context. First, it is only valid as of the time of the snapshot. What existed at the moment of the snapshot is now different and will be different again at every moment going forward. Second, the snapshot only captures a limited range of reality at the time of the snapshot, and its value is maximized only where we can understand it in the context of everything outside of its range. While I may try hard to document the reality outside of the snapshot, it is impossible for me to really know everything that existed outside the range.
Let’s say I head up a U.S. car manufacturer. You tell me you surveyed all car owners in the country for their preferences, and found the overwhelming majority loves hybrid vehicles and would like to buy one. Well, the data was good at the time the survey was conducted, but it is now stale. Maybe demand for hybrids has gone up, and maybe it has gone down, but it is certainly not identical to what it was at the time of the survey. Moreover, an infinite number of outside conditions might have had an effect on the survey, such as the price of oil, the threat of war in the Middle East, consumer confidence, household savings rates, fashion trends, superior technologies under development, and the phrasing of the survey questions. In reality, the “facts” that seem to indicate a strong demand for hybrids may be illusory in this moment.
Nevertheless, many of us are addicted to facts. We fill up our left brains with them and crowd out the ability of our right brains to exercise some influence on what we believe and how we behave.
The Mega-Sized Organization
Two hundred years ago, outside of military forces, organized religion, and political or governmental