Calling the brass of all your military power together to one place and time suggests that you anticipate imminent international crisis or fomenting dissent in your military services enough to threaten mutiny. If it is only a wisp of hubris it may incite antagonists who see an opportunity. If it has a legitimate purpose we should all be terrified. Mr Hegseth must know what are the risks both physical and illusionary. After all, he reports to a Big Boss…
The world is, at present, no place to be tampering with actions that are capable of being misinterpreted. We are having enough problems distinguishing between the real and the AI generated. So much so that imitation is already acknowledged as genuine. We need to be sure that we understand the distinction. Lose it and we will become another species.
Nothing wrong with that, you may think. I agree, provided we are sure we want to. It’s not the change that matters, it is knowing exactly what that change is and who is controlling it. The currency of life is changing. It was, and to a great extent still is, money. It is rapidly becoming power. Not the power of rulers and despots. We have always had that. Now it is the power of the mob. The mob is personified by social media – a potential benefit turned into a rapacious monster.
Social media players do not reason, they fight. Everything that exacerbates that battle is a stab in the back of the international cooperation needed to calm the climate, redesign economic systems, develop a political concept to cope with the speed of quantum and find a purpose for immortality. These are big objectives. We must be big minded to handle them. Trivial tactics will distort them. Serious strategies are required.
‘Boogie’ Barnes wrote a memorable song to attract the Tea Council’s advertising account in 1967. It was called “Imagine a world without tea”. It failed to get the account. The gentlemen of the Tea Council were hoping for more tea, not no tea. In a different context, ‘Boogie’ would have been prescient. Coffee came, liquor came, soft drinks came, Starbucks came. Tea was nearly swamped. Now we realise that we need to relaunch our quiet, sober thinking over a cup of tea. Perhaps at a new chain of outlets – Teatimes?
Light, yes; joke, no. Social media lacks the ability to ‘breathe’ the other person. That is a prerequisite to maintaining the sort of humanity that says “find a way” rather than “f*** you”. As our humanity develops, what is the most precious aspect of us we should strive to maintain? You will have your views. I think that the most valuable aspect of our humanity is that I, and all of us, care about your views. That doesn’t mean agreeing with them.
It doesn’t mean voting for them. It means tolerating them enough to hold rational discussions to share our point of view and borrow yours.
We don’t need all the military on parade to do that.
We need the little grey cells in our minds to sit comfortably and listen.
Patiently.
Good morning
John Bittleston
Your views and straplines welcome as always at [email protected].
29 September 2025
