And that's what this comes down to -- a moral problem. Without overlooking the many, many benefits of the technology revolution, we have to acknowledge that much of that ingenuity has been frittered away on the trivial and the deadly -- cool stuff and smart weapons -- or on delivery mechanisms that bombard us 24/7 with violent and salacious entertainment to hold our attention until ads appear to incite our greed and envy.
The current focus of the engineering enterprise notwithstanding, the greatest challenge facing society today is not an entertainment deficiency.
There is no way to legislate or mandate our way out of a soulless silicon civilization. Any change has to start at the individual level. To that end, the first place to start is with a rediscovery of two golden nuggets from antiquity. The golden mean -- living a life of mindful moderation between too much and too little. And the golden rule -- treating all others, including the land, air, and water, as we wish to be treated.
Maybe if we stop trying to reshape ourselves in the image and likeness of our technology, and instead redirect the rich portfolio of tools now available to us to more human and humane ends, we'll find ourselves doing real and necessary innovation. Like finding a way for Congress to actually legislate; facilitating more available and affordable healthcare and education; and re-introducing justice and civility back into the public sphere. That's what I'd call real progress.
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