Important Questions

Inspired by Richard Hamming on First Class Work, I thought, what are the important questions that I would like to provide tangible answers to in my lifetime? These are less scientific, but more social - questions. They are integrated systems thinking qeustions. The first one that comes to mind is How do we shift the paradigm of the economic system from proprietary to collaborative? From this stem derivative questions, like, What would the world look like if people had the courage to - truly - collaborate?. And, Can society transition to a higher plain of existence - away from consumerism - and into full self-determination - where there are many more powerful, enlightened people who are more close to our genius, expert generalist selves? Or, "What would the world look like if more people achieve their true potential, when the duty of making a living is lifted by the appropriate use of technology that allows everyone to have easier lives and to prosper? Or, are we for ever doomed to a proprietary development, competitive waste, wartime economy - accompanied by destruction of people and the environment as we continue a mindset of scarcity?

The Kardashev Scale implies that we can thrive - 10,000 times over. Surely we can use some excess energy to afforest the deserts to mitigate climate and rainfall, to educate everyone, and to transition to an economy of abundance. But today's mental models, mixed with the reptilian brain part of the human brain - keep us in fight mode and in scarcity thinking.

As such we