#Writephoto – Threshold

Uncategorized 2 Minutes

From the diary of Dr Thompson

Mankind is standing on the threshold of the fourth industrial revolution. It is being driven by the technologies that surround us and it scares the hell out of me. I am one of the people who is instrumental in the building and expanding of digitization and yet I do not know how it will effect society, the people around me or even me, as an individual.

As with the three industrial revolutions that proceeded it, the fourth industrial revolution is a reflection of the choices and desires of people but, more than ever before, people are entering this era with a total lack of understanding of what they really want technology to deliver for them and what kind of a world they want to live in.

Jeff and I were discussing this at the lab today and reflecting on the wise words of Schwab: “There has never been a time of greater promise, or one of greater potential peril.” People are being blinded to the threats posed by digitization because they do not want to see them.  They embrace the benefits offered by technology which appear to increase the efficiency, ease and capacity for enjoyment of our lives while simultaneously reducing the costs, and they fail to think further than that.

They do not know that half of the world’s household wealth now belongs to the richest one percent of the population and they do not see the rise in greed and corruption as everyone tries to grab their piece of the economic pie with no thought to the consequences.

They are living through the bizarre weather conditions that are occurring world-wide, they read the stories of the fish and other ocean life dying due to consumption of plastic and they suffer the consequences of cancers caused by water and air pollution, holes in the ozone layer and animal and vegetable food products tainted by hormones, artificial sweeteners, colourants and fertilizers and yet, they do not really see.

Jeff and I agree that we are on the brink of a revolution, whether it will go the way the general populace expects, or whether it will degenerate into a fight for the survival of our race, we have yet to see.

Written for Sue Vincent’s weekly photo challenge “Threshold”. You can join in the challenge here: https://scvincent.com/2019/04/04/thursday-photo-prompt-threshold-writephoto/

Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

Published

28 thoughts on “#Writephoto – Threshold”

  2. Sadly, there are many who stand with the good Doctore here… Even basic skills like writing, growing food…knowing how to plan, cook and sew… e are on the edge of losing many of the skills that have brought us this far.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. You’ll be in good company then… there are a few, including trent, who have books in the works based on the prompts 🙂 I feel that to be a real honour to have even such a small part in the creative process.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I had to add, Sue, that you have been a fairly big part of my creative growth. Your prompts were the first ones I attempted and I learned a lot from them. Stuart, Steve and your posts also stretch my brain, I often have to read them twice because they are quite complex [for me in any event].

        Like

      3. Thank you, Robbie. That is a lovely thing to say.
        As far as the gentlemen’s posts are concerned, you are not alone there. Steve tens to address some complex subjects… and Stuart sees the connections between apparently unrelated things so clearly that I often have to read his posts and meditate on them. Or ask him for clarification 😉

        Liked by 1 person

  3. This is great! It reminds me that we never know where we’re going. People’ve had these fears for a long time – it’s so useful to look at writings from the industrial revolution, how these fears and feelings never change.

    But… will one end us, in soul if not in body, as your Doctor fears?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The problem is going to be the growth in economic inequality as more physical and clerical jobs become redundant. ONly highly educated people will have job opportunities and that is going to cause huge social upheaval.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. To a large extent you are right. It is virtually impossible to succeed in anything nowadays without becoming immersed in technology. I have FB, twitter, pinterest, MeWe and three blogs and I write and research on my computer. My day job is even worse, I can’t do anything at work without my computer and email.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. powerful sad prediction of our situation today … we can’t continue to bury our head in the sand. We each need to do our utmost to save this planet and share the wealth … I’m trying my best, are you [meaning everyone, not just you Robbie] ?

    Liked by 1 person

  10. These are serious times. Too many are being hypnotized by the digital world, and as Sue points out, we are failing to pass on to our children the most basic of skills. We will need them, as we seem bent on destroying our environments. (K)

    Like

Comments are closed.