It’s might always seem like it, but it seems like we’re at a critical juncture in terms of the human race, the planet and what the future looks like. There are a lot of things that we need to do in order to make sure that our kids, and their kids, have a bright future ahead of them. We can’t keep living the way that we are and expect things to change.
We’ve Grown So Fast
Since the dawn of the industrial revolution the rate of change has been breathtaking. We’ve gone from a world where the vast majority of people were subsistence farmers to a world where most people live in cities and have jobs that are unrecognizable to our ancestors. We’ve gone from horse-and-buggy transportation to supersonic jets. We’ve gone from sending messages by Pony Express to being able to communicate with anyone, anywhere.
We’ve gone to the moon, split the atom and cured diseases. We’ve discovered electricity, invented things like the light bulb, the telephone and the internet. We’ve gone from the horse and buggy to self-driving cars in a century.
As painful as the Covid pandemic has been, it’s shown we are remarkably adaptable. We got a vaccine in a few months.
But we can have a hard time coping with fast change.
But We’ve Done So Much Damage
We’ve been moving so fast that we haven’t always done the smart thing. We are definitely not behaving in the way that is best for everyone, or most people.
- Poverty – Despite all our advances, a billion people live in abject poverty.
- Diseases – Cancer and heart disease are more popular, surely a reflection of everyday life.
- War – We are capable of such destruction. With the push of a button we could destroy the world many times over.
- Climate Change – We’ve seen the effects of climate change with more extreme weather events like hurricanes, floods and wildfires.
- The Environment – We’re destroying the planet. The Amazon is on fire. The ice caps are melting. We’ve polluted our air and water, destroyed environment, cut down jungles and forests, destroyed coral reefs, the lifeblood of healthy oceans. And we’re doing it at an ever-increasing rate.
- We made a hole in the ozone layer, but we made that better. That was good. It shows we can change for the better.
We’re doing all of this at an ever-increasing rate. But there’s good and bad to everything. Technology isn’t good or bad. It’s about how it’s applied.
There’s a million problems so I won’t keep going on here.
Anxiety About the Future
I think most of us are worried about what the future looks like. We’re worried about our kids and their future. What kind of world will they inherit?
A lot of us think things are going to get worse before they get better. We see the problems and they seem insurmountable.
Surveys show we’ve lost the belief that progress is inevitable.
Americans say the U.S. in 2050 will be worse off in many ways.
The one thing we do agree on is that we can’t even agree on reality. According to Pew Research, 73 percent of Americans thought Democrats and Republicans can’t agree on basic facts.
Sometimes it Does Seem Hopeless
We’re surrounded by so much negativity, it often seems hopeless. The bad news is what we see when we watch TV. The media has a lot to do with our anxiety. Fear activates out emotions, it keeps us tuned in (and watching commercials).
Carl Sagan wrote this in 1995 (25+ years ago)
Well, shit. pic.twitter.com/c0g1gycolV
— Dan Kaminsky (@dakami) April 7, 2019
We are Capable of Great Things
“The future is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed.”
-William Gibson
If we were really committed to improving life for everyone, we already have the technology and the ability to drastically improve life for everyone on the planet.
Collectively, we have the power to alleviate suffering for everyone.
- We can feed everyone, give everyone access to quality health care, education and a clean environment.
- We have the ability to feed the world, end poverty and disease.
- Solve climate change and clean up the environment.
- We have the ability to end war and create a more just and peaceful world.
We have the ability to make everyone’s life better.
If all the governments and all the corporations were united behind a single goal, we could do it. I’m not advocating for a world government or anything, I’m just saying it’s possible.
But We’re Not Doing It. Why?
It comes down to priorities. What we value as a society.
It’s up to us to decide what kind of future we want. Do we value things that help everyone or just some? Do we want a bright tomorrow or just keep going down this path that keeps getting worse?
The choice is ours. Let’s make the right one.
We Need to do Better
If we stay on the current trajectory, there’s a good chance the future is going to suck. We can’t keep doing things the same way and expect different results. We need to change how we’re living and consuming.
“Long-range planning does not deal with the future decisions, but with the future of present decisions.”
-Peter Drucker
The future is what we make it. It’s up to us to decide what the future looks like. We can either continue down the path of destruction or we can work together to create a bright tomorrow.
If we want a bright tomorrow, we need to work for it. We need to value things that will make life better for everyone, not just ourselves. We need to make the world a better place.
It’s time for us to choose.
We’ve got some big challenges we’re facing.
“The future is not out there. It is not a solution to today’s problems… it is within each and every one of us, in all of our varied human (and nonhuman) existences, as well as together in relation, imagination, and continued struggle to understand ourselves.”
What Does the Future Hold?
We don’t know. But we do know that things have to change. We can’t keep going the way we are.
“The future can’t be predicted, but it can be envisioned and brought lovingly into being.”
-Donella Meadows
We have to find a way to live in harmony with each other and the planet. Otherwise, there won’t be a future for anyone.
The Future Ain’t Far Off
I just turned 40, seems old as heck but people older than me are still calling me a kid.
Where already halfway through Biden’s term, what in the world will those elections look like?
Is there any way we can make them constructive?
Remember when the Rona started’ that was more than 2 years ago
Time keeps slipping
Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying
A better future is possible, but it will take everyone working together to make it happen.
We can make it better than the past and create a bright tomorrow for everyone.
All we need is the will to do it. Let’s strive for a better future, together.
Yes, it’s hard. Yes it requires massive participation. But it’s not THAT hard. You don’t have to do THAT Much. You can watch Netflix, hang with friends and all that.
We just need to make things Less Bad.
How to Get to a Better Future
“Over the long term, the future is decided by optimists. To be an optimist you don’t have to ignore all the many problems we create; you just have to imagine improving our capacity to solve problems.”
Set goals and work towards them. If you don’t have any goals, how will you know what to aim for? Some things we want to change about life.
Smaller, more manageable strategies to reach those goals.
How to, a plan of action to achieve our goals
- Project: Fix Everything
- Impact Consumerism
Some Guidelines
Be responsible, respectful members of society
Golden Rule
Being involved
Helping others when we can
It feels good to help others and makes the world a better place
Make progress
This site
Progress
Keep pushing forward
