I’ve held a lot of opinions in my life, none too far-reaching nor absurd in my estimation. In recent times I’ve grown increasingly mistrustful, and often downright disdainful, of these opinions. It’s not that I don’t have the conviction of my beliefs; quite the opposite actually. I believe wholeheartedly in the things that sustain me: family, friends, and living a clean and honest life. As for most other things, which means just about everything there is to have an opinion on, I prefer to leave myself receptive to new information.

The funny thing about new information is that it often pops up at inconvenient and surprising times, like a sudden hard rain when the forecast said sunny all day. It forces us to confront previously held beliefs, norms, mores and beloved traditions. It contravenes cultures, religion, politics, and societal ebbs and flows. It simply shows up unannounced and thrusts itself upon us. And, despite our best attempts to suppress it, ignore it or challenge it, it doesn’t go away; never has.

Take for example the notion that handwashing is a necessary practice for surgeons prior to operating on a patient. It’s mind-numbing for us these days to imagine that not all that long ago in history – the mid-1800s – handwashing prior to operating was not high on a surgeon’s ’to do’ list. To say the least. The practice was downright ignored. A surgeon would go from conducting an autopsy, for example, to delivering a baby without so much as a quick hand rinsing.

Then an Austrian doctor named Ignaz Semmelweis made astonishing observations that began to shed light on how the simple act of washing hands could dramatically reduce the rampant spread of bacteria and the unnecessary deaths of many babies. He was resoundingly ridiculed and ostracized. And, he was absolutely right. Semmelweis was open to new information while many of his contemporaries were not. Sadly, he experienced great rejection by the medical community, was committed to an asylum by his colleagues, was reportedly beaten by the guards and met an early death that may have been caused by the beating. Semmelweis never saw the widespread acceptance of handwashing in hospitals, and then its commonplace use in the whole of society, worldwide, forevermore.

An extraordinary reversal; a tragic end.

So goes the willingness to be open to new ideas. It’s sometimes best kept quiet, if you want to live a long and unbothered life. On the flip side, maybe you’re one of the rare breed who’s eager for a battle. Or you have money and the clout to boot, and you don’t give a rat’s ass what people think of you. Elon Musk is a great example of this. He’s open to new information, at least in terms of technology. He’s a hero to millions. And he’s gained wide acceptance of his novel and far-reaching ideas. And – big one coming here – he’s become rich to an ungodly degree.

Musk is 52 so he’s already outlived Semmelweis by five years. I have no information on his handwashing regimen. In contrasting the two, one thing is clear: during the COVID pandemic, Musk’s creations couldn’t hold a candle to Semmelweis’ discovery. Go ask any surgeon who drives a Tesla. Clean hands beats electric propulsion, hands down. No opinion or revelation changes this notion. Although, knowing of Musk, he may unearth some way of dissolving bacteria without the need for repeated handwashing. Now that would be new information that no one saw coming.