- Dec 20, 2003
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In the Nineteenth Century in much of Europe indeed most of the world most people were motivated by physical survival for most of their lives. Absolute poverty, poor diet, poor health and bad working and living conditions, lack of welfare, health care provision, pensions, poor public infrastructure were all major issues. Indeed some of the best authors of this period addressed these kinds of issues e.g. Charles Dickens.
But today lifespans have doubled and quality of life for most improved by far more, we have a welfare state, universal healthcare, pensions, good housing, good public infrastructure. Most people are not wrestling with physical survival on a daily basis even though the stresses and strains of modern existence often make people feel like that.
Of course no one is suggesting undoing these achievements nor Aid budgets to countries yet to achieve them. But the spirit of European culture does need to move on from a primary focus on physical survival to how we can thrive as people in the Twenty First Century.
We need to thrive:
1) Places to grow – into a space faring civilization and into one that can live in the oceans and better manage the ocean spaces.
2) Higher and more sociable cultural visions than narcissistic egotism and comfort obsession e.g. Christian revival, restored families and modes of cultural identity that can survive the tests of globalization, modern stress, mobility and change.
3) A healthy engagement with the new technologies like robotics, genetics, telecommunications and computing as servants of human purposes not the masters of them. Technology should be our Butler not our Master. More Jeeves than Skynet basically
What do you think?
But today lifespans have doubled and quality of life for most improved by far more, we have a welfare state, universal healthcare, pensions, good housing, good public infrastructure. Most people are not wrestling with physical survival on a daily basis even though the stresses and strains of modern existence often make people feel like that.
Of course no one is suggesting undoing these achievements nor Aid budgets to countries yet to achieve them. But the spirit of European culture does need to move on from a primary focus on physical survival to how we can thrive as people in the Twenty First Century.
We need to thrive:
1) Places to grow – into a space faring civilization and into one that can live in the oceans and better manage the ocean spaces.
2) Higher and more sociable cultural visions than narcissistic egotism and comfort obsession e.g. Christian revival, restored families and modes of cultural identity that can survive the tests of globalization, modern stress, mobility and change.
3) A healthy engagement with the new technologies like robotics, genetics, telecommunications and computing as servants of human purposes not the masters of them. Technology should be our Butler not our Master. More Jeeves than Skynet basically
What do you think?