Today, let us reflect on Col. Rick Rescorla, the man who saw it coming TWICE, and then sacrificed his life saving over 2,700 lives on September 11, 2001:
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I cannot but pause and show a video still of the Col on that fateful day as he rallied his people, bullhorn in hand:
It is easy to be wise after the fact, but so hard to have foresight and persistence in the face of inevitable misunderstanding and skepticism from those who don’t see things that way — and who will too often blindly oppose and frustrate. So, it is important to learn from case studies of insight and foresight, lest we fall to the mad march of folly over and over again.
(Cf. here for my 10th anniversary reflection on Rescorla, and here for my reflection on the Ac 27 paradigm on the march of folly in democracies. The collapse and conflict of civilisations analysis here, may be of use also.)
Let us remember and salute genuine heroes.
Let us remember, and let us learn. END