Problems, problems
The smarter we get (including the invention of AI), the worse the World gets.
Or that's how it seems to me.
I wonder constantly:
How the hell did it get like this?
One reason, and one reason alone: our friggin' obsession with problem-solving.
You want a speedy way to travel. Hey presto, the car, train and plane. Bugger the pollution. That's for another day.
You want to solve the world's energy crisis. Build a bushel of nuclear power stations - 400 to be precise. Oh, sh*t, what do we do with all that toxic waste?
You want to crack this cancer lark (it's not much fun, honest). Invent nuclear medicine and add in some stem cell research and hell, it won't be long before we've whooped its ass. What then? All of us live to 150 years of age? Ye gads!
You get my point.
But why?
Why do any of these things?
'Cos we can, I suppose.
And we'd be bored, otherwise.
(I'm reminded of the scene in Gladiator where Maximus played by Russell Crowe screams at the top of his voice "Are you not entertained?", having displaced the heads of a few slaves in the process.)
I'd go even further and say that for many people they think they're playing God and I don't think the spell they've cast is an enduring one, and neither do I think future generations will thank them for (inter alia) rolling the knuckle bones of our fate and giving us more death. Yes, that's right. Everyone who wants to live a long life is actually being given more time to die but when the dominant narrative is all about quality of life, I'm an outlier to mention, less still as I'm apt to do proselytise, this message.
The truth is we're so far down the road now, that it's too late to change course. And in fact the problem is the problem; namely, the more wicked the problem, the more will go into high gear, guns, bullets and firmament at the ready to come up with another world-beating solution.
Now of course you may profoundly disagree with my schtick. That's fine. Never in a month of Sunday have I been out to convert anyone to my brand of misanthropic prognostications.
Anyhow, have a good one.
I'm off to Dartington Hall a bit later. I need to do a wash & brush up on ye old CV for the next epic (un)adventure in the long and winding road of the Summerhayes story.
Blessings,
Julian
Photo by Dimitar Donovski on Unsplash