"Software devs be like, 'We can change the world! ...unless it involves race, gender or economic oppression, then that's just how it is.' - Benito Applenoms (@yeloson)
Life presents a Parodox. It really does.
Are you satisfied with exhibiting a well-executed Pose?
Do you demand Performance from yourself?
Do you pursue a directed Path?
How about holding your Peers to some measure of Accountability?
Are you willing to look the other way so that Wall Street can hide behind the credo that Capitalism has no duty to the Greater Good? Or, Society for that matter?
It's why Wall Street can unashamedly steal from its own government with impunity. Pure capitalism, after all, is about the pursuit of Profits and Growth over Everything Else.
It's a revolving door. A lotto ticket to be cashed in. You would, too. Or, would you?
Is the Social Contract Dead?
Is so, what then? What's the end-game for the "Losers" in the game of life?
Silly talk? Get with it. A non-trival percentage of the population doesn't see itself as being gated on any sort of social responsibility boundaries. The market cures all, after all. The great antiseptic.
It doesn't see funding Safety Nets and Education as an "Us" topic. But rather, a Them topic, or worse, tantamount to waste and dead-beatism.
It raises a fundamental question of what represents Quality of Life in our society.
Is it collecting Stuff?
Is it Pursuing Big Ideas?
Is it Family and Friends?
Does establishing a Collective sense of "We"-ness matter anymore?
SImple questions, but the practice of actually building truths that do it in an always-on, always connected, Mobile First world require a fresh take on systems design, workflow, marketplace structuring and economic models.
TED as Emblematic of the Empty Sound Bite
Which brings me to TED. And sadly, no, I am not talking about that Ted.
Writing in theguardian.com, Benjamin Bratton argues compellingly that science, philosophy and technology run on the model of American Idol – as embodied by TED talks – is a recipe for civilisational disaster.
Read the full article, which is rich and thought-provoking. This excerpt captures what Bratton is advocating:
"Instead of dumbing-down the future, we need to raise the level of general understanding to the level of complexity of the systems in which we are embedded and which are embedded in us. This is not about "personal stories of inspiration", it's about the difficult and uncertain work of demystification and reconceptualisation: the hard stuff that really changes how we think. "
Amen to that. This requires multi-generational thinking. Can WE do that?
I pledge to do my part in the Year Ahead.
How about YOU?
