In Favor of the Extreme

Sometimes, drastic change is best.

I’m running late today, but I wanted to put something out there. So tonight I’ll settle for some half-baked thoughts and then move along.

Generally speaking, extremism is bad. Calling someone an extremist is never a compliment. It is often code for someone who is imbalanced or even dangerous, and so should be shunned, feared, or both. Before September 11, 2001, a religious fundamentalist was someone who was contentious in defending a literal version of their faith. After 9/11, fundamentalism was for extremists and terrorists, and some who would have identified as Christian fundamentalists started finding other words to describe themselves. We don’t want to be extremists. Or more accurately, we don’t want to be called extremists.

But what if, I ask you, you’re already in an extreme situation? What if, either because of a sudden change of events, or because of a series of small choices, you find yourself outside of the window of what you would consider acceptable norms? Is it extremism to make an extreme change to avoid a bad result? I’m going to go ahead and say no. I mean, if you’re asleep at the wheel but wake up to see that you are about to drive off a cliff, you will slam the brake and turn the wheel hard. You will not signal, slightly brake, and make a wide turn, just so you can avoid becoming an extremist. Let’s take this to healthcare decisions. We know it is better to make healthy lifestyle choices you can stick with instead of choosing a string of extreme diet and exercise plans that you’ll quit after three months. If, however, the doctor tells you the arteries to your heart are all blocked and your options are either radical diet and exercise changes, or surgery (pretty extreme, even if common), or death, no one would call you an extremist for picking one of the first two.

Here's what I’m getting at. We all have projects (or we are projects) that need “tweaking.” T-w-e-a-k-i-n-g. But sometimes instead we find ourselves in that terrible situation where tweaking just won’t cut it. Small adjustments won’t make that one work project profitable. They won’t make this marriage issue go away. They won’t change that spiritual problem that keeps you discouraged. They won’t fix that toxic relationship. Pray about it. Get wise counsel. Get a big list of ideas. But then go ahead and make the change (or strongly suggest it if that is all you can do in your position). Drastic change is a shock to the system. But it may be the best way to deal with an unacceptable situation before it becomes an unbearable situation or a hopeless one.

I hope you do not have anything in your life you need to take drastic action to correct. But if you do, I hope you find permission and strength to do it—in the right time, in the right way, but to do it.