Cautions in Qualifying

'Best and Brightest'

          Organizing human society has its advantages, but finding suitable leadership has always been difficult.  At times, various arbitrary standards have been used as 'proof' of leadership qualities.  History carries certain reminders, however, that labelling the 'best and brightest' is not an easy task.

1. Expensive Education

          Formal education is commonly seen as a road to 'success'.  In fact, an expensive education is thought to be an even 'better' idea.  At the turn of the 20th century, there were expensive engineering schools which still exist today.  No doubt the graduates were talented enough to build roads, bridges, railways and other structures meant to improve commerce.  Strangely enough, an expensive education did not develop or make improvements on the airplane.

          Reliable biography shows that Orville and Wilbur Wright both attended high school, but neither man received a diploma.  This situation would have been caused by family and economic conditions of the period, but it means that neither brother had an advanced education.  Despite all that, the airplane was developed by two industrious fellows who were running a bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio.  By common standards, then and now, the Wright brothers had too little education and were not experienced or qualified enough to invent the airplane.

          A detailed look reveals that education has a history of ignoring and stifling creative thought.  Even an expensive education does not resolve this.  Creative thought expands human knowledge, while most formal education is simply teaching by rote.  If it's really needed, finding the 'best and brightest' using education alone is not a worthwhile idea.

2. Dictator Decision

          Across time, humanity has watched rulers make choices for the people.  Admitting to errors in these choices was almost never done by the leaders, but the events can be studied in a free society.  One mistake in particular, made by Adolf Hitler for Nazi Germany, is rarely mentioned.

          After being elected under the constitution of the Weimar Republic, Mr. Hitler decided it was his place to make choices for everyone.  These various choices made many people feel the need to leave Germany.  Among those who came to the USA were four gentlemen, an Italian and three Hungarians.  In general, these men are known as the brains behind the atomic bomb, which America used against the Japanese to bring an end to a very violent defensive war.

          It's commonly known that these men came to the USA, but the alternative is hardly mentioned.  Mr. Hitler was so deluded by 'power' that his standard for the 'best and brightest' was simply a personal whim.  Had his standard been somewhat different, these four scientists might have stayed and aided the German war effort.  Instead, with his ironic plan to create a 'super race' of people, Mr. Hitler chased away the brainpower which could have helped him win the war.

3. Royal Decree

          Royalty and dictators have a lot in common.  Royalty went the extra step, however, by deciding that only royalty should be the 'best and brightest' of the people.  Taking a closer look at those years, the waste of resources caused by this decision becomes more obvious.

          Most of the royalty, which had dominated Europe, disappeared by the early 20th century.  Any royalty which still exists is mostly traditional and does not actually 'rule' over the people anymore.  This change began in the late 18th century, when British colonists in America decided that royal government was too oppressive for the people.

          The solution in America was to create a new government that was not ruled by a king.  This process opened the door for many new human relations.  As the decades passed, other people came to America, most of them hoping to escape royal oppression in other parts of Europe.

          Most of those who journeyed to the USA were considered the poor and downtrodden.  While royalty stayed in Europe, still convinced it was the 'best and brightest', the people escaping royal oppression flourished in America.  It was the many talents and abilities of the poor and downtrodden which built the new nation.  Since the mid-20th century, the USA has been the major influence in world affairs.  As the story still stands, royalty is no longer here to explain why oppressed people were better able to handle the challenge of modern times.

          In a free society, steering the search for leadership away from self-promotion is sound advice.  People who openly label themselves and others as the 'best and brightest' are probably looking after their own interests.  Certain people may be more qualified for certain positions, but those individuals would not always come from the same source.  In the search for leadership, it may be more effective to find the people who get the job done, but also allow the result of the work to speak for itself.