This is just an introduction to my favorite trend. This trend is so vast, so incredible, that a full explanation could fill a book.
It’s the most significant of the Big 4, and has the potential to save mankind from itself. It has always been an effective strategy at certain times, but today its used in ways never imagine before because of recent technological advances.
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We’ve all heard about “the law of attraction,” popularized by the movie The Secret. Alright, the movie went a little overboard, but the main idea was solid, and is lesson #1 of personal development teachers from Napoleon Hill to Tony Robbins. Essentially, we move towards what we focus on.
As individuals, we know the importance of staying focused. Companies invest ridiculous amounts of time and money into staying focused. But what about our country? What should it focus on?
Interesting.
What have we, as a country, been focusing on lately? Let me quickly browse the topics on major news sites. Okay, here they are:
Swine flu. Recession. GOP identity crisis, Pakistan. Miss California’s fake breasts. Torture memos.
Interesting.
If we move towards what we focus on, is this really where we want our attention?
I realized today that it has been months since my last post. Well I’m back. Partly because there’s so many thoughts bursting out of me, and partly because I can’t stand what I’m hearing people talk about these days. Its ridiculous, and wrong, and down-right scary.
Mankind is just beginning to tap its potential. There is so much to be excited about in this world, right now, if we know where to look.
But we need ideas to focus on. Ideas that inspire us, challenge us, and bring us together. Ideas that rule the world.
Next, I’ll cover the final 2 of the Big 4.
When people discuss globalization, they’re usually refering to economic globalization — trade agreements such as NAFTA and CAFTA, and organizations like the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Progressives often say that globalization takes advantage of third-world countries, eliminates American jobs, and only increases the wealth of a tiny minority.
Free-trade advocates defend globalization, saying it spreads technology, knowledge and economic prosperity.
You probably notice a similar disagreement here as with the first trend, Automation.
But the debate over economic globalization misses the big picture. When I discuss globalization on this blog, it’s much more than that. From my perspective, globalization is simply the process of things becoming global. It can be represented by Facebook, which connects people like never before. Or Paypal, which empowers entrepreneurs with global, low-cost currency exchange. Or Kiva, which allows anybody in the world to micro-lend to entrepreneurs in developing countries.
If you want a quick overview of globalization, you can read the Wikipedia article. You’ve probably also heard of The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman. Another book I would recommend is Powerful Times, by Eamonn Kelly.
My opinion: like automation, globalization is unavoidable. It’s the reality of our time, and therefore, we might as well focus on the good. Challenges can be met by pursuing the opportunities. Globalization is an opportunity to minimize misunderstanding between people and cultures, countries and governments. The more interconnected we are — whether it’s through Facebook or international trade agreements — the more empathy we have for each other. And the more empathy we have, the better our chances in creating a peaceful and properous world.
What is Automation? Well, simply put, it’s the process of things becoming automatic.
Automation is mostly reliant on technology and machines, but can also be explained as standardized processes where people operate in ways similar to machines. From my understanding, there are three steps in the trend of automation.
Optimists of Automation believe it frees humans from menial, unpleasant, or dangerous work. They envision a Utopian world where humans are free to pursue their interests, basic needs are taken care of, and we achieve a new level of civilization — even a golden age of peace and prosperity. Such optimists include Buckminster Fuller and Jacque Fresco.
Critics argue Automation has put people out of work, created a reliance on machines that leave us unprepared in the event of their failure, and has only resulted in increasing the bottom-line profit of corporations. They envision Automation creating a dystopian world ruled by machines, a loss of will power among people with nothing to do, and the eventual disintegration of society.
My opinion: Automation is happening. It has been one of the most powerful forces of change during the past century. It is not going away, in fact, it is accelerating. There are opportunities and challenges. The challenges are largely inevitable and are primarily adjustment pains — they can be addressed. However, our focus should be on the opportunities. Therefore, we should pay attention to the optimists. Pessimists have doubts and fears. Optimists have ideas. And as we already know, ideas rule the world!
The Future of Automation?
For a few years now I’ve searched for a guiding framework to see the world–one that encompasses the discoveries and innovations of the past few decades, put’s them in context of history, and reveals opportunities for our future.
I believe I’ve found that guiding framework. I call it “The Big 4.” The Big 4 are four macro-trends that are currently shaping everything around us, directly or indirectly. These trends are rapidly changing the fabric of our human experience.
The Big 4 came into being while I was preparing a keynote address, titled “The Future of Business,” for a state-wide gathering of chapters from Future Business Leaders of America. I was looking for a simple way to communicate to the audience—mostly high school students—the shifts that were happening, so they could adequately prepare themselves.
These trends will affect all of us: educators, students, future businessmen, politicians, entertainers. No organization or government is immune to the impact off the Big 4, no matter how much they try to ignore or fight it.
In subsequent posts, I will write in-depth about each of the four trends. They are the following:
The acronym to remember the Big 4 is “A G.D.P.” (as in Gross Domestic Product). I’ll start with Automation. Look for it in the next few days!
It’s time to begin.
I’ve wanted to blog for a couple of years. I’ve thought about, talked about, and ultimately did nothing. It’s a bit terrifying to put your thoughts and words up for everyone to see. You can’t take them back. They’re out there, somewhere, for as long as the Internet is alive.
But now is the time.
On January 20th, America turned the page on a period of history that few of us are proud of. Our country is in crisis, and each of us is responsible in some way. So when I watched President Obama address the nation, I saw the chance for each of us to turn our own page. That could mean taking an entirely new direction in life, or committing to a cause, or just deciding to be a little bolder. For me, among other things, I’m starting this blog.
I’m an all or nothing person. So before I took the leap, I wanted to be sure of my purpose.
First, I’m doing this for me. I need a place to vent, to reflect, and capture my thoughts about things at that moment in time. I’ll write about my experiences as a student, an entrepreneur, and life in general.
Second, I want feedback. There’s nothing I like more than having people smarter than myself tearing apart my arguments. That’s the best way to learn. And so occasionally I’ll share my thoughts on business, philosophy and politics.
But it’s the last reason that really matters. My life is a pursuit of the big picture. My journey has just begun, but everywhere I look, there are stories untold, opportunities unseen, and potential unrealized. I can’t just watch the world transform and say nothing about it. That’s not my style. I have a voice and I need to use it.
These are exponential times, meaning each of our actions has a compounded and disproportionate impact. With escalating trends and a connected global consciousness, our world can change dramatically for better or worse. Therefore, it’s more important than ever for us to be opportunity seekers, not just problem solvers.
We need vision. We need ideas. Ideas are the currency of change. Ideas are the catalyst of revolution. Ideas rule the world. The big picture I’m looking for—this journey I’ve begun—is a search for the right ideas.
This blog is about that search.
