From Nomadic Devices

This particular thread, of eradicating poverty, has been particularly and unexpectedly long. It began from the page titled, "Nurturing Individuals", which was a result of the discussion on communities facing a crisis, as in Katrina in New Orleans, and community as a basis of utopia, which has been the goal of futurist visions since the Enlightenment, and especially for the technocratic philosophers of twentieth century. In particular, Jacques Attali's Millennium predicted a time when an upper class of techno-literati will be freed by nomadic devices establish their lives anywhere in the global village, while a lower class of techno-peasants struggle for a living, unable to meet the "standard" of beauty, behavior, speech, etc. This is nothing new in human history, only the technology has changed, which means the time-scale has changed. Instead of weeks and years, global events can begin and finish in matters of days, even hours. There is still poverty everywhere. There is still unhappiness among the rich leading meaningless and empty lives. There is still conflict between nations, between patriots, between fathers and sons. There are still lies and misunderstanding being treated like the Gospel Truth, revered and repeated, stubbornly held in the bosoms of the educated and the ignorant alike. As the French said so famously more than three hundred years ago, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Is there hope for humanity? Is Armaggedon inevitable? The signs for hope are abundant when we know where to look. The signs for humanity's future is bright and glorious if we have the vision to believe in the beauty of our dreams. But it will be hard work. It will be painful, because facing the truth and changing old habits are often more painful than carrying on the same old ways, rolling along the same old ruts. It will require each and every individual in the global village, because like the prisoner's dilemma, one betrayal from within will set everyone back. And in the age of Bill Joy's iterated enabling technologies, one betrayal can destroy our common living space, the earth's biosphere.

The hope for humanity's future is not in devices or technology, but in the human heart, as the ancient mystic leaders have always said. Our future is decided when each and every person can walk the Solzhenitsyn Line that divides every heart between good and evil, and land safely on the side of good, to have the strength of personal will to take charge of each action, take responsibility for each decision, and submit one's desires to the greater will, a higher power.

The future of humanity is a battle of will, not of control or conflict, but an internal battle of selfish lies versus a dedication to truth. Everyone has looked up to a clear autumn sky and be awed by the countless bright twinkling stars. The same experience from time immemorial has always inspired a sense of perspective in one individual within the long history of human experience and huge space of universal dimensions. Only those selfish individuals, after such an experience, would continue on a course of conquest and destruction. The seed of Armageddon is not in the politics or religion of men, but the heart that ignores the Solzhenitsyn Line and, in self-centered arrogrance, take the life of others in one's own hand.

The difference between an optimist and a pessimist is when faced with an indeterminate problem, the optimist sees the best possible outcome and believes it to be the future while the pessimist sees the worst possible outcome and knows that to be the future. A realist sees both possible outcomes and works hard to make sure the best outcome will be true while keeping a careful eye on the road to avoid the other. The Uncertainty Principle says the universe is an indeterminate place until we decide what it will be. The choice is up to us, and I am a Realistic Optimist who believe in the Goodness of humanity. We, as a community, can create a future where every heart will choose the right thing to do, when faced with the Solzhenitsyn Line and take the Road Less Traveled, to dedicate a life to Truth.