CHARLES DARWIN

"With such moderate abilities as I possess, it is truly surprising that thus I should have influenced to a considerable extent the beliefs of scientific men on some important points."

At a young age Darwin got a good dose of fatherly advice when he was told, "...you will be a disgrace to yourself and all your family." Probably seeing as how he couldn't do any worse than what was expected of him, Darwin went on to focus his incisive observational genius on obscure island life culminating in the monumental premise of natural selection. Something so simple yet powerful it generates debate even to this day. Definitely the mellow (earth) dragon Darwin had an intensity of patience that allowed him to learn from the temporal situations others missed.
And where would we be without dear old Dad?

EARTH DRAGON: The Earth Dragon is a quieter, more reflective Dragon, He will be appreciative of other's opinions even if he fails to agree with them. He is reasonable in his approach to problems and his leadership is less dictatorial. He is not given to outbursts of temper, but at the same time demands respect. He knows the value of cooperation and is more diplomatic than the other Dragons. He is ambitious, but his initiatives are less hurried and more carefully thought out.

FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

Nietzsche is well known for his studies on morality and philosophy and despite the physical limitations of being recycled compost for over a hundred years his spiritual insights resonate with increasing popularity, demonstrating a peculiar universal appeal across the sanity spectrum. Nietzsche had an uncanny ability to predict the near future from the trends of the present reading the moral topography like a metaphysical surveyor. Perhaps as credit to his rare genius, even given the radical turmoil and opportunity of the 20th century, Nietzsche's intellectually perceptive equivalents failed to materialize; perhaps the 21st century will fare better.

WOOD DRAGON: The Wood Dragon is creative, imaginative, and inquisitive. He is both a thinker and a doer and is capable of brilliant new concepts. His every move is guided by sound logic. His drive and ambition allow him to put many of his ideas into practice, nevertheless this Dragon is capable of concealing his domination and tries not to offend. He will even compromise if it is advantages. Although not as self-centered as other Dragons, he is still outspoken and fearless when challenged.

H.L. MENCKEN

Controversial and sometimes contradictory, Mencken correctly viewed Americans as a crass, infinitely gullible yet highly amusing audience, a wise ascription that made Mencken America's greatest journalist. Mencken gained it all without genuflecting to anyone. His critical perceptions and distaste for foolishness were sane advice too often ignored. And even though he managed to complain about everything, it still had an intentional focus: illuminating absurdities for fun and profit.

METAL DRAGON: The Metal Dragon is the most strong-willed Dragon. He is inflexible, unbending, and combative. He gives little regard to the feelings of others. This ruthlessness can result in a rapid rise to a position of authority, but often at the cost of destroying important relationships. It is futile to attempt to convince him that certain things are simply undoable. He will go it alone if he can't gain support. He succeeds because he refuses to accept failure.

ALFRED ROSENBERG

With equal truth we can face the fact that human life is dependent on many influences of its world and in the game of life that we will never completely comprehend, man is but a bridged period of power, just like any other living being. We have to acknowledge a certain inner force that enables man to consciously live and die for an idea, which proves the existence of a force of some sort. That contravenes the other principles of existence and thus leaves us to assume a force that is not beyond the ideas of space, time and causality.

His works may have been burned and the ashes shoveled into the Orwellian memory hole but his ability to merge the tangible and the spiritual into vivid and empowering prose will not be forgotten. A victim of English cultural prejudice (among other things) this profoundly misunderstood individual was far ahead of his time, able to view the many as one: spirit, biology and society. Rosenberg decimated the poisonous myth tenaciously remaining to this day that individual and collective goals must remain in competition like a zero-sum game. Rosenberg demonstrated that the two are not fratricidal, antagonistic opponents but are part of the same system - a symbiosis not parasitism.

WATER DRAGON: The Water Dragon is less selfish and opinionated than the other Dragons. He is more inhibited and less power-hungry. He can accept defeat without recriminations. He makes a good negotiator as he knows when, where, and how to apply pressure. He has a tendency to be over-optimistic and needs to learn how to relinquish what is unfeasible so that he can concentrate his energies on the most rewarding endeavors.

Although at any given moment the term 'hero' may be a colorful overstatement for the above characters given the authors personal mistrust of unrealistic archetypes, the following individual remains difficult to criticize beyond her Roman Catholic scotoma; ah, no one's perfect! Although Maria Montessori is not a 'Dragon' she nonetheless fits the category well. Her book The Montessori Method is the closest match to Holology I've yet found in the sense that I identify with both her thought patterns and her methodology. Indeed even the fact she chose to pursue solutions in a comprehensive, methodological way coincides magnificently with the intentions underpinning Holology.

Whether it was planned or not the fact that Montessori leveraged a small and measurable effort aimed at improving childhood education and well-being into a larger, social-scale impact is truly astounding. Maria was both a catalytic intellectual and a pragmatic social revolutionary who was honest, perceptive and humble on a scale difficult to fathom from a historical distance but definitely in the category of the unfortunately uncommon genius.