Dead Alive Gone

Horizontal Meditations::
Do we control people or conditions?
Monday 9 Feb 2026 2214hrs
TMNT - Tomorrow Means Nothing Tonight.

Another one of Owen’s journeys on his intellectual plane…damn thing is still flying after 30 years like a DC-10 that just refuses to break!
Machiavellian principles for 2026 - who would have thought that ideas over 500 years old would reach their long cold fingers into my soul to prompt reflections and actions about healthcare?
This commentary is inspired by Robert Greene’s book The 48 Laws of Power (over 27 years since publication) and The Prince by Nicollo Machiavelli.
Highest Goal - Strategic Neutrality and Never Outshine the Master.

Ever had that new job feeling and wondered if the senior management shouldn’t even be in charge of a toothbrush let alone humans and fair payroll?
Being formidable and weaponising silence and strategic incompetence become key thought anchors for action from today. 

Most people are now dopamine addicts seeking likes, praise, emojis and other social stroking inputs from digital media. What is silence and loneliness are tactical positions? Undergoing a validation detox where you sit in the void forces you to be the audience of one. This pivot point, or strategic neutrality, highlights how many events in your life were decisions by committee….
Get married.
Buy a dog.
Get a mortgage.
New car.
Have a child.
Watch Downton Abbey.
The point is this - when you shun mediocrity, small talk, SoMe and all the other rage outlets available -  you demonetise yourself. 
When you stop being convenient and transactional - people leave.  Loneliness without purpose is just sitting in the dark talking to the fridge. But solitude is avoidance of noise and pursuance of your new purpose. Rejection reveals but it need not be punitive.
Once strategic incompetence and silence have been weaponised, you’re now observing and not reacting. Anger can be helpful but it does show a lack of emotional restraint in the workplace. 
Top echelon target;
Quiet Authority:
Explanations are for those people still seeking permissions and validation.
Moods are short term behaviours - like attending the gym on Jan 1st to the 3rd! 
Discipline?……that’s jumping rope in the snow February 2nd like you have for the last 5 weeks!
So take home message -
Are we trying to control people or control conditions?
If you feel like you are herding cats and nothing in your life is consistent - ask yourself a better question….

What will a tin of tuna achieve faster than chasing the felines around the house?
Find Your Tin ™️