Mum’s The Word

Posted on | July 20, 2009 | Comments

While the brouhaha over Social Media, Knowledge Sharing, Open Forums etcetera-etcetera-etcetera continues, the perfect antithesis of all this not only lives, but also flourishes and thrives.

Once upon a time, in far-far-away land, possibly centuries back, someone declared ‘Knowledge is Power’.

Someone else took the words too seriously.

The result?

Mum’s Law of Suppression

“Most humans will succumb to their chronic urge to refrain from sharing even the most useful information with others until compelled by an external impressed force, tantamount to pain of death, to act otherwise.”

Look around.

People often find a huge sense of power in withholding information that could help many if shared.

The same information, when contained, offers nothing tangible to the suppressor.

Yes, the same can be said of companies, organizations. But then companies and organizations are nothing but a collection of people.

So back to people it is.

I am sure we have all encountered and continue to encounter such people in our day-to-day life.

The finance person who WON’T tell you that you can save tax by shifting one part of your salary from one head to another.
(No, he does not freelance for the IT Department)

The HR person who does NOT consider it important enough to tell you that you can claim cab fare after certain hours of late work.
(As if he/she co-owns the bus you take)

The fellow in the elevator who can see your fly is open, but WON’T tell you.
(WTF. I mean WTF mate, what do YOU gain here??)

The chap across the counter who CAN tell you that you filled the form wrongly, but would RATHER let you discover it when the it comes back to you after a month.

A closer look will reveal this:

Corollary to Mum’s Law

“The triviality of the information suppressed as per Mum’s Law is directly proportional to the satisfaction derived by the suppressor.”

Seriously. Be it in office or outside, the glee that people experience by NOT sharing what they know increases with the utter silliness of what they know.

Tell me. What will the accountant gain by NOT telling you that your claim is lying approved on his desk since 10 days.

I mean WTF – he doesn’t get to take it home.

Closer home, in Advertising, creative people have historically failed to fathom what servicing people gain by NOT telling them that the pitch got postponed by two days.

It’s Mum’s Law. And it rules.

Interestingly, during my research, I made another observation.

Exception to Mum’s Law

“If at any point, under any circumstance, Mum’s Law faces that unique a situation where it can actually be useful, the Law will, of its own accord, CEASE to work.”

Yes. When encountered with totally trash information, the law stops working.
Precisely at the point where it can, for ONCE, be useful.

I am sure you will recognize some of these information forms.

• I-know-what-those-two-were-up-to-in-the-conference-room.

• I-know-what-his-CTC-really-is.

• I-know-why-he-actually-quit-his-last-job.

• I-know-exactly-why-she-hired-him.

When faced with such knowledge, Mum’s Law instantly ceases to work

Possibly because this knowledge will NOT, in any form, help any one.
Which in some way, goes back to reaffirm the ‘triviality’ clause of Mum’s Law.

Mum’s Law is a chronic disease that afflicts many individuals.
Evidence can be easily found in corporate and non-corporate environments.
I have collected some examples.
Feel free to add to the list, from your experience.

If any of it seems useful, I will not tell anyone.

I promise.