Moments of conscious clarity strike like lightning at midnight. A flash turns night into day. In a moment, you see where you are and where you are going but still spend most of the night in the dark. Why does this have to be the nature of everyday consciousness? Your brain is a muscle. You can exercise your mental muscles to see in the dark, to see the invisible forces shaping our world.
In 2014, the ground shook in Virginia. At that time, a Virginia Congressman was literally on top of the world. He was the second-most powerful Republican in the United States House of Representatives and was slated to become the Speaker of the House. As a seven-term incumbent, Eric Cantor made history by, out of the blue, becoming the first House majority leader to suffer a primary defeat. His opponent spent 1/40th of the money and had a novice campaign manager.
Should Cantor and his staff and advisors seen this coming? Yes, if he was more conscious of his environment and seen the proverbial “handwriting on the wall.” Ridding ourselves of our illusions and delusions is the only way to see clearly. A leader’s job is to drive with headlights on in the dark, to anticipate the future, not cling to past accomplishments or old models of how the world works.