OrionWorks wrote:
While predicted futuristic life styles of leisure might sound
idyllic there is a deadly side to this equation which must be
avoided at all costs, particularly the creation of a welfare state
where all of our basic needs are automatically provided no matter
what we indulge in - or not indulge in as the case may be.
It does not seem deadly to me. I have never understood this attitude.
I think it is rather typical of Americans to fear leisure, and loath
contemplation.
As we take advantage of what technology offers so will the choices
to pursue our unique flavor of "personal happiness" multiply. I'm
sure discussions concerning the
"pursuit of happiness" are likely to be contentious as there will be
differing opinions on what will be allowed and not allowed within society.
Why should anyone argue about this?!? It is a free country. People
have always been allowed to do whatever they want, as long as it is
legal and hurts no one else.
Complicating matters, while in the midst of our debates concerning
the pursuits of our "personal happiness" society begins to suspect
that deep down they are essentially nothing more than drones in the
bee hive there will be little motivation for many to self-improve.
If that becomes the general consensus our civilization will end up moribund.
Most people have always felt powerless. Just about everyone feels
frustrated, and that he is not allowed to contribute much to society.
Many, if not most people feel that they are stuck in a dead-end job
and forced to work for a pittance. Although this frustration is
widespread, it has not squelched our ambition or made society moribund.
OTOH, not working, feeling like I have no purpose, feeling like I'm
not making any valuable contributions to the world I was born into
is a far worse prison sentence than being force to punch the time
clock five times a week.
If you won $100 million in the lottery I expect you would soon find
your own purposes. You would live a fulfilling life even if you did
not punch the clock or do what people normally regard as work.
In "Profiles of the Future," chapter 13, Arthur C. Clarke wrote:
"It is certainly fortunate that the replicator, if it can ever be
built at all, lies far in the future, at the end of many social
revolutions. Confronted by it, our own culture would collapse
speedily into sybaritic hedonism, followed immediately by the boredom
of absolute satiety. Some cynics may doubt if any society of human
beings could adjust itself to unlimited abundance and the lifting of
the curse of Adam -- a curse which may be a blessing in disguise.
Yet in every age, a few men have known such freedom, and not all of
them have been corrupted by it. Indeed, I would define a civilized
man as one who can be happily occupied for a lifetime even if he has
no need to work for a living. This means that the greatest problem of
the future is civilizing the human race; but we know that already."
I remain absolutely convinced that if we are to survive we MUST
continue pursuing real challenges in our lives, not just ritualistic
and/or cooked-up challenges. There MUST always be obstacles to overcome.
We have a superabundance of challenges at present. Perhaps our great
grandchildren will suffer from a deficit of life-threatening
problems. Let them worry about that. It is sufficient unto the day
for us to deal with our own problems.
- Jed
