When I was in grade school, we talked about the future. We watched films about the huge technological advances that were just around the corner. I remember dreaming about the day we would have robots and devices to handle every mundane task in our lives. We would only spend our time on tasks that were either exceptionally important or remarkably enjoyable and fulfilling.
Technology has made some very significant advances over the last 20 some years. We have miniature personal communication devices, powerful computers the size of a small book, video recorders that fit in your palm, a worldwide network that is virtually free to use, but I still feel like I was conned. Instead of spending only a few highly productive hours each day doing extremely rewarding tasks in a life filled with leisure, we scurry about acting as servants to the technology that was supposed to make us all kings.
This site is dedicated to finding strategies and techniques for becoming more productive–accomplishing more work with the same or less effort. As a child I was led to believe that improvements in technology create improvements in productivity, but that is not true. Technology merely creates the possiblility for improvement. Your personal results depend entirely on how you use the tools at your disposal.
Yes, a sober reminder that the future is what WE MAKE IT TO BE. Nothing is inevitable, only willpower brings about change in the world.
Every rise in technology comes with it the choice to do MORE with it, or do less. To walk up an escalator or merely stand still on it. Doing MORE with it is the ideal of all highly intelligent, ambitious people. I’m convinced that the futuristic, space-age future we idealize is only possible in societies of highly intelligent people. Nordic countries and Japan are closest to it right now, but inefficiencies from diverting resources to people of below average IQ is delaying it significantly.
Good post. I often think about the shows I used to watch, like ‘Towards 2000’, and the promise of electric cars, wireless home, and medical wonders.
I love Star Trek because it showed me a vision of humanity as it might be, at its very best. At one point I remember Picard giving a potted history lesson and commenting that ‘people now work for the good of all humanity, and not just for money’ or words to that effect (probably more poetic!) – not quite the socialist concept, but what he was implying was that we all had enough and were well provided for; there was no need for greed or wage slavery.
Ironically that is how the world should be, right now.
We were all conned.
The reality is ambishous and competitive people use technology to perform more work in the same amout of time. Others use it to do the same work and free up time, which is how the sale was “pitched”.
I guess it just depends on which camp you pitch your tent. Do you want to be rich, or happy?