With the advent of new technologies or even the maturing of current ones, there has always been this human need to exaggerate the possible.

If you remember in the 90’s, people believed that the 2000’s would present an era of flying cars. But the closest thing to the mass production of flying cars in modern times are the fleet of Tesla and ride-sharing services.

If you remember back in the 2000’s, people thought that smartphones would bring more social awareness and positive connectivity throughout the world. But as we can see in modern times and in the HTML constructed comment sections, it has only brought more disconnection and rage. Heck, the smartphones may have been the most detrimental effect on human society, even after pollutions from manufacturer’s facilities and pedestrian vehicles plague our air.

And in the 2010’s, with the advent of the Oculus Quest and the acquirement of it by Facebook (now Meta), people believed that virtual reality would be the next step in creating a true social impact on this world. Possible brining positive social connections in the metaverse. Which myself learned the term “metaverse” from Alan Smithson himself. Early adopters believed it would improve how work and education is distributed. For instance, improving safety in training and better ways for people to understand complex concepts, such as mathematics and biology.

But as I sit here writing this (October 25, 2022), it seems that us as humans still struggle to exponentially improve ourselves with the very technology we worship. It has become exhausting seeing so much filler creation, but not enough effective tools to improve the way of human life or just Life in general. You would think that more socially conscience aware people would make it their onus to push tech in a way that the everyday person understands. That technology is not to just benefit big ol’ corporations or greedy businesspeople, where they steal human data and use it against them. But that technology is meant to improve the way we work, play, and socialize.

This is not to say that there are not dedicated people and companies that are pushing technology, whether it be virtual reality, augmented reality, autonomous cars, robotics, artificial intelligence, and the like to propel human society towards a positive future. And not towards a war-torn future. It just seems, as long as “businesses” are developed to confuse the human mind for how tech can improve their life and how it is meant to improve their life with minimal effort, we will always be stuck in this loop of isolation and despair.

To be honest, people were warned about the smartphone and the internet. To be cautious of the websites they visit. But we are human and we are attracted to shiny things. It is just a fact. And business acumen are well aware of this fact. But one would also think that with the smarts of a businessperson, why are there not more solutions available from the maturing technology that is able to give people a decent way of life. Why does governing systems of all types not see the benefit of ensuring their people are well taken care of with available hi-tech. Though the real question is, why do we humans simply abandon each other for the pursuit of shiny things.

I’d have to image that way back in the day, when our ancestors were cuddles up together to fend off the known and unknown monsters, that they knew the importance to give back to their community way more then they took. Heck, it was a form of savings.

Maybe in today’s busy environment and the millions of people involved in it, that the unknown kings that came and took our ancestors savings away for their own kingdom’s sake, are the same kings that are utilizing technology to completely take away the freedom of people to ensure we remain in a slave society. To ensure that the cold robots that hance the capabilities to heal the planet, will continue to subjugate the planet at their will. Maybe the collection of money and all things valuable are very much the root of all evil. Because in order to collect value, it not producing from within oneself, is to take it from an outside source.

It would be a harsh ask to have the regular, average, or even above-average person to put down those shiny objects. To not feel compelled to express their own opinions in a manner that is disruptive to human society. To not feel compelled to isolate a human, based on their perceived notion of that human. To not lend a helping hand, only to expect dollars in return.

All of this is to now pinpoint, for what I believe should be our main and only focus, as new technologies continue to reveal themselves and current technologies continue to mature. We must make it our onus to repair the planet. We must make it our duty to uplift each other. We must make it our obligation to utilize the technology we have to better ourselves. And not selfishly take from each other.

It is hard because we are human. And I have a phrase that I repeat to myself to remind me of the harshness of the environment we live in: “A human is still a human, is still a human.” We have to acknowledge our self-tendencies so we can be better than, to be more than, to strive for perfection of our environment. For Life itself is not just a group of words to follow, but an adventure to live out. So live free, live well, and live of your own volition. Good Luck!