Superempowered Individuals…After Dark

November 28th, 2007 by zen

What is needed is leadership at the top level that encourages and channels those values within the American people, instead of leadership that burdens them with fear. True leadership will recognize that strategy is not just wanton destruction-it is also, as John Boyd stated, “a pattern for vitality and growth“. If we recognize this, we can all be “super-empowered individuals” instead of victims huddling in fear of the sound of anything beyond the campfire.”

Page 2 of 2 | Previous page

Posted in 21st century, 4GW, 5GW, A.E., black swans, complex systems, dni, futurism, ideas, john boyd, psychology, risk, strategy, superempowered individuals, terrorism, theory, war | 5 comments

Previous post:
Next post:

  1. A.E.:

    November 28th, 2007 at 7:07 pm

    Much thanks. Love the visual!

  2. zen:

    November 28th, 2007 at 7:23 pm

    " Owwwww-ooooooooo…."

  3. Adrian:

    November 30th, 2007 at 4:44 am

    Why do super-empowered individuals have to be willing to kill lots of people, or even alienated from society?  I could imagine financial attacks that would certainly have a strategic effect on the US, global economy, etc., that wouldn’t physically harm a soul.  Or you could even have benevolent super-empowered individuals.  I interpreted super-empowered very simply – lots of power, outside the structures of the state – what to use that power towards is up to the individual.  Bill Gates is a super-empowered individual in my book.

  4. zen:

    November 30th, 2007 at 5:13 am

    Hi Adrian,

    "I could imagine financial attacks that would certainly have a strategic effect on the US, global economy, etc., that wouldn’t physically harm a soul"

    Agreed. I mentioned it in passing, I imagine derivatives would be a likely instrument.

    "Or you could even have benevolent super-empowered individuals."

    Also true – but I don’t worry about them.  :O)

  5. James:

    December 3rd, 2007 at 6:42 pm

    What is the process for creating benevolent super-empowered individuals?
    It seems that it is much more easy to be a destructive super-empowered individual than a benevolent one.
    In terms of time requirement, did the accumulation of capital to produce a super-empowered Bill Gates take vastly longer than the process to produce a Timothy McVeigh?