A Celebration Society

Author: Jonathan

  • Love, the Glue of a Celebration Society

    Love, the Glue of a Celebration Society

    A cohesive society is defined by a shared set of values. These values manifest in many different actions large and small, but in a healthy society there is an underlying glue: love. I love what a Celebration Society stands for, and so do our growing cadre of allies. If we didn’t love these values, we wouldn’t do what it takes to see this manifest. (Other strong emotions can also cause cohesion, but not necessarily constructively.)

    Anything that’s truly important to a culture can be enriched by understanding and labeling the different flavors of that something. Eskimos have dozens of words for the various forms of H2O that they perceive and use. Each form means something different; something important. It would impoverish their culture to have only a handful of such words, like most of the rest of us use. Eskimos see distinctions in H2O that those of us who view it only as water, ice, steam, hail, humidity, snow, clouds and mist completely miss.

    Words, wisely used, connote qualities that are meaningful.

    I believe that other cultures, such as the ancient Greeks, were onto something by defining many different flavors of love, each with its own meaning. When we use “love” to represent many different kinds of affection, we impoverish ourselves. What communication skills does a person with only a 500-word vocabulary have? Limited.

    On the other hand, a person with a 25,000-word vocabulary has many ways to express nuance and evoke emotions and understanding. If they use this vocabulary as a cudgel to impress people, it’s not helpful. But if they use it with discrimination, it can be beautiful.

    Why, then, do we impoverish ourselves by limiting our vocabulary of love? In my view, a Celebration Society will be well-served by identifying areas of human experience and life that are under-represented in modern vocabulary and creating new words and expressions (or reinstating old ones) to remedy the deficiencies. We will be wealthier for it.

    I say this as prelude to a small project that I am inspired to start. Since love—in its many flavors and expressions—will be a central aspect of a well-functioning Celebration Society, I want to co-create with allies a special blog. It will be published once, some months from now, and may be repeated.

    What is love to you? How has it shown up in your life? Please share an anecdote, 250 words or less, from your own experience.

    I’ll start the process by giving an example from my own life. I was eating lunch with my wife Jen and my mother at the Café de France in Denver. We had been served a complimentary dessert of fresh orange slices by Kelly, the gracious waitress. Jen and I were slurping and nibbling our way through the succulent orange slices, each bursting with flavor and an intoxicating scent.

    I noticed that only one piece remained in the bowl. Planning to enjoy it, I took care of something else for a moment. When I looked up, starting to reach for it, my wife was eagerly grasping it. Instantly, my desire for the orange switched to pleasure that she would enjoy it.
    This is a small story, but as soon as it happened I realized that it represented something significant. When one comes to habitually—even automatically—put another’s welfare ahead of one’s own, that is a kind of love. I am confident that each of us has such stories.

  • Transportation Systems

    Transportation Systems

    Transportation systems in a Celebration Society are, of course, important. As I see it, they need to be reliable, largely automated (excepting slow speed conveyances and walking), pollution free, and quiet.

    I imagine curving walkways, divided into sections for slow speed (walking), and medium speed (bikes, scooters).

    As I see it, we will likely have elevated train cars with panoramic windows traveling above the treetops for great sightseeing and photography. (There will likely be tour guide apps as well as live guides.) We may use the Skytran system, which offers multiple attractive features

    Like spokes in a wheel, the trains would take people in and out of the city center. I also envision a set of concentric, winding canals, with eddy pools where electric gondolas can rest for sightseeing, a picnic, or to embark/debark passengers and cargo.

    The canals would be home to beautiful fish, other aquatic life and possibly corals.

    I envision the gondolas and trains as being AI-controlled. The distance to any point in the City would never be more than two blocks from some train stop. For people with mobility issues, there would be a network of robotic electric scooters that would transport people those last two blocks upon demand.

    For hauling large objects into the City, and for construction of buildings, I imagine there being a small fleet of hydrogen lifted blimps. (There is an invention to make them safe.) The blimps would be equipped with electric winches, and tethered to the ground when helping with construction. They would usually be silent and picturesque–unlike present methods of construction.

