Can we have a decentralized "building blocks" type society / world culture? Effect of Technology?

Some smart technology guys predict yes, but discuss that there will be a struggle with "Centralized Controller's" versus " Do It Yourself's"

Predictions for technological improvements, kinda amazed me.

2 thought provoking links/discussion:
- FORA.tv - The Next 50 Years: Will Tech Solve Humanity’s Problems? video --> http://hines.blogspot.com/2012/02/foratv-next-50-years-will-tech-solve.html
- Divine Injustice Permaculture Research Institute article --> http://hines.blogspot.com/2012/02/divine-injustice-permaculture-research.html

I'm for decentralized DIY "building blocks" type society that helps prevent wars and allows for local individual independence. Still there is a need for a transparent government with integrity, that benefits all, answering to the grassroots.

That's why these forums (Paul's) are so great! They promote some very important DIY "building blocks".

Interested in anyone's thought.

Regards
Monte Hines

I think that in order for this to work we would have to get rid of what we currently have in the world. I dont think the old ideas will go away peacefully. I think we will have bloodshed world wide real soon as these emergent positions become stronger. Right now its small time, we are just the hairy hippies with prayer flags on our porches and we are eating weeds. when it becomes very apparent that folks want a green world the old industrial guard with all the money is going to come looking for us. In some places this has already happened. I dont know if the DIY mentality can produce enough strength soon enough to maintain a viable interested population.


Sigh* big thoughts that will change nothing.

Ernie,

I agree and really appreciate your thoughts on this.

podcast 104 - rocket mass heaters with ernie and erica and paul --> http://www.richsoil.com/permaculture/782-podcast-104-rocket-mass-heaters-with-ernie-and-erica/ was awesome!

I have listened to it 3 times, so far and have learned something new each time.

I believe Rocket Mass Heaters are one of those "green building blocks" that "can" and I hope "is", a necessary technology in our future.

ernie and erica and paul, your passion and work on this technology cannot be over appreciated!

Big "deeds", like your work, can change our future...

Keep On Keepin' On, Making The World A Better Place!

Regards,
Monte

Technological improvements -- including the new work with nanobots that go to and 'light up' tumors which guides destroying lasers, yes folks, it's in clinical trials in humans already -- will enable there to be more humans doing less work. They also are leading to infertility, sterility, and lower births of males through xeno and phyto estrogen and other endocrine disruptors. These are just two major, major factors out of many that will shape humanity's future. It's hard to predict where any 2 of these will lead us, much less the whole barkin' mass of fascinating improvements we have coming down the pipe.

One thing to think about is that isolation of any sort breeds insulation. The uneducated, untraveled, sheltered person is much less likely to have empathy with 'not our kind'. Today's humans are much more humane because of all the travel and education and commerce. There's no more bear or bull baiting, Justice is demanded, homicides are way way way down, consumers are trying to buy less impactful products etc etc etc. While humans' monkeysphere may only be 150 souls, we seem to be able to have goodness and empathy to many more people than just those.

Perhaps, while we eco-minded permie-growin tree-huggin' longhairs work to reduce our little circle of influence, we can keep in mind that no matter what changes come, a basic broad-mindedness and empathy for other humans and living things must be paramount.


Monkeysphere: http://www.cracked.com/article_14990_what-monkeysphere.html

P I would like to point out that in the grand schema of travel less than 1% of the US has been over seas. most of the empathy IMO is guilt and if it threatens the super-bowl all the empathy will dry up like a spit film on the wall-mart parking lot.

Ernie Wisner wrote:P I would like to point out that in the grand schema of travel less than 1% of the US has been over seas. most of the empathy IMO is guilt and if it threatens the super-bowl all the empathy will dry up like a spit film on the wall-mart parking lot.

1) Not many Europeans would bother to get passports if they could travel from the UK to the middle of Russia unimpeded. Considering that's like going from one side of US to the other -- passing over the Great Lakes -- we can see why less than 1% of the US have been to other countries. Perhaps, considering the size of the countries involved, one could more accurately compare the number of US citizens who have been in more than one state to other countrie's globetrotters.
2) Empathy is up. Whether that's from education, exposure over the Net, better leisure time in an informed society or increased Media attention to something other than normalizing heteronormative paradigm-pandering is a debate for generations who have a better POV. The main point is that Empathy is up. Otherwise, we'd still be killing each other... and cats, and dogs, and everything else... like we used to.
4) People live up (or down) to whatever expectations you hold of them.
3) Interesting that you're focusing on the US. There are other countries on this Earth, better and worse than.

Cause if it all goes to hell we will be the folks who pushed the button, so yes I do. Empathy is the ability to put yourself in another's shoes. I dont think that this i accurate. there are people in the world that are epithetic but I think what you are hearing is that they folks who have it are getting louder. the recent earth quakes and disasters in Hati, japan, indonesia, Somalia Etc. dont make me agree with you. out breaks of disease are on the up tic and i keep hearing folks every where scream about supplying aid. We may be seeing different things cause we are looking in different places.

I dont expect much of humanity in general. so its not hard to meet my expectations. i do expect allot from individuals and that is sometimes met. most folks try.