An Element From Storytelling To Consider
October2016 Editorial
www.ink2quill.com

It´s no secret that we live in interesting times. Technology and society are changing so fast that most of us have to reconsider what we thought we knew about society and the world as a whole. Economies seem so much less stable than they did 20 years ago and the academia of today is increasingly irrelevant and costly. So many family owned businesses struggle harder than ever to compete with the larger companies and malls continue to lose business to the established and growing internet markets. Most significantly is the robotization seeping into all aspects of our lives, from the replacements of cashiers with machines at supermarkets to the emergence of 3D printing that can produce nearly anything in minutes.

All of these elements are part of a growing trend. They are road signs on the path we choose and indicators of where we will end up. This road doesn´t have to be a slippery slope or the seedy alley of the worst neighborhood we can think of. It does not have to end in authoritarianism, fascism, cannibalism or any other type of collapsing system.

This is the world we find ourselves in today. A world heavily dependent on technology and the internet where we expect results instantly by the tap of a screen or the click of a mouse. This new world promises to pamper us by offering the widest selection of anything we can think of and more at our fingertips. For people who like to read or learn new skills this is heaven behind our screens.

My question to this new world is what happens to the things that are handmade? I think that things handmade will lose their appeal to the modern consumer. We live in a world where you´re expected to buy things new (like a cell phone or car) if they break down instead of repairing them. Handmade and carefully crafted items are becoming more and more a thing of the past whether it´s watches, shoes, paintings, rugs or cars.

We are in a society that is “constantly updating” and “constantly throwing away” anything and everything when it´s prescheduled lifespan is up, even if that item works fine. It´s a form of hyper-consumer-materialism were people are always expected to have the latest of the latest. So with that mindset it is easy to see how the younger generations will value less and less the handmade crafts of the past.

Will that mindset carry over to how we treat each other? Will relationships and friendships become more and more transitory and utilitarian? How about the way we treat other members of society?

This new world is a truly exciting place but I´m worried for the clones born into it. The people that are classified by society as technology and hence their sentience is ignored. I´m also worried for the people that don´t get the socially required, genetic upgrades and are considered a burden and are badly treated. These storytelling elements are fast approaching our day to day lives. Some would say that they are already here.

I fear a far more vicious cast system is emerging in the world where a person´s life is not in their hands. This is a society without a Constitution that cannibalizes its own citizens and creates two types of people. The hypocritically, morally challenged who enjoy the benefits of society with feigned ignorance of all the injustices around them and the rightfully angry, downtrodden, people who are denied enjoyment in the benefits of society. We need to steer clear of that kind of future. I believe we can dream a better future than that.

(Commentary by  www.ink2quill.com )
I2Q

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