Leaders and Brinkmanship
By Shiva
@Shiva49 (26200)
Singapore
April 17, 2018 8:44pm CST
I have been around for nearly seven decades. Though past experiences have been a guide, I am always in for surprises mostly in terms of human behaviour; agreed, our unpredictability may stem from our moods and circumstances. There has never been a dull moment; in fact, I am always jolted out of my complacency whenever I try to stretch my legs.
I have seen many a leader of different hues but I find they create more problems than solve the basic issues that assail the common folks relentlessly. They are more unpredictable than you and me. Is it because they put themselves above the rest? Or, maybe, their decisions are led by greed and ego.
Life has been going on for thousands of years and much before if we take into account our primitive origins. We think life has to go on but then we had only nature to beware of, the unpredictability inherent in it. Now we have our own threatening to use their nuclear arsenal against humanity. It is so difficult to settle issues across the table? Everyone knows there is no enmity among the 99%; in fact, we yearn for acceptance like here.
If only the will of the vast majority really ran! But we are resigned to the accepted reality that we can do only so much; elect those who are thick skinned with nary a thought for the welfare of the ordinary folks. They are more into flexing their muscles – who are their idols? Do they support the endless brinkmanship and the “us and them” division?
Whoever we elect, the boss remains the same! Do you like to think aloud on this issue?
Image: Our Home from Wikimedia Images
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5 responses
@allknowing (130066)
• India
18 Apr 18
With absolute majority India is reeling under pressure from goons that constitute the cabinet.
2 people like this
@Shiva49 (26200)
• Singapore
18 Apr 18
I really wonder whether the majority has ever benefited from the policies that have been followed by the elected leaders in democracies, or rather, the few who control the levers of power benefit more from manipulating the system and those elected are powerless to enforce the rule of law against those who flout them with impunity.
So in effect whoever we elect to power, the boss remains the same - siva
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@allknowing (130066)
• India
18 Apr 18
@Shiva49 If there is strong opposition much can be achieved.
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@Shiva49 (26200)
• Singapore
18 Apr 18
@allknowing Unfortunately democracy throws up politicians, not leaders, and we hope against hope that those elected prove better than the previous but they turn out worse with endless politicking throwing mud at each other.
The only way forward to untie the Gordian knot is for the young to step in and look ahead than behind like the present lot - siva
2 people like this
@innertalks (21021)
• Australia
18 Apr 18
I am not sure that there is much that the common person thinks that they can do. The system seems to prevent change to a great degree.
If we use the game of chess, as an example, many people think that it is "finished" now because of the computer crunching it to nothing. Chess has been largely "played" out then, in this type of thinking.
Some have advocated for changes to the rules.
A past world champion came up with his own version of chess even, as he had given up on the usefulness of playing the game as it was anymore.
Fischer Random Chess, also called Chess960, is a variant of chess, invented by the former world chess champion, Bobby Fischer.
Now, I myself, am a common person, with no influence on anything much at all.
Many years ago, though, I wrote to Bobby Fischer, and I mentioned to him my own version of chess.
My changes were not as radical as his. They just involved changing/enhancing the castling rule to increase the number of moves possible in a game, and so to change all of the remembered variations, and book following of the players, by making this simple change to the rules of chess.
Him, being Bobby Fischer, after reading my letter, he came up with his own idea of course, and surprisingly his new game has been accepted more, than a former World Champion's similar idea to change the rules of chess was, nearly 100 years ago now.
"Capablanca Chess" is a chess variant, invented in the 1920's, by the great former World Chess Champion, Jose Raul Capablanca. It adds two new pieces to the game, and it is played on a 10 x 8 board.
His game was largely ignored by everyone at the time, and since though.
Fischer's variant has not really taken off big time either.
Nobody can change stuff easily then, not even the leaders of the pack. The systems in place have almost a life of their own, it seems.
Photo Credit:
The photo used here comes from the free media site: pixabay.com
Nearly always the pawn wants to wear the King's crown, rather than be who he was created to be!
The leader amongst us now, in our times, are mostly these types of people. Pawn's wrongly promoting themselves to be would-be Kings.
@innertalks (21021)
• Australia
18 Apr 18
@Shiva49 Yes, I didn't think you would mind, being a chess enthusiast yourself. Most chess players were not greedy. Most put the game first, at least that was one good thing about these top players.
Some were gentleman of the game. Some were more competitive, with some even using gamesmanship.
It's the same in any field, including politics. We can have a great mix of personalities in there. Obama's placidness I warmed too, but some thought that he was a bit weak. I only saw strength in his nature though, not weakness.
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@Shiva49 (26200)
• Singapore
18 Apr 18
Thanks Steve for connecting the game of chess to this post.
Hope we can use the computer to fix our issues and take it away from negative human emotions like ego and greed that dictate our destiny now. Human ingenuity is to be preferred but our leaders play politics and into self-preservation.
Those who have a bigger say are threatening all-out destruction and refuse to sit across the table to solve issues based on give-and-take.
Though democracy works alright in developed countries it is being hijacked by few to perpetuate minority rule in most countries - siva
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@Shiva49 (26200)
• Singapore
18 Apr 18
@innertalks I am not good at chess but I have followed the game and the personalities. I can reel out names of dozens of players of chess, even thousands in Tennis, Cricket and Soccer/Football but not from American sports except Basketball - just a few of them.
Who was the greatest sportsman of all time? An unknown name was mentioned - Wayne Gretzky - and I had to search who he was, a Canadian Ice Hockey player!
Kasparov is/was a political activist and was arrested briefly. "On 10 April 2005, Kasparov was in Moscow at a promotional event when he was struck over the head with a chessboard he had just signed. The assailant was reported to have said "I admired you as a chess player, but you gave that up for politics" immediately before the attack. Kasparov has been the subject of a number of other episodes since, including police brutality and alleged harassment from the Russian secret service".
However, most played the game with the chessboard in front of them rather than used to hammer them with as was the case with Kasparov!
I liked Obama for his charisma and down-to-earth approach and Michelle Obama was a class act! siva
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