Saturday, October 24, 2020

Leadership

I've been thinking about yesterday's post-apocalyptic post a lot since I clicked "Publish."  I think I may have been a bit too offhand.  It's not a joke.

For all that thought, I don't actually have a lot to say.  Years ago, my son gave me a copy of Malcom Gladwell's "The Tipping Point."  It's stuck with me, on a number of levels.  I've had a career as a social scientist, and I'm very interested in learning about the behavior of groups of human beings.  

And I don't see any reason why, after the entire world spends a whole year or more in fear and isolation, emerges from it broke and destitute, the whole world wouldn't want some justice.  Things get worse and worse, and then someone - or many someones - with the right combination of characteristics show up at the right moment - and the point tips.

If this is the direction we are going to go in, then leadership is more important in 2020 than it has been, perhaps, in the entire history of human civilization.  With good leadership, the virus can be contained and vaccinations facilitated.  With good leadership, this still-wealthy world can stretch itself to provide everyone with what they need until most of us are back on our feet.  Without good leadership... 

It's anybody's guess.

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