I Caused the Mess We Are In, and I Can't Fix It

My last professional work experience was in the Enron-age, an era which continued with George W. Bush, and led us to two wars and the collapse of the economy. The zeitgeist of the year 2000 was, if you want to label a Myers Briggs personality type on it, ESTJ or "Guardian". ESTJ-leadership is often defined by extreme confidence plus extreme incompetence, and more about that is written here. "The joke was that when you leave a meeting, everybody is supposed to drink the Kool-Aid." "In the Bush administration, you had to drink the Kool-Aid before you got to go to the meeting."

The era of "The Guardian" felt quite hostile to "The Thinker." Per 67 Nobel Prize winners,"we have lost time critical for the development of new ways to provide energy, treat disease, reverse climate change, strengthen our security, and improve our economy." "The Thinkers" of America hit brick walls. Fortunately, there are future generations of thinkers.

I won't go so far as to claim that leaving my company caused its stock price to stagnate, but government and corporate environments hostile to Thinkers can fairly be blamed for much that ills us. I, for one, gave up trying to influence the corporate leaders of the day. Instead, I joined KALX (the finest radio station in the nation), tried writing, and then somehow got myself married.

On November 4, we moved on from "The Decider" to Barack Obama, an ENFP or "Inspirer". This personality type has its flaws. But, Thinkers, those more interested in possibility than the status quo, are happy for now.

Somewhere along the way, I have moved on as well. More into action. Less into thought. Perhaps, my wife somehow did this to me, or maybe it was the times. I no longer self-test as a "Thinker" and seem to now be a "Scientist". I no longer have the temperament to see the world at the deepest level. If the trend continues, for good or ill, I might even turn into a "Protector".

I miss my old self. I do not miss the Enron Age.