Humans are born according to an algorithm allowing a wide curve of features and preferences such as:
- Self asserting (extreme archetype: Psychopathic self involvement) | Self transcending (extreme archetype: Saintly generosity and sacrifice)
- Follow the pack (instinctively flows with peer pressure) | Follow my own path (instinctively flows their own way)
- Past loving (keep the familiar = “conservative”) | Future loving (allow for change = “progressive”)
- Preference for small groups (town) | Preference for large groups (city)
- Submissive (naturally accept leadership) | Dominant (naturally take charge)
- Cautious (“Wouldn’t be prudent”) | Daring (risk taking adventurers)
- Wandering (Viking approach) | Homebound (Bushman approach)
- Standard Sexuality | Alternate Sexuality
- Xenophobic | Xenophophilic
One reason we can conclude “It takes all kinds” is because life MAKES all kinds.
Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a spring was breaking
out in my heart.
I said: Along which secret aqueduct,
Oh water, are you coming to me,
water of a new life
that I have never drunk?
Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.
Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a fiery sun was giving
light inside my heart.
It was fiery because I felt
warmth as from a hearth,
and sun because it gave light
and brought tears to my eyes.
Last night as I slept,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that it was God I had
here inside my heart.
Antonio Machado
I made these awhile back before Trump became as serious as a heart attack. I long for him to spend some time in nature, far away, all by himself. To sort out his thoughts over the next 25 years. It’s almost a where’s Waldo.
Elsewhere I’ve discussed my theory that people who live in big cities and people who live in small towns have become operationally different species. There’s nothing biological here except perhaps if there’s some genetic component concerning which lifestyle you prefer. When humans adapt to a new technology or a new living arrangement (in the community sense) they have altered their strategy of life significantly enough that if some other animal could make an equivalent change they would be deemed a subspecies of the wild type. So from nomad tribes to tiny farming villages to cities of millions is a tremendous change …of script. If you could time travel to the neolithic, scoop up one of an infant pair of twins and return to the present, that baby would grow up embracing a level of complexity and social energy that would make his brother or sister go catatonic if they encountered it.
We are a meta adaptor species. We are an evolutionary cyborg embracing technological transformation. While we embrace the techno change our fundamental species script full of animal reactions hasn’t changed a jot. If a baby from modern times was whisked back to replace that other neolithic baby he wouldn’t grow up puzzled at the technology or the social rules. On this level we have a “just go with it” rule letting us imprint culture like baby ducks imprint Momma.
Well there’s another interesting thing about virtual speciation, we might think of it as a second level of adaptation. Within every human community division of labor is key to operation..we might almost call it the reason for community. Metaphorically if we imagine the village as an animal made up of the different functions performed by the people we can start to see what’s going on. This is almost like organ and tissue differentiation. The village is a virtual organism (as was the wandering tribe) if it’s script fails the organism dies, as do it’s human components. By always embracing ANY technology that excites us we are finding pathways out of a dead end script. We are opening up pathways to new versions of what human means. Continue reading
Some of them look like life in petri dishes, some look like circuit boards. Welcome home.
Manufacturing jobs are gone. The only way they could come back is if American workers volunteered to get paid .25/hour.
So, when all these jobs go extinct in the near future…
- Taxi/limo drivers are gone (Uber already has this as a realistic goal)
- Truck drivers (every trucking company is testing long haul robots right now)
- Cashiers (via the “Amazon Go” style technology)
How will the rich continue to get richer?
There are SO many bad outcomes possible from this. The collapse of these jobs won’t occur in a vacuum, it will take much of the economy down with it. All those out of work people won’t go out to eat or buy new clothes. They won’t buy much of anything. This collapses local economies and the big chains will see a steep drop in earnings.
There are other aftershocks: Most likely these folks will lose health insurance. There will be scores of evictions and foreclosures. This orphaned demographic may turn right-wing fascist politically if exploited by devious powers. That’s pretty standard in collapsing economies. Maybe they’ll open leftward but history shows that as less likely.
Since people are complete shit at imagining and preparing for future problems and will even perversely struggle against such preparations (*cough* cough* climate change) I think as many of us as possible should be raising this issue. It won’t help much because politicians are largely paid to safeguard the status of the super-rich. If it comes to a political fight we’ll likely just be locked down and silenced.
Unless we frame it correctly. We must address those most deeply affected.
Who will be the biggest victims of such a collapse? You. The rich! Poor people have nothing, what’s a little more nothing to them? But the people who have nearly everything and whose only wish is for the rest of it as well, suffer deeply at even flattening profit margins.
When the childlike 99% stop buying things, your personal ultra-zeppelin will leak and begin losing altitude. When you finally land, do you know who’ll be waiting to greet you? Correct, the ravening mob.
The only way for you to maintain untouchable, lofty superiority is to support a guaranteed basic income. And unless you want to tumble down a financial sinkhole for several years first, you’d better face it now. This won’t be easy, it will involve distasteful acts that superficially resemble caring about people and being generous. You will have to give money away, probably in the form of paying taxes. This is repellent, and I know it hurts, but denial ain’t just a maxed-out credit card anymore.
Please, won’t you help support the truly deserving in the post-employment age?
Why we need to plan for a future without jobs.
