Today's Conquistadors
It's a changed world, but people are pretty much the same.
Today’s Conquistadors--
Once upon a time there were conquistadors. They conquered people, civilizations, and brought them within the realm of Spain. In similar scenarios France, England, Portugal, Russia, Ancient Rome, the Mongols, Turks, Myans and a number of other empires formed and controlled vast areas of lands and peoples.
The empires of earlier times were different from today. With no communications except for runners, with no transportation for troops except for walking and, sometimes, sailing ships, conquering armies were pretty much on their own. They operated largely independently of any central command or control. They lived off whatever land they were conquering. Sending significant supplies to them from their homeland was out of the question.
Who would lead such forces? Not just anyone, clearly. Such commanders would have to have an adventuresome spirit, the willingness to take risks, the ability to command respect and maintain control of the troops. The commanders were essentially their own traveling, autonomous government. We know some names; Attila the Hun, Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Muhammad, Hannibal, Cortes, etc. Generally, they all relied on some superior technology, horses, cannon, bow and arrow, etc, that gave them an edge that allowed for them to conquer other peoples.
That was then, this is now. The world is less mysterious. There are no far-off lands. Any of us can get on a plane and be nearly anywhere in the world within twenty-four hours. Goods are shipped from everywhere to everywhere. And the age of empire is essentially over. There are still some conquistador types in some parts of the world, but conquering is a dying skill.
Then again, it depends on how you look at it. No, the horse will no longer win battles. Everybody has cannons, although not in equal numbers and capability. What’s an adventuresome, risk seeking, natural born leader to do, in this day and age? What is there for them to conquer? You guessed it, technology. Conquerors of the recent past have had names such as Ford, Edison, Jobs, Gates, Musk, etc. They have swept across the lands, not on fast horses, but on even faster technology. Every one of these modern day conquerors were/are natural leaders, risk takers, and extremely clever adventurers. But they conquer, not lands, but economies. In a sense, lands and economies are interchangeable. Nobody, then or now, conquers a people just so they can rule them. They conquer people for financial benefit.
And those conquered people, truth be told, often themselves benefit. It’s much easier to be a successful conqueror, if the conquerees sense a benefit from the rule by their conqueror. They are less likely to rebel, and might appreciate a sense of security from being ruled by a strong, well-run organization. So, yes, we still have conquerors, but they eschew conquering lands, and go straight for the economies. Once upon a time, great military leaders were among the most respected. Governments were generally run by the military leaders. After all, who was going to stop them from controlling government? Perhaps you see where I’m going. Today, military leaders are largely on the back burner. The people who control government are the technocrats, and the technocrats are controlled by the leaders of technology, some of which I’ve previously mentioned. They control much of the money, most of the information, and have the requisite organizing skill to maintain their control. If, then or now, you ever thought that politicians and administrators ran governments, you were wrong. Today it is increasingly difficult to find the separation between where technology ends and government begins.
I’ve just had an amusing thought: In Don Quixote, the aging, obsolete soldier tries to imagine his continued relevance by attacking a windmill. Today, the new soldiers are building windmills. And, near as I can tell, they are doing it, not to save the planet, any more than Don Quixote tilted at windmills to save Dulcinea. As with Don Quixote, they are doing it to convince themselves that they are relevant.
But of course, they are relevant. They are among the most relevant. The world we have become accustomed to couldn’t exist without them. I have no idea why they feel the need to throw money and resources in such an ill-conceived and poorly executed manner. Perhaps they feel a need to be worshipped for ‘saving the planet’. Maybe that’s why they push AI, which clearly is not ready for prime time. And AI is known to be a huge electrical drain, even as its promotors induce panic over the alleged need to reduce electric consumption.
Old soldiers never die, they say; they fade away. What a way to go! Could Ceaser, Hannibal, et al ever have been content to rest on their laurels and do nothing? I have my doubts. What will today’s conquerors do, as time goes by? Build more windmills? And then tear them down as they prove to not be worth the trouble? Create ever more omnipresent software to muddle our minds and keep us compliant and comfortable? Who knows? They don’t even know. Maybe it’s time for us regular folks to do the thinking and planning.
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