers a word he said. Less was certainly more on that historic day.
Here are some examples when saying less captured the moment perfectly and the brevity of the response became etched in the annals of history.
During the Battle of the Bulge, the commander of the surrounded U.S. forces in Bastogne was given a surrender ultimatum by the Germans. When asked for a reply, General Anthony McAuliffe wrote one word – “Nuts.” Any WWII historian knows this story well. One unforgettable word at that particular time and place spoke to the courage of the men in that pivotal battle.
When researchers led by Dr. Jonas Salk and Dr. Thomas Francis, Jr. announced the polio vaccine, they said it was “safe, effective, and potent.” Nothing else needed to be said. The vaccine would speak for itself as it saved countless lives in the years ahead.
In the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, Jim Thorpe won the decathlon and the pentathlon, which no athlete has done before or since. As he stood before the King of Sweden to receive his medals, the King said, “Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world.” To which Thorpe replied, “Thanks King.” What else could he say?
During Jack Nicklaus’ epic final round to win his record 6th Green Jacket at the Masters, Nicklaus seized command of the tournament by sinking a birdie putt on the next to last hole. As Nicklaus’ putt rolled toward the hole, Verne Lundquist, announcing the action said, “Maybe…. Yes sir!” It was the 18th and final major championship for the greatest player the game of golf has ever known. Yes sir, was all that needed to be said.
And finally for my favorite… During a San Francisco 49er touchdown drive in Super Bowl XXIV, Pat Summerall made this immortal call of two Hall-of-Famers, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, displaying their artistry at the highest level on the biggest stage. “At the Denver twenty-eight, Rice…Touchdown.” Six words to describe their masterpiece was all that was needed.
Today, all too often, talking heads use way too many words to say very little. They recite from a script written by someone else. They speak to advance an agenda, not from the heart nor to capture the essence of the moment. Worst of all they are agonizingly repetitive, possibly because they know most of their ramblings aren’t resonating. Perhaps if they spoke less, more from the heart, with a pledge to be truthful, more people would listen in earnest. I suspect this is wishful thinking, because I do not expect talking heads will suddenly realize any of this on their own. Maybe we could help them? How would we do that?
To begin, we would have to stop watching 24-hour news. Let’s instead have one hour of serious news once a week, say on Wednesday nights. The stories would have to be condensed, the broadcasts streamlined, and there would be no time for redundancy or hidden agendas. What do you think of this idea? Please let me know.
Less is more…. It’s true in other areas of life, too. The less stuff we have the more we cherish the belongings we do have. The less time we have the more meaningful are the moments we share. The less we worry the more joy we experience.
We don’t have a culture that reinforces less is more, do we? I wish we did.