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January 28, 2006
We are as gods
The annual gathering of political glitterati known as the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was noteworthy last year for the remarks by CNN chair Eason Jordan that led to his resignation: that Coalition forces in Iraq were deliberately targeting journalists. This comment would have passed under the radar were it not blogged by an entrepreneur attending the conference, Rony Abovitz.
Rony was invited back to Davos this year, but had other commitments. However, he has some thoughts about blogging at this year's Davos forum. Read the whole thing, but this stood out for me:
The president of Russia (as a hypothetical example) may find himself joking at the bar with Bill Gates and perhaps a famous writer - and the next morning the bartender has posted their entire discussion on the internet, with video clips from his phone landing on numerous global news stations. One day they may still be at the bar watching the tv - watching themselves telling an off-color joke (from just a few minutes past) on the ole' telly, wondering how the heck they all just ended up on Fox News .. . . . What's interesting about this phenomena is that most of the major world religions present concepts of G-d seeing and hearing all of one's actions - and that everything one says and does is being recorded for presentation on judgement day. Well, we're not quite at that level, but we're getting close to the day where some significant portion of everyone's actions and words will be recorded and posted somewhere for all to see - and judgement for one's actions and words may come swiftly.
Which made me think of what Stewart Brand wrote in his mission statement for the original Whole Earth Catalog
We are as gods and might as well get good at it. So far, remotely done power and glory - as via government, big business, formal education, church — has succeeded to the point where gross defects obscure actual gains. In response to this dilemma and to these gains a realm of intimate, personal power is developing — power of the individual to conduct his own education, find his own inspiration, shape his own environment, and share his adventure with whoever is interested.
That was written almost 40 years ago, and as technology becomes more accessible and powerful it beomes more true every year.
Judith | 01/28/06 at 09:24 PM | Categories: Tikkun olam
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Comments
Stewart Brand was indeed ahead of his time - and a sort of prophet for the internet. Many of his ideas are coming to fruition now....
-r
rony | January 31, 2006 07:54 PM
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