Magnanimity Should Be The Word Of The Day
I recently saw the top photo in my LinkedIn stream. I wanted to share it to the Daily Kos audience as it is important, worthy of recognition and respect. Those involved I would assume to be predominantly Republican with many being Trump voters. They may be “they,” but they are not the enemy. “We” are a mere subset of US.
Now that we’ve mostly won and there’s a path through Georgia in January for total victory, it’s time to re-examine Fulbright on magnanimity.
There should be investigations and prosecutions to be sure, but we’re talking low three figures (administration, enablers, “militia” leaders, and one particular convoy). We shouldn’t be talking ostracizing of mid eight figures.
We can stand firm on policy, position, and values. Yet we can strive to find humility in victory. We should try to understand. Empathy is independent from compromise. Empathy turns the heat off while ostracization keeps the lid on a pressure cooker. This requires listening and learning.
Understanding doesn’t mean yielding. Understanding breeds acceptance. To gain understanding from others, however, requires first trying to understand them. We can’t control, only inspire. Control requires force and force creates reactions. Inspiration can only come from our actions.
Sunday, Nov 8, 2020 · 12:07:38 AM +00:00
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Fffflats
Have a listen
We enter into a covenant that we shall build the society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity - a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.
Or read it here. Mandela understood.
We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world.
Sunday, Nov 8, 2020 · 12:44:33 AM +00:00
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Fffflats
Military campaigns and operations are often planned using phasing. This makes sense as one starts under certain conditions and moves through objectives modifying conditions progressively to an end goal. Unfortunately doctrine has morphed so as to include Phases of War as a concept. This is misguided as it tries to proscribe definition to phasing. Phases should be campaign or operation dependent. Further, Phases of War create confusion as they’re not really phases but rather are conditions. Phasing implies a flow as with the phasing of the moon. Meanwhile the Conditions of War can be occurring in parallel and don’t necessarily flow One through Five. A wrong twist at Four may set you back to Two or Three. You may be in Two and Four simultaneously. “Phase Two” in this consists of “shaping.” This includes efforts to gain knowledge and be appropriately placed to dominate should “Phase 3” occur. “Phase 3” is major combat. “Phase 4” is reconstruction and restoration of peaceable government. Why am I saying this? The election was Condition 3. We’re now at the beginning of Condition 4. The timing of this message is most appropriate. We need to shift mindset and adapt. This means being humble in victory and trying to learn. It means magnanimity. If you don’t feel that way, I understand. I don’t either. But it’s time to fake it till you make it. Otherwise, maintaining a Condition 3 approach will become self fulfilling.
Sunday, Nov 15, 2020 · 10:53:01 PM +00:00
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Fffflats
While this in no way changes the meat of the argument from the previous update, seems my memory failed me as to what are the doctrinally accepted “phases.” Been a while since I dealt in that realm. They are:
0 — Shape
1 — Deter
2 — Seize the Initiative
3 — Dominate
4 — Stabilize
5 — Enable Civil Authority
Saturday, Jan 16, 2021 · 10:08:19 PM +00:00
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Fffflats
I’ve recently discovered 3 Blue 1 Brown who have several excellent mathematical visualizations for easy understanding. They did one for pandemic, which is both of current concern and also emphasizes adapting efforts to changing circumstances just as we should with different conditions or “phases” of war. I’m adding it to all my stories that relate to pandemic though am adding it here as example of adapt your thinking as circumstances change which is in line with the previous updates. In this we could also add Glenn Kirschner who says persons rioting were a weapon in the hand of Trump while also recognizing Bill Maher’s point that 5K rioters equals not 74 million voters.
Monday, Jan 25, 2021 · 7:48:44 AM +00:00
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Fffflats
Previously, I expressed angst with the concept of “phasing” as it applies to war at large.
In The Utility of Force, General Sir Rupert Smith clarifies the confusion. Phasing was designed for the paradigm of “Industrial War” which developed with Napoleon, climaxed in WWII, and died with the Atomic Bomb. Growing in parallel to Industrial War and surviving ever since we’ve had the paradigm of “War Among the People.” Such is amorphous and chaotic such that it doesn’t lend itself to phasing. Industrial war has a flow: peace - crisis - war - resolution. Hence it fits to phasing. Industrial war seeks destruction of capacity or ability. War among the people seeks to win minds. It needs to be coordinated with diplomacy and politics. As many actors have play at multiple levels, it can’t consistently flow. Industrial war is more complicated or compound meaning it still follows deterministic systems (even as it has some complex elements). War among the people is predominantly complex meaning the same input can get vastly varied output.