When an extraterrestrial from an advanced planet arrives on Earth, he discovers a world with uncontrolled flows of wealth and communication, yet also a world containing weapons of mass destruction. Using pivotal insight, this alien narrator describes how our world must change if it's ever to survive. Calling for a grand enterprise of change regarding how freedom, privacy, class warfare, and socioeconomics can be redefined and promulgated, the illuminating musings of "Weapons of Mass Survival" will point us toward stability and harmony.
"Weapons of Mass Survival" is a serious portrayal of the existential challenges our world faces as viewed by an insightful and concerned extraterrestrial. With national borders becoming more and more porous, respect and control of leaders becoming more diluted by the day, and technology suddenly offering everyone powerful weapons, information, and unprecedented access to wealth and social networks, a metamorphosis of socioeconomic, political, and cultural aspects is becoming increasingly inevitable. With the world as we know it edging toward the brink of destruction, this enlightening book broaches these difficult challenges with viable and effective responses using enterprise development systems and management perspectives.
Using a bemused extraterrestrial to add a whimsical aura to a quite serious topic, "Weapons of Mass Survival" uniquely approaches its heavy subject matter with ease. An insightful and introspective experience, this excellent book also shows us that systems and management tools can serve as an antidote to myopia.
"A very decent alien from an advanced culture is stranded on Earth. In this captivating story, our alien applies his more advanced system expertise in contemplating Earth's society as he, in turn, becomes humanized. Our nation would be well served if its leaders, having read this book, would apply its broad system perspectives to our difficult social and economic issues. Lebell is eminently qualified to emulate the alien. His experience as a systems engineer contributing to important domestic defense programs has been substantially broadened by application to international social and economic issues, resulting in this excellent new novel."
Don Hicks, PhD
Former Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
"Don Lebell is a true rocket scientist, so when his protagonist from another planet in "Weapons of Mass Survival" asks an earthling about systems, he gets an authentic perspective. What would happen if a being with a celestial perspective took a good look at the mess humans have made of their home planet? Here's an interesting answer."
John Aseltine, PhD
Professor of Engineering, UCLA (retired)
"This interesting new book has some very insightful, provocative and sometimes irritating ideas. The format is imaginative: a spaceship strands an extraterrestrial on Earth. He manages to report his impressions and evolving adventures to his home base. From interviews and role-playing with professors, students and entrepreneurs, he quickly concludes how precarious the planet is; he wants to go home but then wants to stay and help explain what is necessary for a planet's survival once weapons of mass destruction and communication networks abound. His system constructs help his (and readers') understanding and ways to assess complex issues. He doesn't give much credit to manufacturing as a solution to unemployment or religion as helpful to societal problems, but he does recognize technology development and education of voters and shoppers as crucial. Enough It's a clever springboard for the author's ideas and efforts to needle the reader into taking a fresh look. It's worth reading."
Allen Rosenstein, PhD
CEO, Pioneer Magnetics Corporation