Reflection on Chernobyl

In episode two of Chernobyl, we saw how knowledgable scientists and foreign countries reacted to the event, while many of the institutional politicians in Russia had actively been opposing what the scientists were saying. One of the most impactful moments to me was when news came in that officials weren’t letting children play outside in Frankfurt, and then the camera pans to schoolboys walking across a courtyard with the Chernobyl fire in the background. I share this brief summary as I think it wonderfully illustrates something so many people, companies, and organizations struggle with all the time: self-reflection. In addition, the initial lack of self-reflection on what had happened by the Russian government led to a stubborn nature that caused more harm than was necessary. It’s much harder to recognize one’s own failures than to recognize someone else’s. This is why Germany reacted to the news so much sooner and to such a greater scale upon hearing the news. A little self-reflection and objective view of the situation early on could have saved many lives, resources, and time. This is much easier said than done, however, especially for large companies or organizations where this is no single self, but rather a collection.

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About Elias Little

I'm a sophomore in engineering majoring in Operations Research & Information Engineering. I'm an engineering ambassador, on the hyperloop project team, and a member of Anything Goes – a musical theater group. In my free time, I love learning new things, discovering music, and playing cello and guitar.

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