Your thoughts are the exact reason that I wrote this post. I agree with you 100%. Both men are relying on other folks for their information, but we all have to do that in some ways, don’t we??

As I read this I had a couple of strong visual and audio impressions flash through my head:

Audio – a version of Bob Dylan’s ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’, sung by James Taylor, Carly Simon & Graham Nash on the live ‘No Nukes’ album from the late ’70s. I had to do a little research to get all of the details back, and yes, I know I’m dating myself here, but that was a favorite album of mine when I was in college. I haven’t thought of that in years, I’ll have to see if I still have the old vinyl packed away.

Visual – television shots of the Berlin wall coming down. I remember coming home from a 31st birthday celebration and turning on the TV to see this unbelievable event, happening live in front of my eyes. One of the few historical dates I can actually remember.

More revolution than evolution, I believe that what is happening now in New Media will be no less dramatic than what happened here in the states in the 60’s and what happened in Berlin 20 or so years later. We are standing on the crest of a tidal wave of change, and most businesses are having real difficulty finding a surfboard.

Your examples are mind-boggling, not because people hold those opinions, but because of who they are. You expect this from people that believe they have little control over their futures. But these two? Both obvious intelligent professionals, you would think that they would embrace the challenges associated with change. A doctor, who should never want to stop learning, in all aspects of life. And a CEO, I find myself wondering how much longer before he needs to find another way to make a living.

A wall? Yes, I guess so. But I haven’t seen one yet that has been able to withstand the test of time.