    Larger, beautifully appointed blimps could offer 6-star “air cruise” accommodations transporting people from one Celebration Society to another. There could also be mile-wide corridors of nature preserve connecting the Cities, with Skytran type elevated travel from point to point. (Thanks to Stephen Belgin for this idea.)

    I also envision a network of underground tubes connecting all buildings in a Celebration Society. These would be used to transport smaller resources: electricity, water (fresh, gray and brown), fresh food/packages/materials/parcel, cable internet, and garbage/waste removal for recycling. They would generally be serviced by specialized robot technicians, but be large enough for people to comfortably and safely enter as required.

    I see fossil fuel engines as being prohibited except in extraordinary circumstances. I see no conventional cars as being allowed inside a Celebration Society, as there would be no roads suitable for them. Instead, people could garage such cars outside the City walls, driving them between points outside the City as required.

    No doubt, others will have improvements to these ideas.

  • The Mortality Option (Updated)

    The Mortality Option (Updated)

    I usually won’t make blogs out of updates to the book, preferring to save them in a folder for the second edition. However, today I have decided to make an exception. The reason is a development that affects every one of us, and makes it more prudent for each living person to plan for the possibility of a much longer life than what conventional medicine and officials are telling us.

    I called the relevant section of the book The Mortality Option because, in my view, we humans will soon achieve sufficient control of aging and accidents to eliminate all non-volitional death. That is, of course, one of the most transformative ideas imaginable for society and it may be coming sooner than I had anticipated.

    Two major developments are worth noting. One is a major new study; the other is a major new discovery. The US FDA has for the first time ever approved a major study of a treatment intended to extend healthy life span. This is important for at least two reasons. FDA has never before recognized that the decay processes called aging can be delayed or even reversed. Recognizing those facts was a necessary first step to acknowledging that aging can be treated and managed as a disease.

    Should the study have significant positive results without negative side effects, it will revolutionize views of aging the world over. The reason is that the US FDA basically serves as the world medical community’s primary evaluator of medical treatments (even though its process is often politically compromised, as discussed in the book).

    It is highly likely that the study will have positive results without serious side effects. It is a study of Metformin, an Rx drug that could just as well be classified as a dietary supplement, being an extract of the French lilac. Metformin is routinely prescribed for people with Type 2 diabetic symptoms. It only appears to have dangerous side effects for certain very elderly people (ironically).

    According to Life Extension Foundation, the basis for the FDA study is that Metformin “increases the number of oxygen molecules released into a cell, which appears to boost robustness and longevity.”

    “(Those who proposed the study) hope is that a wide variety of age-related problems, loss of muscle tone, dizziness, falls, dementia, loss of eyesight, all of those things [sic]. That would be something never done before. If you really are doing something to alter aging, the population of interest is everybody. It surely would be revolutionary if they can bring it off.”

    Said Dr. Robert Temple, deputy director at the FDA:

    “You’re talking about developing a therapy for a biological phenomenon which is universal and gives rise to all of these diseases. And if you’ve got a therapy for this thing, these diseases just go away.”

    NOTE: While one could replicate the anti-aging study on a personal basis by taking 1,000 mg. of Metformin daily, I am NOT recommending this as a course of action. I am not a doctor, and I am not giving you medical advice. It is risky for some people. You should only do this under competent medical advice.

    The second major development is a stem cell breakthrough that may—if corroborated through further tests—make all types of damage and decay to all types of human tissues repairable. (Obviously, brain damage would mean irreparable loss of personhood, at least until and unless download is possible.)

    According to a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (one of the most prestigious journals):

    “A stem cell therapy system capable of regenerating any human tissue damaged by injury, disease, or aging could be available within a few years, say University of New South Wales (UNSW Australia) researchers.

