I am not a huge fan of TV but recently I've been watching the reality show Top Shot. I confess, I find group dynamics fascinating. So having 16 contestants live together, be divided up into teams, and each individual ultimately hope to win the title proves mesmerizing. Oddly enough, very little of the marksmanship holds my interest. However I think it takes tremendous discipline and skill to stay cool under fire when tough challenges are put before you and to succeed--that impresses the heck out of me.
Secondly, my sister-in-law recommended the young adult series starting with The Hunger Games.
It's a fascinating fictional look at the future, in impoverished post war living conditions of the majority so an elite group can live lavishly, yet wastefully on the labor of these survivors. And yearly, the elite call for 1 boy and 1 girl from each district to come forward to the Hunger Games where they battle to the death on television (for mandatory viewing).
Sound awful? It is surprising this is a book for young adults. However I think there is a powerful message in this series about humanity, leadership, and escaping a dictatorship.
Top Shot and The Hunger Games are predominantly about competition and the end result. Yet somehow the human element creeps in and shows us a side about the courage of individual leaders who sacrifice part of themselves to make life a little more bearable for others. Is that ultimately what leaders do?
I often think about the balance between leaders and people. At what point does the organizational leader press an ideology on the group rather than liberate the people to live with individual free choice? For instance, does everything have to be about winning and competition? Is there any room out there for peaceful coexistence? And here I thought this entertainment stuff was just for fun!
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