The protagonist’s eccentricity is understood by Gestalt theory
Dr. Ben Richards’ psychological trauma of not being able to make his voice heard to save his mother’s death is what made BR driven as an individual to pursue his ideas and for his ideas to be heard.
What he perceives of himself is too self critical and that he has lack of belief that his ideas will be heard in fear of not being heard like his voice wasn’t heard in trying to save his mother’s life. This is not true of course as what he perceives of himself is very different from what others perceive of him and his ideas, as people believe in his ideas, which is why people want his ideas. He does not have to be vocal to be a great leader, his true character is a leader of ideas and research not being a vocal leader. He realises that he has to be himself a natural leader in ideas and research to become more confident in delivering his ideas and believing that they will happen by leading with more creativity, research and innovation, rather than just being vocal with initiatives and policies of his ideas.
We don’t just see the world, we actively interpret what we see, depending on what we are expecting to see. How many times do we see things in the wrong perspective? Or hear things from the wrong perspective?
Richards’ mother did not hear him shout to warn her because of the sound of the waves were so loud behind her, as the Tsunami crept up behind her. She also thought he was waving at her not calling her in from the sea. Making him misunderstand what he could see and hear at the time of his mother’s death was different from what his mother would have seen and heard. Signifying that the different people and things that create a whole event are subjected to different senses around them and different interpretations.
We do not see the world as it is. We see it as we are.
Richards’ only seen and heard some parts of the scene from his point of view, not his mother’s. He was unable to see and hear the whole event from different view points.
The whole event unfortunately was to be a circumstantial tragedy no one could prevent, as a natural disaster occurs. Some people are saved, some people are not.
The whole’s behaviour of which is not determined by that of their individual elements, but where the parts – processes are themselves determined by the intrinsic nature of the whole.
Richards’ inability for his voice to be heard predetermined his drive for his ideas to be heard. The whole trauma event is what made him want to have his voice heard with his work. Once understanding his trauma and the way it has caused him to crave for his voice to be heard, he recognises that he can gain recognition more successfully through being his natural self by demonstrating his natural leadership to develop research and ideas more so, with the view that substance takes precedence over execution. He wants to be recognised for great ideas not just talking.
“What makes an idea happen? The idea itself? The science? The engineering? The social and environmental impact? The architecture? The economics? No Leadership.
But not just any leadership – leadership with vision.
Key leaders who have been assassinated who have had great vision and influence. Ghandi, Martin Luther King, JFK, Abraham Lincoln.
The villains from the present and future are after Richards for just . But for what? To prevent saving his assassination so that they can continue their nuclear and AI programmes in the future or for his ideas/ intel? If the latter, do you think they can deliver the vision of the future themselves once they capture his ideas for their own use?
Are the false heroes coming from the future are after Richards’ leadership with vision, themselves? Knowing that this is the real secret of making his idea/ intel happen and becoming a success.
Richards realises that to make his ideas happen he has to deliver the vision after overcoming his psychological problems and accepting that he has closure on his mother drowning by talking about it and accepting that these circumstances have been the precursor to his destiny as the visionary leader for saving the planet. Yearning to have a voice to be heard is what spurs him on to preach his own vision and voice to see his own ideas coming to life, is the only way his ideas/ intel can happen to a great success.
If it wasn’t for Richards’ vision of his mother being killed and trying to use his voice to save her, he wouldn’t have become a visionary leader. His striving influence is his main strength that makes his natural talent in ideas happen.
The ambiguity is the visionary leadership not the intel which makes the ideas happen.
Only Richards’ philosophy of ideas and voice can have the influence as it has purpose and passion to be heard driven by his own traumatic experience in the past.
He aspires for his intel to be delivered into a new law – Richards’ Law, which is imitated and rolled out across every town / city on a global scale in the future. The new law creates feasible economics for private investors, combined with fiscal funding from local and national governments for his intel and vision to be deliver community renewable energy micro grids successfully.
