An omminious title no doubt. One that seems particularly remote to me as
I sit here beside my new water fountain and listen to music as it pipes
through my speakers attached to my patio.
The life that I lead now is in far excess of any generic member of my
social "class" that came before me. I take pleasure is "Plane watching"
as I keep track of the flights that come in and out of the local
airport - only 5 kilometres away. I write on my touch screen laptop as I
eat reheated leftovers of an dish that my fiancé found in an online
publication.
Whilst I do not have servants, an entire industry of services exist if I
wished, who will pick up my groceries, clean my house, groom my dog,
mow my lawn etc. We are living on the cusp of an AI revolution and a
renewable energy boom that keeps frothing to the fore - even with the
likes of Trump and his self serving proficies and practically
Hooveristic doctrine, and attempts to dismantle the EPA in the United
states. Sitting in my study is a robotic vacuum cleaner that uses LIDAR
to map my room and intelligently make its way around the house.
On the roof of my house I have 6kw of Solar that means everything in my
house, even on this rainy day is basically being powered by the sun
(with battery systems even being eyed off as being financially feasible
for the times that the cloud prevents otherwise - 3-5 years).
We a lucky, in terms of material wealth - its astonishing.
My watch for instance, has a heart rate monitor, GPS, Bluetooth audio system and stand alone music player.
Depending on how the world pans out in the next few years, this could
either appear astonishing or quaint I suppose. But consider this, a
smart watch was unthinkable 10 years ago. 17 years ago a stand alone GPS
was something of mystery and to be coveted and now ... I have one in my
watch that can receive both GPS and GLOSNASS. My telephone, can even
geolocate with wifi and an internet connection alone with remarkable
(though these days insuffient! HA!) accuracy.
To put it in general terms. I have a lucky perspective, having been born
in the 1980s I was able to see the rise of Americas space program (and
easily refer to the 20 years before my birth). I saw the rise of the
personal computer and grew up through the rise of the modem and watched
as society became electronically connected on a scale that quite frankly
is astonishing.
My lament over people reading less - is therefore somewhat inaccurate.
Mark Zuckerberg and his company have at the eyeballs of 80% of America
with most using it for 20 minutes a day, and 40% of the rest of the
worlds population which is sitting at 7.1 billion. Its happening so fast
that few recognise that in when I was born it was closer to 4 billion.
We have not had a global pandemic for almost 100 years, and the last
major conflict that involved significant troop deployments from most of
the world was 45 years ago (Vietnam). The Cold war ended nearly 30 years
ago and heck - WW2 was 72 YEARS ago!
Sure we still have troop deployments across much of the world. I would
say that in most major theaters of conflict Australia would have either a
representative or bonafide Australlian citizens on the ground there.
Syria is shattered - and Iraq and Afghanistan are now proxy battles for
the major powers including those of theocratic belief (muslim). China is
as china does, taking solid advantage of its economic might and lack of
middle eastern distraction and slowly expanding its economic influence
into international waters.
You can clearly see they are working on a much larger timescale than any
democratically elected government by forward planning the requirement
to ensure energy wells are within their economic sphere.
Every publication is divided over printing more celebry gossip for page
impressions or click bait worthy headlines about North Korea's
warmongering.
I remember reading as Russia basically invaded the Ukraine - thinking
that perhaps this might be the trigger that pushed the world over the
edge. However it was simply a well timed invasion. Much like that of
western Papua New Guinea.
Something like 2/5s of the Great barrier reef is basically dead as of
this year due to coral bleaching and the scientists are now basically
frothing at the mouth trying to be heard over the millions of voices
that prefer page impressions, or likes over the need for reporting
integrity. That doesn't even account for the multitudes of people who -
given access to a wealth of easily accessible information - lack the
skills to consider it, weigh its accuracy or apply critical thought
(which every society has grappled with when it comes to popular
publishing ) and can fire off a reply and rally others to a cause faster
than has ever been able to be done before.
Whilst I never encountered it during my university time, universities
are reportedly coddling their students minds to avoid triggering media
rather than challenging them to be uncomfortable with new ideas or
statements of fact.
The world as it ever was - remains in chaos. Only as a complex system *
can it maintain a semblance of order. The rapid pace of technological advancements has given us access to incredible wealth and convenience, but it has also exposed us to new vulnerabilities.
Inequality, both within and between nations, has grown exponentially. The rich continue to accumulate wealth, while the poor are left further behind. Climate change threatens the very existence of our planet, and yet, the necessary steps to mitigate its impacts remain elusive.
Cyber warfare is now an integral part of global conflict, with state-sponsored hackers working tirelessly to infiltrate and disrupt the systems that keep our world functioning. Social media has connected us in ways previously unimaginable, but it has also fostered the spread of misinformation and emboldened extremist ideologies.
The automation of jobs, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence and robotics, has led to growing concerns about the future of work and the stability of our societies. Governments struggle to adapt to these rapid changes, often hindered by short-term thinking and the influence of powerful interest groups.
Amidst this turmoil, it is crucial that we, as individuals and as a collective, adapt and learn. We must embrace the potential of new technologies, while also being mindful of their potential dangers. We must work together to create a more equitable and sustainable world, where the benefits of progress are shared by all.
Education and critical thinking must be prioritized, so that we can navigate the vast sea of information and engage in meaningful discourse. It is only by challenging our own beliefs and assumptions that we can truly grow and make informed decisions.
The world may be in chaos, but it is not without hope. We have overcome countless challenges throughout history, and we have the tools and knowledge to do so again. By embracing our collective power and working together, we can shape a better future for ourselves and for generations to come.* I wrote this in 2017 and left it as an unpublished draft. In 2023 I asked ChatGPT4.0 to finish it with the knowledge that it was written in 2017. It took over from the asterisk, its heartening i guess that it ended the post with hope and not despair!
