In a recent blog post, I wrote, “World culture is in the midst of a phase change. Nothing will remain the same. In phase transitions, you’re either ice or water: there’s no in-between. It’s like being born again; you are or you are not. Yes or no.” I’m changing my position on this.
My original post explained phase change by analogy to ice and water: “People in the ice age believe in certainty, control, planning for the future, causality, and scarcity. Water people believe nothing is certain, control is an illusion, complex adaptive systems, and abundance.”
Upon reflection (and discussion in the Internet Time Community), most organizations are pitchers of water in which ice cubes float around.
What’s true for individuals may not hold true for groups of individuals. I attribute some of my nihilist leanings to Bruce Sterling’s persuasive presentation The Singularity: Your Future as a Black Hole, which I listened to while hiking not long ago.
My line of thought wasn’t going anywhere, because by definition I can’t do anything to prepare for black holes, singularities, and other absolutes aside from worrying about them.
My situation is like that of the fellow who told me he was an optimist because “it works better.” Now I can get back to trying to make the world a better place.
Related posts:
