This is a second draft of ideas I have previously written as essays = or blurbs

Societa= l Growth and Other Thoughts

20070401

devhak

devhak@yahoo.ca

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This is= a second draft of ideas I have previously written as essays or blurbs.

This gi= ves one the chance to improve upon wording and have a better understanding of the spoken issues as time passes and the individual learns through personal experience or experience acquired through outer media. This essay discusses ideas of social and population growth in this current era, what may occur before and after the population’s peak, and how the past may be considered on different aspects of thought. As with most of my writings, do not consider this as any more than a viewpoint to discuss for intellectual stimulation. Two questions for thought are:

&= nbsp; What will the world be like after the digital age?

&= nbsp; Will we be back in caves or on the moon?

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Once th= e world realizes that individual philosophical beliefs should not affect our compassion for = one another, then, and only then, will we arrive at the next social paradigm. We are still in the ‘Dark Ages” that many consider to be behind us= . We have not improved as much as the members of this society have been conditioned to believe. The inertia of so= cial change is strong but with constant pressure we can form the future we desir= e.

&= nbsp; The paradigms of society vary not only in frequency of change, but also of subj= ect. Science, social, philosophical, and political are examples of various subje= cts of which changes of a paradigm nature occur. Though changes are often related b= etween these subjects, each has its own basic structure and entity. Science deals = with the basic accepted scientific theories of the time frame; social with the interactions of people and social laws that govern the people; philosophica= l is a combination of science and spirituality the basic belief structures deali= ng with a wide range of aspects such as life, death, morality, and natural law= s; and political which is the governed laws and resources of the people. They = are usually interrelated in some way. We are just entering a paradigm of society based mostly on the social and technological, which deals with the ability = of the powers-that-be to observe and control society under the false label of public safety. Much of its in= tent may be safety such as anti-terrorism, but how far does the terrorism label go to define dissention that will occur due to the unequal distribution of power = and wealth, and how far will those in control act to maintain this ideology and form/condition the structure/people to what is solely to the ruler’s benefit?

&= nbsp; As this society ‘progresses,’ it is becoming apparent that the reg= ular people are losing control to the corporate mega-conglomerates. At this poin= t it would be easy to develop our society into the totalitarian-type government = as portrayed in Orwell’s 1984 and George Lucas’s THX 113= 8, but if the people of our society have the will and education, we can force = the government and corporations to realize they must permit true freedom. Resist the conditioning that the powers controlling the media and market continual= ly and with increasing strength force into our minds.

This new paradigm appears to be very mechanistic, starting w= ith people doing the work and gradually moving towards mechanical machines to perform the work. When this happens we will see the true natures of the powers-that-be, whether they maintain their power based on strict control of society, or allow intellectual freedom to flourish. The latter, I view, is better for the people and the continuation and expansion of our species, but the way ‘security’ of our species is developing seems more like= ly to lead to the former. The nature of the former possibility is not all bad = in the disruption of destructive terrorism, but negative in that it maintains control on the basis of fear rather than freedom. It is efficient but maybe= too much so; it takes the ‘humanity’ out of the people, both in the mechanistic, non-intellectual nature of it, and that the power is too concentrated in such a small sect of ‘elite’ society. In the ‘middle ages’ of capitalism, it was becoming possible for a per= son to progress from one sect of society to another fairly easily with adequate intelligence and desire, and is quite possible today as well. With the adve= nt of the digital technology era in this capitalist state, as many people fight against each other, as many people fight against each other in warlike ecst= asy for an increase in power and individual profit, compassion for the fellow h= uman has largely been forgotten as people become distanced from each other. The corruption of personal wealth propagates and evolves into more than mere individual monetary gain; the corporations now act in the place of private individual citizens. These corporations acting in place of individuals in t= he market world consume the society and culture, and excrete a pseudo-culture based on materialism rather than intrinsic or real human values. The advent= of materialism discourages true intellectual thought and increases the power of the wealthy elite over the members of regular society to the point where control of an individualistic life can be easily conditioned and maintained= .

&= nbsp; True rebellion is merely doing what you truly desire, be it aspects of conformit= y or not, with an educated mind open to the happenings of life.

