The reality is that we live in a technologically divided world. ~ Mike Elgan
Good morning! This is your Random Truth (RANT) bulletin with your random food for thought.
I’m feeling particularly snarky today, but it’s all for a good cause. This RANT will identify the exact reason why the world is not operating according to its full potential, near the edge of its knowledge frontier. Knowing what holds it back will help propel it forward in due course.
Today’s topic: The technological divide.
The technological divide is a real phenomenon, causing a number of problems across the board. It creates most of the tensions we are currently faced with.
But don’t take my word for it. Take Forbes’s word. According to a recent article concerning the harsh realities of technological progress:
There is a divide between those who possess technological power and those who don’t.
Some of us have neither the option to use the most recent technology, nor the choice to opt in or out of its workings, which gives rise to tensions on both a local and a global scale.
Certain groups and setups have the ability to survive the rising tide of technology and information, while others are sunk by it.
Those who can’t handle the tide exhibit fear and confusion, some of which is rational, some of which is not.
The benefits from bridging the technological divide will theoretically allow technology to operate closer to its frontier without causing the populace panic or alarm.
It’s not about how far one goes but how far behind in the race the rest have fallen
In other words, to paraphrase an exhausted cliché, it’s not about the size of the technology but about how people use it. It’s not about how far one goes but how far behind in the race the rest have fallen. The gap between the frontrunners and the laggards defines the world on an everyday basis more than any apparatus, tool, gear or outfit.
To read the article for yourselves, click:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/netapp/2013/10/23/tom-hanks-captain-phillips-tech/#557c4c45470a
Pause for reading, with a little music to help you along, if that helps, because…
…You Won’t Get Wise With The Sleep Still In Your Eyes
Having read the article, three interrelated points from three distinct standpoints arise, which I’d like to share with you. The first involves the distance between the frontrunners and the laggards. This technological divide defines today’s interdependent world via shared, interrelated mechanisms, affecting how said progress is utilized in overall terms. (Let’s call this the Objective & All-around Standpoint, or ObAS.)
The second point involves the realization that laggards always create a drag, which is why the frontrunners often cut them o and move on without them. (Let’s call this the O ensive & A rmative Standpoint, or OfAS.)
The third and final point involves the laggards’ aversion to being left behind and how they react to it. Should they fail to take o and catch up with the program for whatever reason, they usually do everything in their power to halt the progress of the entire group, bringing everyone down to their level. (Let’s call this the Retarding & Inhibitory Standpoint, or ReIS.)
Having said that, here’s my question:
Where in this formula do you stand? Where does your profession, nation, religion or lifestyle stand? ObAS, OfAS, or ReIS?
This is the cue for the offended — and the sticklers for proper debate — to rise up and assert that it all depends how one defines progress.
I agree. So let’s define progress:
Progress is the ability to act, react and expand on our knowledge and insights as defined by the data obtained via an array of valid studies and experiences. The process needs to be based on evidence entirely observable, verifiable, replicable and open to investigation.
So go on, ask yourselves again. Where do you and the setups you belong to stand regarding the progress of intelligent life? Whatever your intentions and dreams, how do the actions of what you represent contribute to an informed, maturing, advancing way of life?
The question is not rhetorical. Please elaborate if you wish, or can.
From the RANT headquarters,
Have a nice day!
PS – There are a number of ways to deal with the issues raised. The most important one involves asking oneself whether what we represent has the right to do what it does, not just legally and morally, but also practically?
Do Christians have the right to hold the world hostage to a belief system that is clearly based on fabrication? Do Muslims have the right to enjoy the perks of technology while they demonize the lifestyle and principles that give rise to said technology? Do countries like Greece, Italy, Argentina and Uganda have the right to run shoddy, failed states at the expense of other people, refusing to apply any lasting structural reforms to their administrations?
Do the o ended and sensitive people of the world have the right to censor all forms of communication to tend to their sensitivities? Do the weaker parts of the world have the right to dictate policy and set forth global agendas when their MO’s are not up to scratch? Do those who don’t perform, as indicated by their lack of performance on a number of indices, as well as their overall contribution on matters of progress, have the right not to be righted over their errors? Do the least apt students in class have the right to demand that classes be taught at their pace? Do all ideas have equal merit in the arena of debate? Do funders have to fund every idea and enterprise out there simply because it exists?
‘Questions, questions, annoying questions,’ echo the streets and speakerphones, the blogs and email threads, brimming with frustration.
PS 2 – Usually there’s a closing video to sum up a RANT, but this time please refer to the one above, because it still applies: You won’t get wise with the sleep still in your eyes, no matter what your dream might be.