Robert Perrine

My Search

My father was proud our ancestors were among the early Europeans who settled in North America. He was proud our ancestors were among the first settlers to travel from the Atlantic coast into the midlands. He was proud that his family was the first in our genealogy to settle on the western side of North America. Our common mythology is that of a pioneering family.

It took years for me to mentally change my self-perception. It turns out I am not a frontiersman nor a settler. Mentally, I am a prospector. Metaphorically, I go around banging on rocks searching for elusive minerals. My books summarize some of the rocks I found, and the gems I discovered.

I have a vision. I believe the world today is on the edge of a major upheaval. This upheaval will be as profound as the Renaissance. I believe society is evolving to both recognize and embrace diversity.

As a prospector, I searched in a variety of places trying to understand the path forward. I began with places others had already mined (“Mathematical Analysis of the Gospels” and “Mathematical Analysis of the Book of Job”). I checked locations others told me had a vast deposit of gems - such as the inaugural addresses given by US Presidents (“Growth Rings: How We Get Connected”). I ventured to the highest peaks when I examined the acceptance speeches made by winners of the Nobel Peace Prize (“Mathematical Analysis of the Nobel Peace Lectures”). Those excursions were good practice.

I then spent nearly three years traveling - actually, physically traveling by motorcycle - not just a mental exercise like my previous excursions. Out of that three-year study, I found the shape of what is to come is consensus. Consensus is the type of government our descendants will embrace. I then documented that research and my conclusions in “Faith, Gratitude, and Consensus”.

My early prospecting helped me identify where we are. My travel helped me identify where we want to be.

Returning to the earlier metaphor - as a prospector I found traces of gold dust. I also know what the motherlode looks like. What I am searching for now is the path from the dust to the source.

I am checking the rocks, trying to figure out which rocks are on the right path and which rocks point to dead ends. The rocks I am checking are great speeches given by great leaders. The next book in this series is called “Comparing inaugurals from Bush 43, Obama 44, and Trump 45.” I searched there because my American culture tells me those elected US Presidents are supposed to have great vision.

The last book examining great leaders is focused on Vladimir Putin - “Comparing ten of Putin’s speeches.” I searched there because diversity is paramount in gaining perspective. I began the Putin study hoping to find out if Putin has clues about the shape of tomorrow. I think he does. When he speaks internationally, he consistently appeals for unity. He seems to understand that multinational diversity should not be an impediment to the achievement of common goals. He also points to the United Nations as a tool for multinational consensus.

The latest book in this series is the one I consider the most important - Structures for Peace. In this book I examine the types of organizational structures that can promoted peace. Then I delve into a case study to see what happens when we try to apply these to a small consensus based organization.

I plan a few more books in this series. With every book I will be banging on rocks, checking for gems, and trying to find the path to the motherlode. What I hope to then do is describe the path so others can begin breaking the trail. Someday, others will build highways - by highways I mean effective educational techniques. That is when our society will transform. It will transform when our educational techniques effectively and reliably lead people to the social maturity required to value diversity and utilize consensus.