The Future Just Ain’t What It Used to Be

Back when I was young (which was probably not before there was dirt; I’m only saying I don’t remember seeing any), I thought that all problems could be solved and everybody could be nice. That was before I decided I shouldn’t be an inventor, because everything had already been invented, and after I decided I could do anything if I just tried hard enough.

You might think I became depressed upon learning that all of these things I’d decided were false. However, being mostly wrong did not dampen my optimism. (Fortunately. I’m wrong about as often as you get heads when you flip a coin an infinite number of times.) (Roughly 50% of the time, I'm told, although I've never checked it.) In fact, it took a lot more than being wrong to depress me. (Unfortunately, the “lot more” has happened, but I digress.) (Again.)

Now that I am older (than dirt, possibly), I no longer think that solutions are easy or that people, given half a chance, are nice. On the other hand, I now think that some solutions are a lot easier than anyone suspects – just not profitable. And that many people are nice even when not given half a chance. Which really says a lot for humanity when you think about it.

Nonetheless, I am still depressed about our future. This is at least in part because I am, and it seems our species is, locked into the notion that profitability is the measure of success. And that it’s a “good” measure. I don’t know much about other religious leaders, but I’m pretty sure that Jesus didn’t think that. Almost as sure as I am that many (most?) Christians do think that. Along with pretty much all of us other believers and non-believers, as near as I can tell.

What if we’re wrong about that? What if there isn't a general lack of things to invent?

What if we’re just suffering from a narrowing of the arterial thought channels?

What could we invent after we invented a different measure of success?

If we just tried hard enough.