&= nbsp; At this moment the Homo sapiens-sapiens population on earth is growing, though= its acceleration, or rate of change, is decreasing and will likely drop to zero= as the population peaks before the world population starts to decline (if it follows some extrapolated trends). The evolution of our biology and technol= ogy is based on whether or not environmental factors stress our population. As a method of coping with these stresses, our brains have developed the mental capacity to adapt with our survival needs, and to modify the living environ= ment to ensure the species moves on and expands its territory. Need and ability = spark desire to improve our living conditions, making living a much simpler task. Eventually our mentality developed the awareness of self. This may have sparked curiousity of life and the world in which our ancestors li= ved in at the time. Curiousity gives an individual ambition to learn and explor= e. This innate curiousity, though considered by modern standards, is what brou= ght about marvelous jumps in technology: fire, wheel, chimney, guns, mechanical engines, atomic power, telephones and computers, to name a few. As our population grows it creates environmental stresses which it must overcome. Often these stresses are self-inflicted. If the society in any of these situations cannot adapt to the changing environment, either by adapting the body, lifestyle or technology, or by emigrating, it will perish.=

&= nbsp; Likely its downfall occurs when the environmental threshold, the point where the environment cannot sustain the population at current use of resources, whic= h is usually at the peak of the population curve. It is at this point that the popul= ation overall starts to decline, eventually moderating itself until it either dies altogether, or some environmental factor (such as expanded territory) or technology allows it to rapidly grow again.

&= nbsp; Humans are a competitive species, working together as is necessary but always attempting to “be #1.” As the population stresses increase, humans become more competitive = as each person is naturally working primarily for their own individual self, secondly their immediate kin, and tertiary, the greater collective. It is h= ow our species evolved as these traits had been necessary for our ancestors to survive. This competitiveness= is another factor that drives technological progress, though it is not necessa= rily negative; there are some positive aspects to it.

&= nbsp; When people are competitive, it means each individual or group is striving for p= eak efficiency, which can improve with time; but when groups of people work together, share information freely, and each person working to his or her skillset and desires, efficiency is greatly improved.

&= nbsp; As the population is rising it is gradually closing in on the carrying capacit= y of the environment. During this rise, new, fresh minds are continually surfaci= ng, building on the past knowledge of society and evolving the mind alongside technology. The rise in populations as mentioned prior creates stresses on = said populations, resulting in the advancement of technologies, social affairs a= nd the physical body (brain included-hopefully). As there are more minds compe= ting to pass on its influence and genetics to the succeeding generation, a rise = in technological progress mirrors population growth. Since our bodies have ada= pted to near their peak efficiency for this environment, and our minds have the ability, we evolve our technologies to suit our living environment. Technol= ogy, for humans, has always been based on overcoming obstacles that our environm= ent places upon us, and fairly recently on the evolutionary scale, curiousity h= as been a major factor. At diffe= rent times throughout history, competitiveness and co-operation have dominated f= or various aspects of a species evolution as necessary. The individuals and co= llectives most suited for the environment of the given time and place were the ones t= hat survived. Those whom are able to prepare for and adapt to the future would likely thrive in the upcoming environmental transformation. Though the increase in mechanizati= on of the human society may make the future seem bleak and dull; it will progress well if people remain curious. Need will drive technological changes, but curiousity is what will bring our species to the next natural stage of human exploration following land, sea and air: space, the moon, the outer solar system, and beyond. These technologies are a mandatory subject of research and exploration of we wish= the species to survive into the next millennium. As well, if we are to explore = this new horizon, this is the time to do it, while our population is still increasing and there is pressure to refine technology.

&= nbsp; If it works out well, our population will be able to increase beyond the proje= cted peak as new frontiers are being opened up for human colonization: orbiting = the earth on space stations and the moon. To reach this goal and beyond, we must, as a whole, put aside our differences and stop this pointless bickering of uncivilized barbarians and work together for the future of our species as a wise and intelligent spacefaring society. It is wi= thin our reach but unless a radical change occurs it will forever fall beyond our grasp. If we wait too long it will disappear, either temporarily or forever= . Our future destinies are dependant= on our desire. What will it be?

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Each of= us is the subsequent step in evolution from our parents.