Changing the way we think

Madam Editor; There are extraordinary shenanigans in the Dáil; enough to question our capacity for justice or self government. The ability, integrity and motivation of those in positions of great authority and power who basically rule our lives are also under the spotlight. All these occurrences are very well covered by the media but there are other relentless forces creeping up on us which are in essence ignored but will influence our future and that of our children to a far greater extent than any political or social tomfoolery or blackguardism. I note that not one of your 30 plus top listed correspondents of this week even mention never mind do a credible informative dissertation on the impact of modern technology on economic activity. How we manage and adapt to technology is what will decide if the future is the best there ever was or whether we descend into political confusion, chaos and conflict which could literally end a wonderful optimistic dream which for the first time ever is within our grasp. The last three decades have seen enormous technological success; culmination of two centuries of frenzied Industrial Revolution taking us to an elevated economic position which was never thought possible even by our most recent ancestors. We have enhanced human lifespan, health, freedom from pain, comfort, communications, knowledge, education, entertainment, travel and a host of choices which make living at this time light years ahead of anything possible before. We have achieved power to produce practically everything in great abundance so that we should experience shortage or want again while at the same time we are eliminating the need to work very hard anymore. These are extraordinary and wonderful achievements; the creation of a global wonderland far surpassing anything ever conjured up by the magic of fairy- tales where people should be able to live happily ever after. But many people are not living happily ever after; misuse and misdirection of the wonderful achievements of technology are leaving an increasing number as insecure, fearful and worried for the future as at any time in history outside warfare. The fault lies with our administrations and good selves as we appear determined not to make the economic and social changes necessary to adapt to our phenomenal technological success. Growth is a prime example of how our mindset stubbornly won’t change. All through history economic growth was absolutely vital in our constantly struggle to increase production to satisfy the demands of consumption. Now, in the fortunate position of being able to overproduce practically everything we need or desire, we still base all economic policy on continuing growth. We need to abandon such outdated ideas and develop ideology which instead of growing will restrain our enormous ability to produce so we won’t be buried under mountains of oversupply and waste. The World Trade Organization should develop global quotas on production in as fair and just a manner as possible so none would be excluded from the economic cycle and none will be allowed benefit from unfair advantage. Employment without radical rethinking of the work/ job relationship is likely to create enormous and relatively immediate global problems. People throughout history, from the lowliest to the elite, have always been able to barter their labour for a share ( often meagre) of the economic return. With diminishing need for human labour an increasing number are excluded; abandoned without employment they are dumped on the scrapheap of dependency suffering loss of adequacy, security, dignity and hope. Such people vote for extremes; they embrace politicians willing to address the plight of the abandoned with futile promise of jobs. Those who promise such jobs fail to realize that technology is a far greater eliminator of work than relocation to cheap labour zones or migrant workers prepared to accept lower wages. Technology will not be stopped at borders or prohibited by tariff. Invention and innovation are here to stay; they will not be un- invented or destroyed by modern Luddites. The only way forward is to embrace automation and robotics and thank our lucky stars technology is available to do the backbreaking, soul destroying, relentless tasks of history. Even intellectual and easier tasks which divert so many of us from enjoying this wonderful life in far better more interesting ways are under threat. The big snag arises from employment; how to give people means of earning good income despite work being in serious decline. The last three decades have seen enormous technological success’. The answer is not in creating pointless jobs; it is in our heads. The mindset of history with ideas of work being noble, of earning our bread by the sweat of our brow, even of obscene slogans over Nazi Death Camps proclaiming “work will make you free” must be consigned to the past. But we must have employment; we must allow people the security of having a decent income with entitlement and the dignity of earning it through employment. We must realize that whereas employment throughout history was primarily needed for the creation of wealth, employment of the future will primarily be needed to distribute much greater technological wealth to the masses. More people employed doing less work; shorter hours, longer holidays and earlier retirement; all without reduction of income and entitlements. Although such ideas may appear impractical and unworkable they, or something like them, are what will save democracy, society and even civilisation itself. We live in a wonderful world of great abundance with greatly reduced need for growth and work. Our extraordinary success is creating major problems with a now outdated economic ideology which evolved over centuries of very different and much harsher economic conditions. We cannot turn the clock back; our options are to adapt to our extraordinary good fortune or by refusing and opposing the much improved conditions within our reach we risk destroying everything we have achieved. The greatest obstacle to adapting to and embracing the most optimist future there ever was, is the way we think. It is time we started thinking differently.

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