By "losers" what does one mean? People that can't or don't keep up with the rest of the "winners"? People that are NOT moving in the same direction as society or civilization in general?
Given the state of civilization, I suggest that the "losers" are actually often the only winners out there.
The flaw in de Posada's argument at TED, that discipline is the secret to success, is that this is also the recipe for being a good employee or good slave. In other words, follow the rules that OTHERS make and you will fit in as a good little planetary slave. "Don't eat the marshmallow and I will bring you another one in 15 minutes" is similar to "pay into your social security account for 40 years and at the end I will give you benefits for the rest of your life." Spend money on your date and you will get laid at the end of the night. It's a "sure thing" if you are disciplined enough to follow rules.
Obviously the person who is "disciplined" enough to follow OTHER'S rules (society or religion's laws) is not always the winner. Often the winners are the ones that break or bend the rules. But the "winners" who have made it to the "top" have become adept at making sure few, if any, others make it up the mountain after them. Once Rockefeller made it to the top, he bought up all his competition, ran everyone else out of business and made sure the Rockefeller Group purchased a dominating or controlling interest in almost every American corporation to this day. See WORLD WITHOUT CANCER for the full details.
Also, those that try to make it to the "top" are often labeled "criminals" even if they do the same things that the winners did to gain THEIR success. So the game on Earth is played by being a NON-conformist, BUT avoiding the ever-increasing network of mine-fields endlessly set by governments and their agents (police, lawyers, congressmen and computer programmers).
Of course, the mine-fields (i.e., laws and regulations) endlessly increase until a critical mass of "losers" goes berserk and slaughters the "winners" in the plutocracy. Then the game starts over.
The problem is this time the Empire is trying to build their fortress and defenses so strong that any loser "terrorist" that desires to re-set the game will have to use such over-whelming rogue technology that they will not only destroy the Empire, but the entire planet AND themselves.
Thus, we are forced to look for new ways because mutually assured destruction is now possible, not only between two superpower-nations, but between a superpower nation and a small group of "losers."
Military power built on technology is now obsolete.
The only way the human race can continue is to solve its problems is by using communication, understanding, affinity, tolerance and yes, SELF-discipline, not OTHER-discipline. Force will no longer do, and those that finance, build, promote or use weapons or force are spelling your doom -- so get them, and their memes, off the line fast, otherwise it's YOU that will be the loser.
30 May 2009
