New Power 

On the screen is a larger than life size closeup of Harvey Weinstein’s face, and right alongside it is a huge picture of a #MeToo really. That's how Jeremy Heimans opened his talk at the conference I attended for work this week.  

He explained that old power - vertical, concentrated, opaque, in the hands of a few, defined by currency ”jelously guarded”, based on competition - is now in tension with new power - lateral, not always with a clearly defined leader, a current and not a currency, defined more by collaboration than competicure. Old power was the reason why Weinstein could get away with what he did for so many years. New power was the reason he was able to be stopped. 

New power vs old power is a tension I've definitely felt. It stifles me. It's why I haven’t written posts in a few weeks I suppose as all of us grappled with the ugliness of these two powers facing each other, again. 

The conference I attended had 3,000 people there; the product that hosts the conference is making approximately $3,000,000 from the conference. It's a product for nonprofits. 

Heimens is careful not to judge old power as worse than new power, but it's hard not to feel like old power is negative. He cites that a surgery is a great example of old power that you wouldn't want, say, crowdsourced. But certainly the healthcare system as a whole is old power that is being rughtfully challenged by new power. Heimens offers models of successful ”castles”, businesses that operate with old power but are successful at engaging broadly. Apple is the prime example. Magical products designed in secret and handed down to the masses. (The product at this conference is a castle. It is a good product, but just like Apple, its expensive.) 

There are a rich number of examples where he outlines how everything from ISIS to Apple to Airbnb to Occupy utilize new power for good or evil. 

I'm only halfway through this book, and I recommend it for a fresh perspective. I also appreciate that Heimens is, himself, a disrupter. He has and continues to use new power for good. He's not the only author of the book. Henry Timms (creator of GivingTuesday) co-wrote the book.   

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Conversation: 

3.5 year old: ”Owls are nocturnal, right?” 

43 year olI: ”Correct.” 

3.5 year old: ”That means they sleep during the day. Are cats nocturnal?” 

43 year old: ”Yes, mostly, I think. Well, sort of. I'm not sure.* You know what is nocturnal? Bats!” 

3.5 year old: ”Fruit bats? ... Do kitty kats eat watermelon?” 

43 year old: ”No.” 

3.5 year old: ”What about Fruit Cats!” 

YES! 

* cats are actually crepuscular, having both daytime and nighttime activities.  

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Where will we be when I'm 83 and he's 43?

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