Anachronism?

If useful at all, hierarchies are designed for emergency circumstances where the situation is clear, usually dire, requires special knowledge and/or information held by one or only a few and a quick co-ordinated response.  And a bad outcome otherwise.  Since this requires accurate anticipation of the future at all stages -- which decays the further ahead you look -- clearly hierarchies have very limited usefulness which spoils rapidly.  Thus, as Sufi traditions suggest, they should never be created as permanent -- and should be encouraged to decay rapidly.  --L. Reichard White, Saturday, February 20, 2010 8:16 PM