« Hidden History | Main | Bloggers vs Journalists redux » July 14, 2007The Futures MemeJamais Cascio asked David Brin, Dale Carrico, Siel, Rebecca Blood and I to post about the future fifteen years hence. His three specific questions:
Fear: I'm concerned that there will be one or more nuclear incidents and global pandemics, in addition to the subtstantial impact of climate change, and that a perfect storm of stresses to global systems will trigger a breakdown far worse than any we've imagined. Hope: I hope that we'll redefine a "high standard of living" that's completely sustainable and attainable by everyone everywhere. Doing: Fifteen years from now, I expect to have built built a global network of consultants, and I'll be looking for new and better ways to leverage their collaborative efforts. I'll still be thinking and writing about social aspects and uses of technology, and I'll be active in facilitating online deliberative groups and processes. jon posted this at 5:14 PM |
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I looked forward to your post as soon as I saw that Jamais tagged you. I especially like this: 'I hope that we'll redefine a "high standard of living" that's completely sustainable and attainable by everyone everywhere.'
Here's my question: I expect we'll always have status-seeking individuals who cannot be happy unless what they have is much more than what others have. I expect that in my lifetime this won't be translated into a non-materialistic conception of "have" - by which I mean, people won't just be satisfied by having richer experiences, more leisure time, better health, etc. So . . . given this, what are some early steps we can take to get us to the point where folks are willing to modulate their conception of a material standard of living?
BTW, my own answers to Jamais's questions are here:
http://tewalkerjr.com/blog/?p=608
Posted by: Tim Walker | July 14, 2007 8:13 PM
I was just talking this weekend with my daughter, who took her kids to a nutritionist to address some of their health problems....so many children today have so many more health issues, ranging from allergies to asthma to very serious conditions such as Crohn's. Her nutritionist thinks it's from the toxins in the environment, and that it's going to get worse...we can only imagine what my grandson's children will be plagued by. My daughter and I just sat and cried for the children.
Posted by: Marcy Sheiner | July 16, 2007 11:48 AM