Part 2 of DAY ONE
(continue Part 1)
Julian Lee:
Yes, I agree. The key lies in building a true mechanism for selecting talent.
(I hesitated for a moment, then decided to voice my thought.)
This is not entirely a joke, sir.
But if a journalist like myself were confident that I had the talent and virtue to be a great president… the problem remains: who would believe me?
Who would support me?
Who would vote for me?
Regarding the idea you just mentioned, of a “council of sages” not elected by the people…
I feel like I’ve heard of it somewhere, in ancient history.
It seems in Tibet, the selection of a Lama followed a similar form…
The Former President:
(He nodded, a gentle, approving smile appearing.)
You are right.
And you have just touched upon one of the ancient secrets that our modern civilization often ignores.
Succession through a “mechanism of enlightenment.”
Not through elections or bloodlines.
In Tibet, they once had a nearly ideal model.
The selection of the Dalai Lama or the Panchen Lama was not based on votes, nor was it hereditary.
They searched for a child who bore the “signs of reincarnation” of the previous enlightened being.
Then, they used a series of rituals and tests to verify both spiritual and moral qualities.
This might make modern people scoff.
But look at its essence.
The one chosen was not selected because he was good at making promises, not because he had money or media backing.
But because he embodied a quality that transcended fame and gain.
A quality of being “naturally right.”
Of course, that model was not immune to exploitation or later corruption.
But its core idea—choosing a person for their virtue and wisdom, not their ability to manipulate the masses—is precisely what modern democracy has lost.
(He looked directly at me.)
And you are right. The biggest problem is: who believes you?
You might be an upright person. With vision. With moral character.
But…
You don’t have a ten-million-dollar advertising campaign.
You are not mentioned by Fox News or CNN every week.
You don’t have powerful interest groups backing you.
And… you don’t generate the kind of strong emotion that goes viral on social media.
So you are eliminated in the first round.
Not because you aren’t worthy.
But because the system doesn’t give you a chance.
(He fell into thought.)
So, is that “council of sages” model feasible?
Difficult. But not impossible.
I’ve imagined it like this.
If one day, humanity is mature enough to believe in wisdom more than emotion…
then there might be a “National Institute of Virtue and Wisdom.”
Not belonging to any party.
Not part of the machinery of power.
And with only one mission: to select the most worthy person to lead the nation.
Sounds like science fiction, doesn’t it?
Perhaps.
But compared to letting TikTok and television decide the fate of the country… I think it’s worth a try.
(He smiled, a sincere smile.)
I truly believe that people like you, if you are steadfast enough, humble enough, and know how to wait for the right time…
will reach a position where you can create change.
Not through political games.
But through the will of the people and the awakening of an era.
Julian Lee:
Thank you, sir.
But now I would like to hear you speak more deeply about that “council of sages” model.
How could people agree to grant the power to choose a president to a council they did not directly elect?
And who would be chosen for this council? By what methods and criteria?
And the most important question… who would set those criteria?
The Former President:
(He nodded, a slow nod, acknowledging the weight of the questions.)
Those are the central questions.
And I am not surprised that you ask them.
Because that is the greatest knot that keeps this model, which I call the “Council of Sages,”… forever confined to the dreams of those who lie awake worrying about humanity’s fate.
But you want a straight answer, don’t you?
Then I will give you one.
First, how to get the people to agree to cede power?
The short answer is: they never will.
Unless… they have completely lost faith in the current model.
No one wants to give up their right to vote.
Unless voting has become a blatant, bought-and-paid-for sham.
Unless the people see clearly that no matter who they choose, the country continues to decline.
And unless a crisis of sufficient magnitude emerges—economic, moral, or even war—that makes the public crave true leadership more than a free but meaningless choice.
In other words, the people will never voluntarily grant power to a Council of Sages.
Unless they themselves, in their desperation, cry out for an intervention from the intellectual class.
(He paused, as if to emphasize the importance of the next question.)
So, who would be chosen for that Council?
