Channon, whose work with the U.S. military was featured in the book "The Men Who Stare at Goats," and served as the basis for a character in the film of the same name, died Sept. 10 at his ecohomestead in Hawi. He was 77.
[...] In 1979, Channon returned from a two-year research trip, presenting Pentagon leaders with the "First Earth Battalion Operations Manual," according to a report from The Boston Globe.
The book, a copy of which can be found at Channon's online archive, is the man's vision for "warrior monks" in the U.S. Army.
"The First Earth wants the action orientation of the warrior, but tempered with the patience and sensitivity and ethics of the monk," reads a page from the manual. "These are the soldiers who have the power to make paradise. Why go for anything less?"
Channon later pivoted to consulting work for corporations, becoming the first "corporate shaman," consulting with the likes of AT&T, Du Pont and Whirlpool, according to an article published in Fortune.
"I think for him it was the collision of the two worlds," Dee said of the corporate shaman moniker. "You know, very straight, stiff corporate guys. And here's this wild medicine man talking to them not just about numbers and spreadsheets but also heart and soul and vision and corporate values and just kind of turning up the color on that part of their work."
Parker Channon said he believes his father's attitude and clear position as an intelligent, curious explorer got people to give him their attention.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 19 2017, @04:14PM (2 children)
Corporate executives are sociopaths who think they occupy an important place in the Universe; this guy played them like a fiddle.
(Score: 3, Touché) by leftover on Tuesday September 19 2017, @06:04PM
Nailed it in first post.
Bent, folded, spindled, and mutilated.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 19 2017, @06:44PM
But people line up to worship at the altar of God King Jobs
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 19 2017, @04:17PM (2 children)
Sounds to me like this guy was a corporate tool. He starts out as some kind of ideologue, corporations listen, and decide to use the damned fool to further their own agendas.
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Tuesday September 19 2017, @04:27PM (1 child)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ3k2xA1Wcw [youtube.com]
Corporate Shaman? Where CEOs learn to "shoot 'em ... politely"
(Score: 2) by Geezer on Tuesday September 19 2017, @06:14PM
More like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYMla7qlBsg [youtube.com]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by nobu_the_bard on Tuesday September 19 2017, @04:30PM (1 child)
The world just got a tad more dull.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday September 19 2017, @09:56PM
Seriously, the ACs bashing Jim at least need to watch "The Men Who Stare at Goats" before forming an opinion...
For me, Jim Channon is somewhat like Douglas Adams and Hunter S. Thompson had hooked up and landed a gig doing "military consulting."
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 4, Informative) by fritsd on Tuesday September 19 2017, @06:45PM
Link: https://archive.org/details/FirstEarthBattalionManual [archive.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Bot on Tuesday September 19 2017, @07:06PM
> soldiers with the power to make paradise
> 30+ years later
> a windows equipped aircraft carrier has to be towed to port because windows.
> 40+ years later
> the neither fish nor flesh F35
they DID listen to him?
Account abandoned.