GDP Comparison

Check out this map of the US, states have been renamed as countries that have similar GDP. This really puts things into perspective, and reminds me how exorbantly wealthy we are. Populations aren't reflected on this map, but if the states population was contrasted with the comparison countries population, the contrast would be even more startling. It seems to me that we have a huge responsibility to both act justly with the power that comes with so much money, and also to find ways to rectify the global inequity of wealth. Also, I think it is high time to quit deluding ourselves that our wealth is due to hard work. I have traveled to several countries outside of the US and they work a hell of a lot harder than we do. I think our wealth is more the result of our vast geography, natural resources, and exploitation of other countries people and resources (think Walmart).



PROPS: I found this map by way of Calacirian.

Nothing New Under the Sun

I find it interesting that recent trends in American society are really re-discoveries of ancient truth. At times it even seems ironic that certain movements are touted as a "new" idea, it makes me wonder if we in America have a short-sighted view of human history? Some of the many new-old trends in American society are home birthing and midwifery, co-sleeping, organic gardening, slow foods, whole foods, buying local, intentional communities, homeopathy and natural medicines, etc. I find it interesting that we have to rediscover such ancient truths, it begs the question of why we moved away from these in the first place? It seems to me that in most cases we moved away from what is normal and healthy due to expediency, hubris, or a combination of the two.

What new-old trends have you observed in society?

Swarm Theory

A friend of mine keyed me in on a recent article in National Geographic. The article is a fascinating examination of how insects and animals coordinate their behaviors to achieve often complex goals. What was most interesting was that in each of the behaviors examined, there lacked a centralized leadership. Not only that, but there was really no overarching purpose, at least on the individual level. Instead, each insect or animal was reading the inputs of those closest to them, and then instinctively responding in preconditioned manners developed over thousands of years. The end result is a fully functioning, complex ant colony or bee hive, or a swarm of birds or fish communicating their movements and direction so effectively that they appear to move in unison. This is so fascinating as to be scarcely believable, we are only beginning to be able to reproduce these natural excercises of groupthink in the human realm, as evidenced by wikipedia and the ilk.

The exploration of these ideas in the technology and business world has only begun. I can definitely see how the industry that I am a part of (Semiconductor manufacturing) could greatly learn and benefit from incorporating the wisdom of the ants and bees into how we make decisions. The hardest challenge is to trust the ensuing chaos (or so it seems), when you release the workers to be independent, self directed entities. My guess is that most innovation and progress in the days and years ahead will come from this collaborative, "swarming" approach instead of the individual genius approach of years past. Change will be less the wim of a couple individuals, and more a collective sense of what is needed.