    Their new repair system*, similar to the method used by salamanders to regenerate limbs, could be used to repair everything from spinal discs to bone fractures, and could transform current treatment approaches to regenerative medicine. …

    “This technique is a significant advance on many of the current unproven stem cell therapies, which have shown little or no objective evidence they contribute directly to new tissue formation,” Pimanda said. “We have taken bone and fat cells, switched off their memory and converted them into stem cells so they can repair different cell types once they are put back inside the body.”

    “We are currently assessing whether adult human fat cells reprogrammed into iMS cells can safely repair damaged tissue in mice, with human trials expected to begin in late 2017.”

    (source: http://www.kurzweilai.net/a-stem-cell-repair-system-that-can-regenerate-any-kind-of-human-tissue)

  • Your Oar in the Water

    Your Oar in the Water

    Those of us who appreciate the potential of a Celebration Society can also see that there’s a lot to be done between here and there. It will require many talents; many perspectives–and much energy. But, as the Vikings proved in traveling to North America, even an ocean can be crossed in a well-crafted vessel through steady rowing.

    I invite you to dip your oar into the water. The more of us who row, the faster we’ll arrive. The realization of a Celebration Society depends on a large number of people coming together who want to help build it and perhaps even live there.

    I’ve developed a scaffolding, but it assuredly has rickety features and probably places where important things are missing or wrong. It can unquestionably be improved. One of my many weaknesses is that I’ve got wide knowledge of technology, but it’s generally shallow. Fortunately, there’s a proven way to take care of this.

    We cannot (and should not) depend on individuals, but rather on collected wisdom derived from scientific research. We can build and test systems based on this wisdom. We can gather advice from a cohort of experts in the relevant disciplines. (I ideally see these as being not individuals but panels of experts in architecture, transportation, permaculture, food production, education, healthcare, etc.)

    In my view, a simulation is the most rational bridge between here and an actual, functioning city-state. It would be risk-free for participants, and fun. The basic tools, including customizable “worlds”, already exist. Millions spend hours each week in Second Life, a simulation where they have no hope of ever actually living there. How much more attractive would they find a, “Second Life that could become your real life”?

    A simulation will give us the chance to quickly test all manner of ideas before committing physical resources and money. It will both be the primary advertisement for and attractor to make the concept “sticky”. This will help us to build a community and a movement of people, many of whom will decide that they want to live in a Celebration Society, and some of whom will have expertise that we need.

    While it could be a single simulation, I envision instead a competitive set of simulations, developed and tested in parallel, each backed by a team. There would be a rigorous comparison process, based on established quality of life metrics, and then the “winner” would be further explored and refined by ALL of the players until there’s a consensus that it’s “ready to implement”. Perhaps the winning team would win a prize, or prizes.

    For all that to happen properly, as I see it, we will need:

    • Large numbers of participants (“The Second Life You Can Make Real!”)
    • A business plan, including a budget
    • An advisory board, including all necessary disciplines, guiding the simulation contestants to stay within reality and make use of best practices.

    One way to get a lot of participants would be to do a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to build the simulation, and request every member of the Society to invite their own lists to visit that campaign. There could be some interesting prizes for backers. For instance, perhaps we could allocate 1/10% of the possible 100,000 condominium interests (100 total) for prizes. In this case, those putting up $500 or more could be entered into a drawing to win such an interest.

    Prior to such a simulation happening, we’ll need a significant number of aligned people. Toward this end, would you do me a small favor? If you haven’t already joined, please join the Society, and post a brief bio, including whatever special skills and expertise you bring to the party? (Or, should I say, the forthcoming celebration!)

    I’m trying to move this discussion of a Celebration Society (which is just now entering some surprising circles) from being primarily about my ideas to a wider discussion of how these starting ideas can be corrected/improved/implemented. Toward that end, I’m inviting people with expertise to offer guest blogs for the website. Everyone is invited to participate on the Forum!

    That’s how we’ll make all of this happen; as a network of people with complementary strengths and weaknesses. People who are mature enough to know and then acknowledge their own strengths and weaknesses, sharing a vision and serving it together, can together accomplish anything.

