Future thrills

It is well known that communicating through the written word is not efficient – less than 10 %, so we waste a lot of energy. Body language, pictures, seeing and feeling is much more efficient, may be in the area of 60 % efficient. So what about thinking together, using extrasensory perception and other techniques we do not understand at the moment. Will we ever be able to communicate 100% efficiently – come through with complete meaning? Maybe this is seen as slightly scary?

Now the next phase in communication is coming to us: Video over long distances, creation of virtual spaces, pulling the people together by means of datapower.

Modern machines can transfer pictures, video and speech. By creating virtual reality by means of datapower we can put everybody into the same space so that everybody can see each other clearly, the system will not only connect the people involved, but make sure the environment is common and efficient, noise and disturbances are taken away. The concept of avatar is popping up and the system makes everybody into avatars living in the same environment. The datapower can be instructed to have functionality, making your wishes come “through”.

It will be cloud-based so no datapower or machinery of your own is needed, just the camera and projection equipment. Could you use the DSLR with video for this? But the power in the sky will need graphics, heavy processors, and hefty net capacity is also required.

So who do you want to be efficient with, or where do you want to be? Could this replace travel? Will there be holographic pictures floating in space that you can tape as a file?

So you call people on the video, communicate efficiently – and truthfully – and the videofile is your documentation. Easy?

There is no need to wait – it will all be here soon.

The most basic questions of all can not yet be answered.

• What is life?
• How does life start and does it end?
• Why are we here?
• Why is there “something” and not “nothing”?
• Why do we exist?
• What is consciousness?
• What are the rules or laws that governs the “system” we are part of?
• What are the components or building blocks of what we observe?
• What is the role of observation?
• How do the branches of science interconnect?
• Is there a “grand solution” or “grand answer”

Our knowledge is progressing all the time, but historically – at any time – what has been the current knowledge has always been superseded by new knowledge. Letting the new knowledge into our lives is a slow process, there follows heated debate, and logic is not always the master. The sciences we have today are fairly new, and new sciences will be seen, maybe in combination with newly found knowledge. Life sciences and systems sciences are now growing in importance.

So we keep pushing for understanding: to develop our inner being, to understand how we function, to control the forces in our lives, to achieve consciousness. Understanding the physics or biology of it all are details – focus must be shifted to a wider understanding.

Large areas of knowledge are still obviously kept from us. Accepting and making this understanding important will make it easier to make progress. There is no reason to get angry or find enemies over new ideas – there is always reason to speculate and maybe we should do more of it – in the name of progress?

Sharing is the new paradigm. Everybody should have a share in profits of the companies of a society or have a part of common resources allotted to them so that real equality can be achieved. The system, the amounts and numbers must be evaluated, but the principle should be established.

Some states have profit sharing schemes already, e.g. Alaska related to oil. A Norwegian professor of economics has suggested that 25% of profits from oil production should be distributed to all individuals in the country.

A lot of attention has been given to this matter, from the old Greeks to modern day: Phillippe Van Parijs, Joseph Chalier, Erik Christensen. A network has been formed Basic Income Earth Network. The theme has varied from a basic wage for all to minimum income, and research and thinking is continuing. Factors entering into it are ownership of common ground, including metals, oil, forest, rare earths, crops. Society establishes large and complex systems and the inhabitants of a society should be rewarded for this by receiving a due share of income or profits. This should not be in the form of taxes to the state, but as a form of levy from everything to everybody.

With increasing efficiency of production labour in the old sense is becoming less required, and we are moving towards a situation where only a few have to work at any time. The activities we are spending time on has been changing for a long time, and even less time is required for upkeep as we become more and more efficient and energy-intensive.

New thinking is required – we must manage the Earth and its local communities in new ways. The soil, what it produces, what it contains must be seen as a common resource to be managed by all, as a common pool resource, and everybody should have a share of the income it generates.

Factors to consider are inherited riches, technological development, the role of national boundaries, renewable, non-renewable, sharing of revenues, transparency: keeping it all to yourself is not the best way. The method of collective reasoning should be developed – collective thinking and collective power.

Growing and distribution of food should be part of the same method, and corporative and government restraint must be part of it. The use of ecological principles should be increased.

The aim of it all is fair distribution, fair share for all so that nobody lacks the basic necessities.

