I encourage you to take some time (you probably have some free time on your hands) and think about what's happening in the world and with the world these days.
We are in a situation now where armies are walking the streets to impose social order. Your right to free movement and association has been taken away. Borders are closed (what migrant crisis in Europe and the US?!).
Central banks all over are printing trillions of dollars worth of new money to "help out" (bail-out) the banks. Whole sectors of economic activity are crumbling.
All this because of a flu. A flu that has a mortality rate of what? 1%? 2%? Let's go with the highest number I heard (very old people in Italy), 8%.
Imagine a new disease or virus that comes in the future that has a mortality rate of 65%. It kills two thirds of the infected people. Based on what you see these days, do you think our medical systems can handle that in any manageable way? What restrictive measures do you think governments will take then?
These pandemics are 9/11's at a world scale. How much freedom did the attacks on the World Trade Towers and the death of over 3000 Americans brought?
I think we've entered a new sort of era. A new era for Government power and a new era for social interaction.
The last 25-30 years have been the years that Terrorism (first localized and then internationalized) has taken the place of the Cold War as the tool that was used most often to shape social order and power.
This new era, the next 25-30 years, will be the era that Terrorism is replaced by the Virus (biological and, especially, digital).
I bet we'll all see an easier acceptance and faster development of AI and automation technologies, genetic testing and editing, biometrics, robotics, digital money and services. Change will happen at a faster rate than ever in the past.
As I said at the beginning of this post, I encourage you take some time today and imagine what the world around you will look in this new era.