     

  • How NOT to find an ally

    How NOT to find an ally

    I had a heartbreaking experience recently. I met an extraordinary man, whom I thought would become both a friend and an ally. Then he was neither.

    Allies are extremely important to building a Celebration Society. Each of us humans has notable strengths and notable weaknesses. (I am well aware of my limited strengths and many weaknesses.) I am convinced that we must build a large tapestry of people with mutually supportive strengths. Where I am weak, you are strong, and so on. It need not be mutual, but it must over time become complete.

    In order for it to work, the various allies must start out with a clear understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses, or they must be eager to learn and open to help in doing so.

    When I became introduced to this man, he impressed me with his great intelligence and deep knowledge of certain subjects about which I know little. He also SEEMED willing to acknowledge his own limitations, a crucial quality for brilliant people to have, as I have learned the hard way.

    In our first lengthy conversation, he proceeded to lecture me at great length. Though I am not usually receptive to involuntary lectures, I accepted this because of his potential and because he actually did have some significant things to say. And he was exhausted, not having slept for several days. So, I made allowances.

    The he asked me for money. Not once but multiple times. This, despite my clear statement that I would not do this. Later, when I pointed this fact out to him, he rationalized that he hadn’t asked me for money.

    He presented me with his “great” business idea that, indeed, does have vast promise. However, he moved from his considerable technical expertise into assuming that he knows all sorts of things about other people which, based on my experience, are false. He considers most people “idiots”. When I tried to suggest other ways he might view others’ actions more profitably, he would not hear of it.

    He took very little interest in me as a person (forgivable) or in a Celebration Society (not forgivable).

    To be clear, alliance of the kind we need is founded on SHARED VALUES AND VISION. Each of us is eager to know the other’s, and to see how we may empower each other. It is a process of getting acquainted on a basis of mutual respect. It is never hectoring nor is it demanding.

    Earlier on the day of this writing, he sent me a “revised” PowerPoint presentation of his great idea. I put revised in quotes because, despite my previously having offered substantive criticism based on years in startups and investments, little was changed.

    Hours later, not having heard from me, he sent me this email message: “What are you doing? Why are you not working? (The subject: Work Ethic).

    This is the antithesis of enrollment. He may have the next Facebook (I hope he does!), but it will go nowhere without an understanding of enrollment. I hope he gets one soon.

  • First Social Disruption from Technological Unemployment–a Warning

    First Social Disruption from Technological Unemployment–a Warning

    Donald Trump’s ascendancy in politics is certainly disruptive. It probably wouldn’t be happening if large numbers of well-paying middle class jobs hadn’t been outsourced in recent years, either permanently lost or replaced by minimum wage jobs. The people to whom this has happened understandably feel frustrated and scared.

    What nobody has put together, at least that I have seen, is the understanding that outsourcing is a form of technological unemployment. Outsourcing wouldn’t be possible, certainly not on anything like the scale we’ve seen, without advanced technology:

    • Internet telephony has enabled companies to move customer service to third world nations
    • Distance learning and the non-physical nature of software work have enabled relocation of software jobs, with the work product available worldwide
    • Complex and automated supply chain management has made it possible to have different aspects of a production process in different countries, allowing manufacturers to use the nations with the cheapest labor

    If we don’t find a way to address the very real frustrations and fears of large populations of people, the Trump ascendancy will look like a mere warmup act to what comes in the 2020s. Desperate people will grab at any solution that’s offered, whether that solution seems rational or irrational to others who still enjoy comfort and safety. When your home and livelihood are threatened, anything new seems better than the status quo.

    Oxford and other researchers have forecast job losses in the United States and other developed countries in the range of 40%+, and job losses up to 85% in less developed countries. The highest unemployment levels reached during the Great Depression didn’t exceed 25%. Yet, even at those levels, the disruption was enough that Americans flirted with electing Huey Long, and Father Coughlin’s demagoguery was quite popular.

