The race will go to the swift, the smart, and the agile. Here, we Americans have an important edge, for the capacity to leave the past behind flows from our culture and political system. We venerate new frontiers and diversity, the expression of ideas, and the freedom to differ. We, as a people, are the swift, the smart, and the agile. As such, we are far more willing and able than any others to seize the opportunities of the new age.
Interesting article. It’s worth remembering the ‘status quo’ officer cadre had (and have) every reason to be skeptical and even resistant to radical change or todays latest theory. One doesn’t toss off decades or centuries of accumulated experience without a compelling reason. Faddish ideas move through every profession.
That being said, there’s often something useful to be gained from the new ideas and (possibly) extracting from them key concepts and incorporating them into your existing paradigm. I tend to believe evolution is better than revolution. There’s simply too much at stake.
Still, I admire and see a crucial need for people who consider how we might accomplish a task in wholely new and possibly much more effective way. But those ideas need to be tested and the results objectively measured.
…for the capacity to leave the past behind flows from our culture and political system.
Hmmm… What about Vietnam and election 2000? Seems to me there are more than a few Americans stuck in the past.