As we enter 2012, I've been thinking about the state of the world - where we are today, where we might be a year from now, and what each of us can do to affect the world in a positive way in the coming year. I have been seized by the notion that we are all in a lifeboat together here on this planet and that we will succeed or fail together based on how we treat each other and our lifeboat. For far too long, we have taken our lifeboat for granted. It's a great boat, built for the ages, but it requires care and maintenance in order to remain a hospitable place for us to live, and as a civilization, we haven't quite figured out how to take proper care of it. On the subject of civilizational achievement, we can use the Kardashev scale (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale) as a guide. From Wikipedia:
-- The Kardashev scale is a method of measuring an advanced civilization's level of technological advancement. The scale is only theoretical and in terms of an actual civilization highly speculative; however, it puts energy consumption of an entire civilization in a cosmic perspective. It was first proposed in 1964 by the Soviet Russian astronomer Nikolai Kardashev. The scale has three designated categories called Type I, II, and III. These are based on the amount of usable energy a civilization has at its disposal, and the degree of space colonization. In general terms, a Type I civilization has achieved mastery of the resources of its home planet, Type II of its solar system, and Type III of its galaxy.[1] -- To me, a Type I civilization has mastered its home planet, not just its energy sources. Clearly then, Michio Kaku is right when he says we have not yet achieved Level 1 status as a civilization. Moreover, most people on the planet do not yet see that we have a single planetary civilization, that we are all connected on this world. Fortunately for progress, the Internet has come along at just the right time in history to enable us all to communicate directly with each other across the globe, to bring us closer and enable us to work together to find solutions to our common problems. Which takes us back to our lifeboat, and our common problems.There is a huge garbage patch covering the middle of the North Pacific Ocean, and we are generating more and more trash every single year. The debris of the March 11 Japanese tsunami is about to wash up on the West Coast of North America. There is radiation from Fukushima floating around in the atmosphere. There are wars in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. And we are moving toward a potential global economic crash that could make 2008 pale in comparison. Why all this is happening around the world at this point in history is anyone's guess. What we do about it is everyone's responsibility. People are our greatest asset in our fight to save the lifeboat, and we must harness everyone's talents if we are to succeed. Success could find us in a new Planetary Era of peace and prosperity. Evolution, not revolution, is the path forward. We have built too much to see it all torn down around us. This Age is ending, perhaps we should turn the page on the events of the past and let the future be a testament to the ties that bind us, not the divisions that separate us. To that end, my resolution is to work on self-discipline in order to contribute in a positive way to saving the lifeboat. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Order the Adobe Coldfusion Anthology now! http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Coldfusion-Anthology/dp/1430272155/?tag=houseoffusion Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:345009 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
