# The Visionary It's one thing to have a bunch of wild ideas but how on earth did you ever get them up? Well, you have a massive power-base and a bunch of sycophantic supporters within the science community - that helps. Your colleagues provide further insight: *He’s a visionary. He is *[*willing to take risks*](https://www.statnews.com/2016/05/06/jeremy-farrar-wellcome-trust/)*. * *an *[*activist *](https://www.statnews.com/2016/05/06/jeremy-farrar-wellcome-trust/)*who.. at the same time is a ****very big****-picture thinker* (Not normal big-picture thinker - ***very*** *big*) *He’s *[*massively driven*](https://www.nature.com/articles/497019a)*, and a great visionary.* *Jeremy’s very much a *[*shrewd team player*](https://www.nature.com/articles/497019a)* who has brokered funding from several sources in negotiations with .. China.* A shrewd ‘visionary’ - activist - risk-taker - good at *brokering funding* with the CCP. Most of them i’d agree - but the ***very big****-picture visionary*? Depends how you define *visionary*. For mine, it’s *more than* someone having a *grandiose thought bubble* - equipped with the mega-power to enact it. A visionary is someone who has the rare ability to: * - think things through - * All aspects. Not limited to one's power-accumulating self-interest. Be able to think like a Grand Master chess player. Envision how moves play out - as if *you are* your opponent - see not only the good that might come from a move - but the bad. Weigh that up. But that’s not how Sir Jeremy approaches life. It’s more your *devil-may-care *style where ... *we are faced with some decisions - ****we don’t really ever quite understand the implications*** *of the decisions we reach.* (or care) [Farrar (2018):](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/wellcome-leap-fund-we-afraid-take-risks-may-never-solve-jeremy-farrar) *This week we announced the creation of the *[*Wellcome Leap Fund*](https://wellcome.ac.uk/news/directors-update-taking-risks-bold-ideas) (the Great Leap Forward?),* a new £250 million fund designed to* ***fast forward .. progress*** * (that sounds eerily like Covid)* *by taking ****greater risks**** and ****funding ambitious research**** programmes ****at scale****. .. In the meantime, I am off for a walking cycling and sailing holiday in the Alps – I’ll be in touch when I am back.* Nice. Set the dial to *maximum risk* - then pop off for a holiday in the Alps - we’ll see how it works out when I get back… Now there’s no turning back. [Farrar, Nature:](https://www.nature.com/articles/ni1532)* We are at a crucial juncture in international health; .. we must grasp the opportunity .. or we will lose our ventures.* And grasp it you did. Congratulations - you won your ventures. *Freedom *lost. Though let’s call it the battle - not the war.