Being Human in the 21st Century #9 — Change & The Unknown
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The world around us is rapidly changing thanks to technological advances. I hope that you’ll join me on the journey of figuring out just what it is that we need to do to realize our full potential, understand our meaning in life, and leave society and the world in a slightly better place than when we got here.
Change & The Unknown
Oh, how the times are a changing. During weeks like these, I can’t help but think about the craziness of the times we live in as well as the extent of the potential bifurcation of society. The extremities of where we might end up are pretty astounding — total destruction or a raised state of consciousness and refocusing on sustainability over profits. I know there has been income inequality for many millennia, but the degree to which it exists today is appalling. I get nervous about the future when I see most (especially political) headlines, but when I read about some of the advances in society thanks to tech and science I can’t help but get hopeful. It’s all the more reason to get prepared for a lifestyle of embracing the unknown.
The craziness
This was a week marked with the now seemingly typical leak of some corruption — The Bank of England was implicated in fixing LIBOR rates. The US’s xenophobia is in full swing. British visitors might have to be asked for passwords at airports. Crazy people in our government keep wanting to get rid of immigrants despite the proof that it’s not an economically sound decision (ignoring the whole, you know, being-a-decent-human-being thing for a second). That’s in addition to the country’s budget director officially admitting a goal of high inequality, an excessive amount of excess in the white house, schools lacking adequate funding, and the growth in the number of homeless students. Oh, I almost forgot, and the world looks like it’s on the brink of war, yay. It looks like the US might be dealing with a country that’s supporting a regime that deployed chemical weapons. And that North Korea is, well, going fucking crazy between 600k people being moved out of Pyongyang, military parades, and China saying it’s ready to move on the border with North Korea.
The hopeful
I get very excited when I hear about a general shift towards a more unsettled lifestyle. I see that as a very personal level change where people are really rethinking how life is meant to be lived. New York City (and possibly state) might be offering tuition-free education, which I think is a great step in the right direction in terms of help the youth of our country not being burdened with debt out of school. That would help them continue working on the trends of green energy (Norway selling 100% electric cars by 2025, Chicago to make all city buildings 100% renewable 2025), cryptocurrencies (Russia to legalize cryptocurrencies next year, Syrian Kurds use Bitcoin for ‘Startup Government’), and AI/Robotics (robots delivering food in SF). Nothing entails the massive potential of tech the way artificial intelligence and machine learning do. There are AI programs that can beat doctors at predicting heart attacks and it’s also possible to use neuroscience to curate music based on your brainwaves.
Embracing the unknown
All of these things remind me that I have so little control in what’s going on. The most that I can do is make a concerted effort in certain areas — whether that be family, work, innovation, or anything else — and try to accomplish as much as I can while I have the ability to while trying to not affect those around me negatively. We are going to have so many more amazing tools at our disposal than ever before; we can’t get caught up in the uncomfortable feelings that inevitably come from major changes. The earlier we can learn to admit our lack of control and embrace the unknown, the sooner we’ll be prepared for dealing with what the future has in store for us and make it more likely to find happiness.
Top Three Articles
How the FBI Took Down Russia’s Spam King — And His Massive Botnet — Wired
Modular farm tower for sites across Africa wins international skyscraper competition — dezeen
Ranking All 50 States by Average Credit Score of its Citizens — Statistical Future
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That’s all folks!
Happy learning and enjoy your week!