This is the most crucial, and most dangerous, part. If we get this wrong, the entire model collapses.
The criteria must be incredibly strict.
One, the person must have transcendent wisdom. Not necessarily academic degrees, but they must have demonstrated superior capacity for thought, critique, and insight through their works or actions.
Two, their morals must be pure. No scandals, no factions, a life of integrity respected by the community.
And three, a prerequisite: a spirit that does not seek fame or gain. The person cannot nominate themselves, cannot call for support, but must be recommended by others.
As for the selection method…
I envision a “three-tiered screening” model.
First, intellectual communities and local elites would make nominations.
Then, a preliminary selection committee would review the candidates.
And finally, the most important positions would be approved by those who have previously held national leadership roles but are now retired, devoid of power, and unswayed by any interests.
(He looked at me, as if anticipating my final question.)
And who would set these criteria?
This is the most fundamental question.
And honestly, the only answer can be: a group of people ahead of their time, those who dare to sacrifice their own interests.
Perhaps it would be a provisional committee established after a major crisis.
Or an inter-religious, inter-intellectual association, bringing together people outside of politics, guided only by reason and wisdom.
Or… if you’ll permit me to say this.
It would be a group “chosen by heaven.”
Meaning, they are not self-proclaimed, but are recognized by many independent people as possessing extraordinary qualities.
(He fell into thought.)
But you must understand.
If there are people like you, who know they have talent and virtue but do not chase glory…
then the seeds for such a Council of Sages have already been sown.
Julian Lee:
The Council of Sages you speak of… reminds me of the Papal Conclave that elects a new Pope.
Would the members of this council all be religious figures, practitioners of a certain spiritual discipline?
If so, the entire society would have to be much like Tibet, where the people truly revere spiritual practitioners, the Lamas.
I want to understand more deeply to unravel these knots.
(I tried to connect the details.)
And that reminds me of the story you told… about someone who was nominated for a “secret council” but refused.
So what is that secret council?
What is their purpose? And who are they?
The Former President:
(He looked at me, a profound gaze. The atmosphere in the room seemed to change.)
You have just taken this conversation to another level.
And if I were still the sitting president, I certainly could not have answered.
But today, I am a man who has shed his political skin.
I will speak the truth, without evasion.
Regarding the mechanism, yes, the Papal Conclave is the closest model.
A group of individuals who have undergone training, lived apart from the secular world, and hold deep spiritual knowledge.
And when they choose a successor, they do not choose based on politics, but on intuition, faith, and a kind of “divine mandate” they believe to be real.
But there is a core difference.
The Vatican has an organization, and it also wields secular power.
But the Council of Sages I envision… is of a nature that transcends both politics and religion.
It is not dependent on any system.
And you are right about Tibet.
That was a society where reverence for spiritual practitioners did not come from law or propaganda.
It came from the very presence of morality, wisdom, and compassion in the daily lives of the Lamas.
When a society reaches that state, a council of the wise has fertile ground to grow.
That is to say, such an institution cannot be decreed.
It can only emerge when society is sufficiently moral, and people sufficiently crave the truth.
(He paused for a moment, as if preparing for a revelation.)
And this brings us to the story of the “secret council” you asked about.
Once, when I was in the early stages of my political career, I was invited to an undisclosed meeting.
I will not say where, or who was behind it.
But it was not a meeting of the CIA, nor was it a group of financiers.
It was a group of very quiet people.
They lived scattered across many countries.
Former scholars, spiritualists, traditional healers… some had even lived in seclusion for decades.
They used no names, no phones, and had no presence on social media.
They communicated through “traditional channels”… handwritten letters, messengers, discreet invitations.
Their purpose was not to run politics.
But to maintain the moral balance of humanity.
Whenever the world falls into chaos, they attempt to approach individuals with the potential for great influence—politicians, scientists, scholars—to warn, to enlighten, or to deliver a message.
The person you mentioned, an Asian-American scholar who once taught at an Ivy League university, lived a life of integrity.
