I Will Not Die

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I don’t mean the kind of “classes” we normally think of. Not rich vs. poor. I don’t mean the hordes of normal working people rising up hoping to slaughter all the landowners. What I have in mind is a new kind of class, a class that has crept up slowly, growing almost without being noticed until it’s big enough to be a major player in society.

I mean a class of tech-savvy, scientifically-minded, free-thinking über-”geeks”. I’m guessing we now number in the millions, easily. Probably in the tens of millions though. Here’s what I think is going on and why, and at the end you’ll see what I think it means:

Technology is extremely prevalent

I think technology has done something remarkable. It’s introduced everyone to the notion that things can be fixed. In other words, for literally thousands of years, most innovations were not anywhere near as common as they are today. It could be anything now. New chemicals, pharmaceuticals, computer software, even farming equipment. For the longest time, solutions to everyday problems were just, well…not happening. Now everyday solutions to problems are being solved everyday. What’s the result? The result is that before, people would have been inclined to accept their circumstances whereas today, when faced with a problem, people are much more apt to believe that the solution is right around the corner. After decades of massive scales of innovation, it’s very commonplace to have a mentality that says, “there’s probably a better way.” And you know what? There probably is.

Gaming is widely practiced

Have video games changed society? I think so, but not in the way that some lawmakers or advocacy groups think. I personally am not convinced that violent games lead to violent crime, for instance. Now while I haven’t really played any video games in years, I never once left Morrowind wanting to run off into the woods looking for glowing mushrooms that I could use to make a potion. See?

For another funny example, go here.

But seriously, here’s how I think video games have impacted society: In a video game, the player becomes the subject of some kind of “reality” that they could not have been before. This is a pretty abstract notion I just made you a subject of, so let me explain. In centuries past, in order to participate in a “world” outside of the real world, the only way to get there would have been either:

1. To read a book, or

2. To imagine the world yourself.

The book route would be severely limited in comparison to a game. It’s ability to bring to mind precise imagery, sounds and activity would have been limited to the author’s writing ability. Video games can present its players with hundreds of pages worth of descriptions in seconds. The second route, imagining a wholly different “world” yourself by fantasizing, would also have a serious limitation. It would be limited to the individual’s imagination. They could only go to a world that they could make from within. With video games (and I’d even say movies too), people can “go” places more easily and with much more detail than what was possible in any other time in history. And this doesn’t even barely crack the surface. What about the ability to interact?

Puzzle solving activities are the norm

Now combine the two. Take someone who has the ability to be submerged in and react with completely novel “other” worlds and combine that with the constant recognition that answers are out there. Then multiply that by possibly millions. You end up with this giant mass of people who can imagine completely unordinary places and who can justifiably believe that new and emerging alternatives are completely possible. You end up with a hell of a lot of people who are unique in history. They are a new breed of problem-solving free-thinking individuals. They can view problems in the world completely differently, and they can believe those problems are solvable.

The new creative-analytic class

What does all this mean? It means it could explain why a lot of people are more unsatisfied than they used to be. But first, are people more unsatisfied than they used to be? You tell me. I’m leaning toward yes. Ask yourself this question: If you were living 300 years ago, instead of today, would you be more satisfied? Obviously, most people would quickly imagine having to farm all day long so they could feed their families. Not many people would really be all that satisfied doing that as a “career”. However, if that was really the best answer, then why aren’t we satisfied?

In other words, if long hours of physical labor make you shudder, aren’t you really glad to do what you’re doing today? Most of us would answer, “Yeah…but…” But what? But something, that’s for sure. If you lived 300 years ago, you’d be living a life you know, in a world you know. You would know your lot in life. You would know that farming your land to feed your family was about the only thing really possible. You’d simply have to accept that. Why don’t more people accept that nowadays? I think it’s because they are now open to a wide-ranging set of possibilities. They can imagine worlds outside of their immediate circumstances and have full faith, because of what technology has proved over and over again, that there could be some alternative.

And, if you take all of these people who are open to these possibilities, and stuff them in the “old world” where every institution is built upon old possibilities and little belief in innovation, I bet you’ll see some friction. I bet you’ll see tons of people looking around cautiously asking, “What the…?” Maybe millions of people have already swallowed the red pill…

What do you think?

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Dereck :: Jul.11.2008 :: Perspectives :: 2 Comments »

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