As I have written about before, I am a big believer in the power of harmony. I subscribe to the idea that society is a byproduct of balance – yin and yang – where no extrema yields optimal results. Though, as we have seen time and time again throughout history, there is often an imbalance between the two spheres. I think this lens of “influential balance” – between competition/collaboration, ego and cooperation, fierce and peaceful – applies across the board from macro-economic models to individual guide’s to happiness.
Harmony is everything.
When “things are off,” output becomes sub-optimal. We embellish aspects of the painting that do not need to be over-prioritized. We leave out important qualities that are indeed critical to function.
Here is an example that has always frustrated me.
I yearn for a more optimistic society. A society that believes anything is possible. Of course, I recognize this is naive. I know that perhaps “pragmatic optimism,” at the minimum, is a better stroke of harmony. But I think the pendulum has swung so far in the favor of pessimism and doubt that we need a radical shift in the way society views the future.
We need boldness back.
We need legendary back.
We need fun technology!
This is not to say that we need be reckless or foolish or stupid. This is just to say that we need to start dreaming again.
Sci-fi movies scare people. People grow to hate technology. And they probably have a right to – not all startups are good!
Much of this stems from how culture and society recognizes the purpose and place of technology. Is it bad for the world? Good for the world? Is there an objective answer here? Probably not. But it is critically important to understand how society views technologists today…
I think this nuanced answer dramatically impacts how optimistic people are about the future.
We need buy-in on technology to save the world.
Also published on Medium.