How good do you feel? How good is your life? What do you desire in this world?
Are you beautiful, in good shape, healthy, wealthy? Do you have all you want, all of the money, toys and people you dream of. Is your life fulfilling?
Could it be better?
Imagine a world where you can have everything you desire, feel exactly how you wish, be in the best shape of your life. It is possible.
Soon.
As more and more jobs are consumed by technology, even though more are created to replace, I don't see there being enough for everyone that could work.
That leaves a severe unemployment issue that needs to be addressed. There are stop-gap measures in the short-term like, universal basic income (UBI), but these still require a huge shift in existing thinking and structure.
If you look at the fiasco and challenges faced with the affordable healthcare act in the United States and then multiply the requirements by about a thousand times or more, it gives an idea. That is not an accurate figure, just an illustration.
Some will say that it is not doable, but it will have to be attempted in some way, as if there are only jobs available for 25 percent of the population globally, there is going to be massive implications.
Now, the jobs that are available aren't likely to be the kind of job that one can just walk into, they are likely to be highly specialised jobs and idea generation jobs. The kind of work that not everyone enjoys or is suited for.
So what will the rest do?
Lets assume that there is a Universal Basic Income (UBI) in place and it can cover all of the basic requirements for life. It is unlikely to provide enough that there is limitless possibility.
For many in this world, whether they realise it or not, work provides a large proportion of their feelings of meaning and purpose as most feel that they are working towards something, even if that something is to be able to not have to go to work. Work gives a good reason to get up in the morning for many.
If we look at the trends in smoking percentage and obesity, there is a widening gap between the rich and the poor, where the less educated and less wealthy have higher rates of both. This obviously will also have effects on their children and their predispositions in later generations.
If we extrapolate the idea out to a situation where 75% of people have enough for basic needs but no way to get more for extras, we could assume that this gap will widen further.
Humans these days tend to favour enjoyment over health and when faced with a situation between the choice of fun or food, many choose fun by reducing the quality of food. The short-term feel good is soon replaced by the long-term illnesses and ailments that plague the malnourished and sedentary.
But as stated in the introduction, there may be a solution.
Everyone who so loves to be entertained, loves to spend their free time sitting in front of a screen and would gladly extend this time infinitely, why not provide them the opportunity?
The technology is fast approaching that will allow us to immerse ourselves both visually and physically into digital worlds through neurological networks.
In these worlds, we will be able to be whoever we choose to be, feel gifted, superhuman and as strong or as weak as we choose without having to leave the living room. In this cyberspace, we will feel more present and alive than the real world and may feel as if we are living the way we were always meant to, with meaning and purpose.
Superhero and X-men mutant concepts are popular and attractive for a reason, for as long as humans have had the ability to think about the future, we have wanted to extend what we currently have. This is how we evolved the technologies in the first place. We wanted to fly with the birds well before we were able to.
But in these worlds, everything is possible. It is likely that it can even make one feel intelligent by providing higher thoughts by mimicking the internal innovation process. Of course, this would not actually make one smarter necessarily, but perhaps make one feel more equal to the person who designed the system. The difference of course is that one actually designed it through their own thoughts while the other consumed a representation of ability.
Unplug a second and come back to reality.
There you are, sitting on your couch, no money, over weight, relatively unskilled and likely un-gifted in anyway. The government provides the basic necessities for you through the UBI, and your social network is in the same condition as you. You are wheezing, coughing and struggling to stand as the muscles in your spine have atrophied through lack of use. You pull yourself to your feet and get to a mirror, and witness first-hand what you have become.
Tell me, how long until you plug in again? How long until you choose to stay plugged in?
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
