The Point Of Reversal
Dear Friends and Fellow Futurists:
Two of the principal behavioral characteristics which have guided the course of Human history (albeit haphazardly), and which will undoubtedly play their respective roles in shaping the future, are 1) fear and 2) aggression. By "aggression," I mean the appetite to grow, to own, to control, to dominate, to acquire and to win -- the ultimate manifestation of a need to assert one's own self-worth.
Aggressors conquer while the frightened majority cower and submit. The forces seem opposed, but they are sides of the same coin.
Fear is a demonstrably more powerful motivator than opportunism (or aggression) in the vast majority of people. Fear breeds compromise, complacency and a feudal system of social organization. A world of slaves and masters.
The great curiousity here is the paradoxical point of reversal -- the point where there is so much fear and pent-up frustration, that the dispossessed, the ghetto constituency, and the downtrodden become so numb with pain that it drives them to the point of revolt or rebellion. After all, if you are "tired yet wired" with too much fear, suppression can convert of aggression. The issue is: at what moment will a point of reversal take place in the foreseeable future?
Points of reversal cause rebellions, revolutions, an occasional beheading (Marie Antoinette) and a shift in the balance of power. The eerie sense of "nothing to lose" makes for bold and oftimes violent counteractions.
The article which follows was written for Braintenance, another blog which I contribute to.
My questions to those of you who are truly trend-spotters, behaviorists and dedicated futurists are:
1) How many years are each of the major industrialized nations away from a critical point of reversal, where the populace "rises up" against the status quo?
2) What form will this point of reversal take?
3) What are the metrics associated with the "critical mass" for a point of reversal event? Some of these include the rate of joblessness, the rate of inflation, the loss of confidence in major institutions and leadership, the loss of trust in government, shortages of supplies (fuel, food, etcetera)...
There's much here to think about.
--DC
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Fear versus Positive Motivation - What moves us?
Dear Thinkers, Ponderers and Students of Life:
It is sad, but true. Human beings are much more readily motivated to action by the threat of pain or loss (i.e.,by fear) than by the opportunity to gain, socially, professionally or financially, with some curious high-risk exceptions where it comes to instant gratification. Of course in these latter exceptions, the risk usually involves getting caught (and it is perceived as unlikely) while the reward is pleasure (which is perceived as very likely).
Fear overcomes inertia or creates inertia, while the positive incentive...the opportunity to gain tends to be far less of a driver. Again, there is another exception here where the potential perceived gain is enormous with respect to the amount of risk or work entailed in the process. People tend toward indolence.
Viewing this situation, why do you suppose our minds and our resultant behavior tend to operate in this fashion?
Here are some possibilities:
1. Because we visualize threats more powerfully, and more sensorially;
2. Because we feel that the likelihood of loss is always more probable than the likelihood of gain;
3. Because we are more emotionally invested in maintaining the "status quo" than we are in getting ahead -- we are only motivated when we feel what little we have, or what little we believe that we deserve;
4. Because we perceive that an adversary's ability and willingness to carry out a threat is far greater than our ability and willingness to make something positive happen through our efforts;
5. Because we feel, in the deepest reaches of our subconscious, that we are more deserving of punishment than reward (through feelings of low self-esteem, guilt, and the like) and that it is more likely that harm will come to us than happiness;
6. Because it is, in fact and perception, easier to run away from something than to run toward something;
7. Because we feel that we are weaker than those around us.
I would like to know your thoughts, as would Christine West, a colleague and a featured columnist for The National Networker Newsletter. Please either respond by posting directly to this this article in the "comment" section below, or by writing directly to Christine West, noted expert on facing down and overcoming fear, at info@TheBusinessMD.net . If you write to Christine directly, please write "Braintenance and Fear" in the subject line of your email.
You can visit Christine West's website (a beautifully designed one, too) at http://www.thebusinessmd.net/ .
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
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