The Future of Humanity
Investing in “Now”
Will technological singularity make us into super-humans by fusing mind & machine?
Technology…is it the problem or the solution? It’s definitely not a simple question to answer. Technology solves many problems for us, but solutions can come at a cost. Technology can be like whack-a-mole…solving some problems and creating others.
OK…so technology is here to stay regardless whether it’s generally seen as problem or solution. How about humanity: problem or solution?
One group of super wealthy people are plotting to leave us behind. These ultra-rich see humans as the problem. They foresee an “Event” (aka economic, social, technological collapse) that will end it all. They want to know how to survive beyond this “Event.” For all their wealth and resources, they see themselves as powerless to change the world. For them, humans are the problem and technology is the means to escape the human condition.
They see the future of the world like an episode of The Walking Dead — a fight for survival — a zero-sum scenario.
While the masses work hard to make a living and enjoy life, these guys are trying to figure out how to protect themselves from us after the “Event.”
The real problem here is not their concern for the future, but the lack of care for the present. Instead of working to make the world a better place now, this small group of people wants to buy themselves a guaranteed future.
The question of humanity as a problem or solution is irrelevant. We’re here together, and we aren’t leaving anytime soon (we hope!), so all that we can do is make the world a better place together.
We can’t control the future outcome, but we can direct the process, and the process is where the magic happens.
If you ask people what they want in life, many times they merely describe the end results:
- Money
- 6 pack abs
- High power job
- Success
Sure…we all want these things, but are we willing to commit to the process required to get them? Everyone wants the paycheck…but the work is invaluable. We may set our goals high and not reach them, but that’s OK as long as we commit to the process. If you set a goal to lose weight, say 20 pounds, but don’t quite reach your goal all isn’t lost because you’re still better than when you started. Like any missed goal we first need to determine if the goal was reachable and what we need to do differently to get there. Besides certainty of thinking we know exactly what we need can be deceptive.
Regardless of what the future-plotting ultra-rich believe, we need more than technology to reach our goals — we need each other!
Stephen Covey says…
…Synergy is the highest activity in all life — the true test and manifestation of all of the other habits put together
Covey’s view of synergy is that the whole is greater than the individual parts. In other words, we can do more together, and it’s a beautiful thing. Part of the beauty lies in the inherent risk. Unlike the ultra-rich who have built bunkers and secured military-like protection, we’re just winging it with no guarantee of what the future will bring. When we genuinely synergize with others, we don’t see them as a threat. Rather than forcing our way, we respect and even value the differences rather than trying to escape them.
Synergy creates a new story, one that we can’t build alone. We might have to shelve some of our preconceived ideas to rightly cooperate with others. But in the end, it’s worth it because we engage in a process otherwise unavailable to us as individuals. Besides we really can’t get anywhere significant alone.
Most of life is an interdependent, not an independent, reality. Most results you want depend on cooperation between you and others — Stephen Covey
Synergy isn’t about compromise…it’s about reaching higher ground together. Sure, you will definitely have to concede some of your ideas along the way, but you’re working towards building something greater than what you can do alone. The strength in true synergy lies in the differences, not in forcing your ways on others.
Synergy, by Covey’s definition, moves us from consumers of others (what can you do for me) to contributors (what can we do together).
African philosophy has a concept that embraces the essence of synergy.
Ubuntu — An African word that means:
- Each individual’s humanity is best expressed in relationship with others
- A person depends on other people to be a person
Society profits most when we live out our connectedness. Those who embrace ubuntu, care about the needs of others and feel a sense of obligation to connect with them.
The future of humanity? Who knows? While the ultra-rich plot an escape plan, we’ll dig in and work to make the world a better place and that will be our legacy.
