I started reading Naked Conversations (by
Robert Scoble and Shel Israel) on the plane the other
day. The authors quoted Arthur Schopenhauer:

“All truth passes through
three stages: First, it is ridiculed; second, it is violently opposed; third it
is accepted as being self-evident.”

Of course there are many
ill-advised attempts at change that have nothing to do with what is right,
beneficial, or true, but let’s ignore them for now. 

The other day we discussed how even though the people
proposing change may be martyred, their ideas are often implemented later.

This quote takes that
observation one step farther.

These changes aren’t just
implemented; they’re often considered “no-brainers” (self-evident) when they
are in place. 

So first the change martyr
is ridiculed, then violently opposed, and finally after they’re gone (or
completely demoralized) the organization not only does what they wanted to do,
but doesn’t understand why it was “such a big deal” in the first place.

Now that’s ironic!