Reading a bit about some ideas futurists have, I'm struck by the way they see the world. They only see the potential. Looking out at all the possibilities, they only consider what could be useful. Rarely, if ever, do they look at the problems; either with their ideas, or what problems the technology in question is supposed to solve. It's not often that our society changes to perform something somewhat more effectively. There either needs to be a dramatic change, or some significant need filled, before behaviors are modified. We're always overcoming a fear of the unknown, a mighty fear it is, too.
Driving along in Kirkland , home of the modern yuppie, I’m passed by a new Mercedes. Lovely, silver, shiny, new, bling-bling; a part of me loaded with insecurity twinges while I purr along in my Toyota. Why? How come this is a metric of my self-esteem? Am I being unfair to myself, being upset by this train of thought and it’s influence? Consider, please, how much this viewpoint is drilled into us. Look at how often this imagery gets pushed into our faces, and how long that’s been going on. It shouldn’t surprise me, really, that I sometimes feel this way. Though my conscious values oppose this, the lingering thread of this programming has threads into the depths psyche.
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