Politics is a mess.  No doubt about that.

But let's put it into perspective.

The origins of politics are to be found in the early civilizations.  Politics were further developed following the dark ages in Europe, but with mainly social changes.  The essential feature at all times was rule by a King who was divine, or was there by divine right, and who could do no wrong.

This is crazy.  So politics was psychotic. But people accepted it.

Crazy rulers like that still exist.  They operate by whim and their own personal power.  They are surrounded by unproductive people: always secret police and a military.  In the past, there were also More...

You notice something about life, the art of life, something that you think no-one has ever before identified.  But you are usually wrong.  It is very, very difficult to discover something new about human existence.

In the «better Self» work that is my current focus, I surprised myself by recognizing three codes that mankind has developed to provide optimum self and social control.  It was simple, but new for me at least.  One code deals with social existence and controlling our animal instincts, the next deals with living well in accord with what is right for each, and the third is More...

I've been correcting some minor typos today on the Taxonomy's framework for creativity, second section just posted.  I wonder if it will connect with people?  That set off musings…

The blogosphere is full of creativity at present and most of it is about getting ideas.  But ideas are easy.  Even good ideas are rather easy.  All that's required to make an idea good is for someone to call it 'good'.  Or even 'brilliant'.  Or, to be on the cutting edge of language, 'awesome'.

Being in a group is a great way to More...

When the mood of society is bleak, as it is now, Hollywood produces films mirroring that mood.  Hence the seemingly endless flow of black films: zombie and vampire films, horror films, films ending on a note of bleakness, and TV series characterized by fear, distrust, suffering, betrayal and the abuse of power.

There must be something wrong with me because when things are bleak, I prefer to be cheered up. I like to watch films in which good triumphs over evil.  What benefit do I get from a diet of films proving the futility of rationality and common human decency? 

So I've turned in recent months to Jacques Offenbach and been indulging in his operas: taking More...

Google «Leadership» and you get over 500 million hits.  Google «Followership», you get under 500 thousand.  That is a thousand times more articles on leading than on following.  What's more, many of those hits on following are actually about leadership.  On my Twitter feed, I am bombarded by links to advice on being a leader and I have yet to get a single link to help with being a follower.

What is going on here?  Is the ratio in real life a thousand leaders for every single follower?  Or is it the reverse?  All the effort going into being a wonderful leader is rather pointless if you don't have a few followers.  One thousandth of one follower doesn't do much for the ego.  Is leading worth the effort?

What do we make of all this?  More...