My Great Why

I was talking the other day with a couple of close allies. We were exploring our different “whys” for doing what we’re doing.

My wife said that, in her view, my great why is building a system of systems to make the world a better place. I thought about that, and said, “No, that’s my dearest how.”

My why is this: Having experienced the most visceral and searing form of scarcity on a repeated basis in childhood—the scarcity of air—I am deeply and passionately resolved that no one should ever again experience scarcity in that  searing way.

Charles Darwin foresaw a future in which humanity would rise above dog-eat-dog competition to become a cooperative species. He discussed this in his lesser-known book, The Descent of Man. 

Scarcity should be like salt. A controlled pinch makes things interesting. 

Limited scarcity, within known boundaries of time and place, can be useful. For example, whilst playing a game the game has intentionally structured limits, consensually agreed to by the players. Those consciously agreed limits create a context for fun.

The scarcity of a particular form of knowledge, or of a particular resource, can inspire great achievement, and contributions to humanity worth celebrating. For example, if gold is in short supply, this may motivate asteroid mining such that gold becomes common and cheap by the 22nd century. (It is more likely to be a byproduct than a main focus, but that is another discussion.) 

Asteroid mining, as a goal, may inspire grand enabling accomplishments, such as building reusable rockets, and soon the space elevator. 

As discussed in the TED talk Start with Why (https://tinyurl.com/423y8jf4), everything starts with a why.

What is your great why?