Sunday, August 17, 2008

National Politicians: How to Cope With and Prevail Over Them

"Don't believe them, don't fear them, don't ask anything of them."

That's the saying that the recently deceased Alexander Solzhenitsyn (who in 1970 won the Nobel Prize for literature) developed and used to survive and beat the GULAG and, ultimately, the Soviet Union itself. In more detail, his prescription for surviving and prevailing involves:

* Not paying any attention to national politicians as they are colossal distractions encouraged by attention,

* Staying focused, and

* Not even making fun of them (tempting as it is to do so -- and even though K.R. can't resist this temptation)) because ignoring them will made them fade from the scene even faster.

This is a time-tested, time and energy saving approach to national politics that is guaranteed to work in and for any collapsing superpower . . . and all such powers do eventually collapse.

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