Brain Food #492
Have we lost our focus?
Thoughts of the day
Maybe the question is: when did we lose it?
The photo below is taken from a BBC article on whether we are living on the hinge of history.
“In front of posters about the Sars epidemic, a boy eats ice cream, which we collectively spend more on than preventing extinction through our technology (Credit: Getty Images)”
The concept of living on the hinge of history describes how we are going through a turning point for the human race, and what we are experiencing could be a moment that determines the future of our species.
We have created potential threats that our ancestors never had to face, enough, the writer claims, to end civilisation as we know it. From climate change to AI, the most negative of science fiction scenarios no longer seem to live in the distant future — they are within reach.
Though this may sound alarming, the good news is that change remains within our power. As long as free will exists, our existence is determined by our own choices and actions, and so is the impact we have on others.
“What we call our destiny is truly our character and that character can be altered. The knowledge that we are responsible for our actions and attitudes does not need to be discouraging, because it also means that we are free to change this destiny. One is not in bondage to the past, which has shaped our feelings, to race, inheritance, background. All this can be altered if we have the courage to examine how it formed us. We can alter the chemistry provided we have the courage to dissect the elements.”
From the diaries of Anais Nin
Of course, we can still enjoy some ice cream along the way.
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