Abundance Is Our Future
Have you ever wondered why most news headlines are dire? Or why almost all news shows lead with tragedies? Or why so much of our idle conversation turns toward the difficult and dour rather than the hopeful and happy? I know I have, and I learned why in the following TedTalk by tech guru Peter Diamandis. We are by nature, he argues, programmed to pay attention to threats. While this made evolutionary sense at an earlier point in history when our species was beset by dangers, today it can cloud our view of the world so that we miss the incredible abundance and potential that surrounds us.
Diamandis founded and now runs the X Prize, which offers large cash prizes to inventors who can solve contemporary problems. From this vantage point, he is able to catalogue the phenomenal advances humans have made and peer into a future where similar advances are likely to solve many of our current problems. In this Talk he presents some of the ideas that animate his book, Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think
While I’m not quite as sanguine about technology’s ability to “save” us as he perhaps is, I nevertheless found his focus on abundance both helpful and hopeful. After watching, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section about your own hopes and worries about the future and the difference it makes to you to know that we are hardwired to give most of our attention to threats rather than opportunities.
Note: if you are receiving this post by email, you may need to click here to watch the video.
To me, the poverty comment struck me – how much those in poverty still have – cell phones, air conditioning, etc. To me, these are things that growing up were “optional” (air conditioning). So, what really makes poverty?
The other thing that really struck me is the advances in technology – how much more connected individuals in remote parts of the world are than the President 15 years ago.
My hope is that technology is used for good. My worry is that there really are people who are in poverty & can’t afford to be connected in the ways the world is going. I currently have a “dumb phone”, but do have wi-fi at home. These are choices I made. Having wi fi is very nice, but doesn’t fulfill a basic need (food, shelter, clothing). If society forgets about people who truly can’t afford to be connected, which include places where it’s difficult to be connected (rural areas) then I worry that the gap between the haves & have nots will only grow more.
It is exciting to see how far the majority has come, but how to we help our neighbor who can’t keep up? That is my worry……..
What this program did was give me a whole new outlook on our future. Instead of being glum, worrisome, I now see hope! I think that is the best thing we can take out of this talk. To know that poverty is changing – that health care is changing – that technology is leading these changes is quite impressive. So now I think, as a minister, how do I use all this technology and all these new 3 billion people coming on board with the internet to further His kingdom. I am in awe!!!
This is great fodder for pondering Jesus’s words, “For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?” (Mk 8.36) In the midst of all the gains and yes, blessings, especially for the poor, how will we keep our spiritual compass? It is a call to the church to proclaim the vital connection God has made with us to keep us human, to provide the community we crave, to understand the meaning of each life.
What most IT forget is that more and more people are becoming part of the “working poor” group. Those who work 3 or 4 part time jobs that do not pay above min. wage and have no health benefits. Who is going to pay for that triple phone Ted is proposing? Who is going to pay the light bill and the grocery bill? The abundance is going to go to the 1% of the world who have it now, only they will now have it in greater abundance. When technology provides the means and motive to share food with others then I might be more enthused but until then, I won’t hold my breath.