Having a big economy means being a big player on the world stage. If you are big you use your power to dominate the world. History is full of these nations: the Ottomans, the Romans, the British/Europeans and now the US. So what will the emerging big players do?

The emerging economic strength of population-big nations like China and India will surely see  changes materialize. China will soon have an economy that is bigger than the US, and a bit later India will surpass the US.

So there will be an old-fashioned fight coming up – let us hope we avoid a new world war. The US will work hard to make such a war take place outside of the US, maybe on mainland China, or between India and China. It could also mark the end of the war on terrorism, and be part of a process of finding a new big “enemy”.

This appears to be pure speculation at the moment, but the old fashioned security thinking does not make the world a safe place. New alliances will now be built, and the big question is how fast China and India will emerge and also how fast and deep the US influence is reduced. World institutions will have to change to reflect the new power balance.

The attention of the US is shifting towards Asia, China is not a mature player yet, India is testing its abilities toward foreign lands.

So would it be possible to envision some new thinking that shows humanity becoming more sensible and cooperative – a new era of modern world politics? We have many big matters that requires handling, e.g. poverty, lack of education. It is far too early to say, but so far we see no sign of innovative thinking. Let us for the time being hope we will survive. It is all rather sad really.

We will one day have world cooperation, sharing, fairness, conflicts settled through international law, but maybe another big shoot-out is required before we can manage that.

Money is a means of exchange and everybody should have some minimum of it so that we are fed, have shelter, get education, find water, get treatment when we are sick: the basics should be taken care of for all, by community or public programs.

This is not what we see now. There is dire poverty in many places. We need to change the monetary system or as a start we can use simple mechanisms like giving poor people money with conditions attached?

Let us assume the present monetary system is basically good, but some aspects of it must be fixed. The lenders and government control the money supply, and money is hoarded as part of power schemes and this is wrong. The lenders and governments control the money supply, and they should as a matter of principle see to it that all citizens have a minimum supply. Social security should at the same time be taken from people who do not need it. This is difficult, but we must find ways to rebalance distribution of money.

Further if money is turned into a salable product through productification, made a “risk” product you can use for marketization and speculation, then the concept of money has been profoundly changed. Public interest must be called upon to regulate what takes place. There should be thrown some light on the black pools of money!

The value of money should be related to value creation in society, governments should not be able to make new money without relation to value creation. Treating money as “goods” and handling it in a market should not be allowed.

We are producing ever more, the unit costs are going down all the time, and we must accept that some goods now must be commoditized or made free, i.e. provided by the public. It is silly to stop value creation for lack of money?

So new thinking is needed: cash programs for a start for kids with conditions attached, for poor people to make them dignified, and this is already done in many places, strong regulation of money, fair distribution systems, and may be some more.

Traditional economics are incomplete, we must expand our thinking about it, markets are an illusion and suffer from insufficiency, the monetary system must be reworked.

The aim of it all – let us start with the basics – food, shelter, education, healthcare for all. We can do it of course, but our systems are flawed and our thinking is wrong. The future is coming, so let us prepare for changes.

The emerging change of world power balance is happening. Stories of Chinese presence in Africa are found all over, and now things are getting hotter in the areas of water near China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Philipines, the Paracels, the Spratleys etc. All countries in the area want a piece of the action or control of the sea and its depths – whatever is down there. Security and control are other factors coming into play. Vietnam already has a presence on some of these shoals.

And surprise, surprise: the US is here with big boats making sure things are stable and that national interests are taken care of – this must be the extended version of national interests. Vietnam is joining up with the US, and all are preparing their positions. Will this be the new hot spot of the world? Not much terrorism here, but power games are much the same.

The continent of the US has eyes both east and west, and now the west has to rest a bit while we focus on the situation in the east – and the future of world power balance.

What about a negotiated settlement, a multilateral conference to thrash out some agreements? Based on international law and legitimate interests – whatever they are.

The Chinese have diasporas all over the world – some of them large, even in the US there are about 3 million Chinese (direct immigration or born from Chinese parents). They are even in Africa – everywhere lending credibility to Chinese action. The Chinese have a long history of going abroad in large numbers. They are trying a piecemeal approach, a peaceful development, or what will  we see now?

But can the US afford being here with military spending cuts and all? The game is on!