Issue 156
Sometimes older, wiser and more mature people encourage caution in their younger, less experienced and more headstrong colleagues by advising them not to ‘rock the boat’. The boat in question may be a team dynamic, a working practice or company policy. It may be an established culture in a profession or a tradition in a trade. Honed over many years, these cultures or traditions have a value of their own and seem to work on a pragmatic basis. There is a great logic to this idea that if you rock such a practice you run the risk of destabilising an important component in a working company.
To be fair, before we examine this phrase, it is worth recognising that there is also a school of thought which encourages challenge, innovation, change and creative thinking. In this context, such behaviours would not necessarily be described as rocking the boat, but admired as tools in progress.
The possibility arises that in advising not to ‘rock the boat’ there may be a vested interest that will be upset and it is not just about the fear of changing outdated methods. Here the debate may refer to rights and wrongs and ethics.
It is at this point that the phrase may become invalid. There are important times in our lives when we encounter something which is simply not right. It may be a dishonest working practice. It may be legal but not moral. It may be that adhering to such a policy creates great harm or suffering for others further down the supply chain, or results in unjust environments within which people work. It may be that someone is being manipulated, bullied or intimidated and you can see the unfairness of the circumstances.
It is at this point that you face the choice: to rock or not to rock. If you want a quiet life and no conflict, an easier ride and no bumps or a more certain future as opposed to a scary time, you will not rock. But there are times when God calls us to conflict, bumps and scary times because it is right to act.
You are in good company. Shaftesbury rocked the boat of child exploitation, Wilberforce of slavery and other Christians have followed their example in much lower profile situations. You are in historic company. According to the writer of the Hebrews, you are surrounded by a large number of those who have rocked the boat in the past, often at great cost to themselves. This should motivate us to take our stand. Jesus Himself rocked many boats: political, social, moral and religious to shake people out of their complacency. The older, wiser, mature people do have a point: sometimes we should not rock the boat because it would cause unnecessary hurt. Always we should choose carefully which boats to rock but if you find yourself knowing that at some point you must rock the boat, remember that Jesus specialised in surprises for people in stormy waters, who found that when things got difficult, storms got calmed and some people also found themselves walking on water.
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Work well
Geoff Shattock
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