On my opinion there are several adaptation-related factors which act differently in different times and circumstances. The newest most important now seems to be fear based on ignorance and, well, weak congintive abilities (50 years ago it was called stupidity...). COVID had demonstrated how quickly the mob requires and demands to stop, to shut down, to close and to lock everything and everywhere. Rational thinking was not applied. Mob is not 100% of population but it’s formed by it’s share large enough to push the states to act in certain direction. Discussion was not possible, the mob had to study the whole texbooks first. Social media, press news cycles (this is not an exlcusive list!) amplify fears, forecasts of soon imminent extinction and organise and agitate the mob. How the people will react to really fast changes like, say, automated finances system replacing accountants and whole finance departments everywhere? Film “Interstellar” gives a good picture how it may happen (“We were never in space and we definitely do not talk with children aboit things that sinful”). Such factor sure always existed but now it’s qualitatively stronger. At times and situations it may amd probably will reverse, well, at least local progresses in certain fields if not the whole way how we do things.
This post lists technical/material/institutional adaptations, which do indeed seem to be happening faster.
But the quote from Toffler is primarily concerned with our impending psychological breakdown in the face of rapid change, evidence of which I see everywhere.
I am a yoga teacher, so I work intimately with many actual humans. I mostly teach upper-middle class educated folks, and they’re not doing great, mental health-wise. Too much information, too much stimulation, too much choice. We have yet to develop adequate “mental hygiene” practices for dealing with the god-like powers that our smartphones give us.
Thus, I think that alongside calls for more investment in techno-scientific progress, we desperately need to prioritize the development of better mental health practices and cultural values—some of which may look a lot like older ways of living (like Jason hints at in Learning With My Hands). Just giving everyone a meditation app to help them feel better about their desperate loneliness isn’t going to cut it.
I am contemplating applying for the writing fellowship program to follow this line of argument further. Interested to hear if others resonate with it.
On my opinion there are several adaptation-related factors which act differently in different times and circumstances. The newest most important now seems to be fear based on ignorance and, well, weak congintive abilities (50 years ago it was called stupidity...). COVID had demonstrated how quickly the mob requires and demands to stop, to shut down, to close and to lock everything and everywhere. Rational thinking was not applied. Mob is not 100% of population but it’s formed by it’s share large enough to push the states to act in certain direction. Discussion was not possible, the mob had to study the whole texbooks first. Social media, press news cycles (this is not an exlcusive list!) amplify fears, forecasts of soon imminent extinction and organise and agitate the mob. How the people will react to really fast changes like, say, automated finances system replacing accountants and whole finance departments everywhere? Film “Interstellar” gives a good picture how it may happen (“We were never in space and we definitely do not talk with children aboit things that sinful”). Such factor sure always existed but now it’s qualitatively stronger. At times and situations it may amd probably will reverse, well, at least local progresses in certain fields if not the whole way how we do things.
This post lists technical/material/institutional adaptations, which do indeed seem to be happening faster.
But the quote from Toffler is primarily concerned with our impending psychological breakdown in the face of rapid change, evidence of which I see everywhere.
I am a yoga teacher, so I work intimately with many actual humans. I mostly teach upper-middle class educated folks, and they’re not doing great, mental health-wise. Too much information, too much stimulation, too much choice. We have yet to develop adequate “mental hygiene” practices for dealing with the god-like powers that our smartphones give us.
Thus, I think that alongside calls for more investment in techno-scientific progress, we desperately need to prioritize the development of better mental health practices and cultural values—some of which may look a lot like older ways of living (like Jason hints at in Learning With My Hands). Just giving everyone a meditation app to help them feel better about their desperate loneliness isn’t going to cut it.
I am contemplating applying for the writing fellowship program to follow this line of argument further. Interested to hear if others resonate with it.