He was nominated to their core group. But he refused.
The reason he gave was this:
“I still have anger, still have prejudice. I cannot yet be an example for anyone.”
After that, he went into seclusion in the western mountains of Nepal and was never heard from again.
(He finished the story, leaving a silence in the room.)
So, does that council truly exist?
I dare not affirm it like a scientist.
But from what I have seen, what I have experienced… they are real.
They do not intervene. They only “appear when needed.”
They do not oppose the current system, but they quietly preserve the seeds for a new world… should the old one collapse.
Julian Lee:
Could you… reveal more about your encounter with that secret group?
I get the feeling they are very different from the secret societies like the Illuminati that people often speculate about.
And… from the way you speak, I sense something.
It seems you have a deep understanding of religion, or some kind of wisdom… has been awakened?
The Former President:
(He looked at me, a piercing gaze, then gave a slight nod.)
You are indeed a journalist with a keen intuition.
Your feelings are not wrong.
Both about the difference between that group and the Illuminati.
And about something… beyond politics within me.
I will tell you.
To the extent that I am permitted to speak, without violating the “unwritten law” of those people.
(His voice lowered, as if recounting a sacred memory.)
That year, I was one ofthe leading candidates in my party.
During an unofficial trip to an Asian country, one evening, after a private reception, an Asian woman of about sixty, dressed very simply, suddenly appeared outside my residence.
She had no bodyguards, no invitation, but somehow, the security team had allowed her to enter.
She did not give her name.
She only said one sentence:
“You have been seen. Tonight, if you wish to understand what you are about to face, please follow me.”
I looked into her eyes, and the strange thing was… I knew I could trust her.
That feeling, it rarely happens in politics.
We went to a small house in the suburbs.
Nothing luxurious. No symbols, no mysterious candlelight like in the movies.
Just an empty room.
Five people were sitting there.
Old, young, European, Asian, white, black… but their eyes had one thing in common.
A silence so deep it left me unable to utter any pleasantries.
They did not greet me with, “Mr. Future President.”
They asked only one question:
“Do you dare to face the truth, if that truth would make you lose everything?”
(He was silent for a long time.)
I was silent.
And the four-hour conversation that followed… changed me forever.
(He continued, his voice clear.)
Are they the Illuminati?
No.
The Illuminati, as Hollywood and social media portray them, is a model of power.
Manipulating economics, politics, culture.
But the group I met was completely different.
They do not manipulate; they warn.
They do not operate within government; they observe government.
They do not protect factions; they preserve moral equilibrium.
And they do not give orders.
They only ask questions… that make one come to their own realizations.
One of them told me this:
“We do not exist to save humanity. Humanity must save itself.
But if someone in power awakens, we will give that person a chance to see what ordinary people cannot.”
(He looked at me, his eyes as if awaiting a reaction.)
As for your question, do I have any supernatural wisdom?
I dare not claim it.
I was a politician. A man who lived for applause, for the spotlight, for phone calls from the financial elite.
But that night, I realized, everything I had thought was real… was just a shell.
After that meeting, I began to meditate. To read scriptures.
And to silently observe the world, instead of trying to control it.
I did not give up politics right away.
But I readjusted my every decision.
Not according to interests, but according to a “silent intuition” that I had learned from them.
Once, a senator told me:
“You’ve changed. Before, you convinced people with reason.
Now, you silence them with just your presence.”
(He paused, his voice growing solemn.)
Why are you asking this?
If this is just an interview for readers to enjoy, perhaps we should stop here.
But if you are truly seeking a solution for a better system of governance…
then I will give you the rest.
Not an answer, but a path.
Do you wish to continue?
If so, I will tell you about something they call “the guardian of the world’s moral center.”
A person with no title, no power, but who is present.
(…..)
This article is an excerpt from the book “AFTER POWER: THE LEGACY” – which includes the complete exclusive interview by journalist Julian Lee with a former US President.
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