Influence is Confluence

With access to almost any printed news on the web, it is easy to overlook the traditional papers and magazines to which I subscribe. TIME magazine comes weekly, but it took me a couple of weeks to pick up that ultra-large issue which portrays the top 100 most influential people in the world. I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about almost a lot of things and I recognized 9 of the 15 listed on the cover. Some of the little pictures I also recognized: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Andrew Cuomo and a few others.

I think the list of real influentials could have been narrowed down a lot to maybe 10. Leave off most of the movie stars, singers, sports phenoms. Leave in one or two world leaders who actually run a country or effect policy, and definitely leave in Steven Colbert (he is influential- ask him.)

But then examine the issue further, and notice the real influential “persons” that dominate the pages of magazines, TV, and the world wide web. Use the Supreme Court to get your definition of a person, and then notice the influences. Louis Vuitton, Korean Air, Citi, Hilton,IBM, Progressive (Flo), GlaxoSmithKline, BOSE( I like this product), Fidelity, Geico, Dow (“Solutionism is the new optimism”- say what?), Verizon, and so on. I did notice that Delta has a page, but it is Delta faucets, not the airline.

There is a connection between the actual list of 100 influential people and the influential persons that dominate the in-between pages, and that is billions of dollars. And you have to wonder what would happen if these people and persons really used those billions to be influential in a positive way. I know this is painting with a broad brush, and many of these people and persons do a lot of good.  I know if I took time to read all the encomium heaped upon them by their peers (who authored the short pieces about each of them)  their influence would truly shine forth. It would be great to muster it all together, confluence… what a brilliant light it would be! (Oh! That’s what TIME was trying to do!)

As I continue to look over the list, I see more to it. Confluence is more appropriate. It represents a hagiography of people across cultural lines. They are people to whom we should open up our hearts and minds. If we view the list as the movers and shakers from around the world, those who can do the most good in their respective countries, who can help change the dynamic of living for millions of people, maybe lift up a few of us along the way, then we have read it correctly. The top 100 people of confluence!