    Accelerating automation is the ultimate form of outsourcing. it will not be limited to a single nation, but will instead be a worldwide phenomenon. It will hit all nations like a tsunami in the 2020s. Also, unlike the Great Depression, this source of unemployment will not be curable by public works programs. The notion of massive “make work” programs will only insult and degrade those “workers”, who will quickly become painfully aware that they are being forced to do things that machines could do better and cheaper.

    Likewise, the various flavors of a guaranteed income, as commonly proposed, are seriously insufficient for reasons I have discussed elsewhere on these blogs, on Quora and elsewhere.

    Social disruption from technological unemployment is already upon us. We’d better heed the warning before things get ugly.

  • Perils of Utopian Science for Societal Design

    Perils of Utopian Science for Societal Design

    One of the earliest books that could be called utopian was Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward. It described a future scientific society, devoid of competition, in which everything was run scientifically. It was all to be rational and orderly.

    As a 16 year old, I was captivated by his vision. I later realized, with hindsight, that Mr. Bellamy probably never spent much time with actual scientists doing actual science.

    Science is messy. It is an unending quest for knowledge that the scientists know can never be called certain in the way that religious people[1] crave. They are trying to take snapshots of a complex reality, discerning from careful tests what are generally small truths. Yet they know that whatever truths they may uncover could later be superseded.

    (To understand HOW messy science can be, http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/03/the-quest-to-make-synthetic-cells-shows-how-little-we-know-about-life/475053/ and http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/failure-is-moving-science-forward/)

    In this lack of certainty, science differs from revealed knowledge. It also differs by virtue of being testable and repeatable. Scientists pursue their quest anyway because knowing—even if only partial and conditional—is far more satisfying to them than ignorance.

    Even “settled” science such as the Big Bang Theory could still be superseded by more complete or deeper understandings. As described in my book, a highly respected physicist recently developed a theory that appears to explain the origins and behavior of the cosmos as well as does the Big Bang, but with a cyclic universe. Likewise, scientists discovered evidence that life may possibly only arise in dry conditions and not within water, as had long been assumed necessary.

    Other such examples exist and will continue to be found.  All of science consists of developing testable, falsifiable hypotheses. The experimenters, if good scientists, do everything they can to reduce the experiment to a single variable.  But sometimes it’s the unexamined assumptions that may do them in.

    This isn’t hypothetical. Dr. Bruce Alexander developed his famous Rat Park experiments after examining such an unspoken assumption. He observed that nearly all of the addiction research studies used Norwegian white rats. The rats eagerly consumed all manner of drugs, and displayed addictive behavior.

    While others took this as evidence that the substances are themselves addictive, Alexander asked a different question. Given that these rats are sociable, intelligent, playful creatures, might their lab conditions—essentially, solitary confinement for life—constitute a kind of torture, from which the rats would desperately seek escape?

    He and his team built Rat Park as a kind of utopia for rats. They ran the experiment for many years, with one key finding: they could not induce the rats to consume drugs, even when mixed with favored sugar water. Their conclusion was that the previous experimenters had failed to examine a crucial assumption.

    Again, science is an evolving body of knowledge. That’s what makes it exciting to scientists, and to those of us who admire their work and revel in their discoveries. There is, however, a lot of popular confusion about science. For example, some hear scientists use the word “theory” and misunderstand:

    “… the two words, theory and law, have very different common meanings. But in science, their meanings are very similar. A theory is an explanation which is backed by “a considerable body of evidence,” while a law is a set of regularities expressed in a “mathematical statement.” … A scientific law is not “better” or “more accurate” than a scientific theory. (http://evolutionfaq.com/faq/why-isnt-evolution-considered-law)

     

    What has this to do with societal design? Mr. Bellamy, and more recent advocates of a scientific society such as Jacques Fresco (The Venus Project) share what I regard as a serious misunderstanding. They believe that, if only we were to scrupulously follow a scientific approach to societal design, everything would be fine.

    When Mr. Fresco speaks of a proper system of governance for his ideal society, he proposes to turn over all important decisions to machines. The machines will make decisions that allocate everything rationally, he believes.(Said his associate, Roxanne Meadows, in a February 2016 Atlantic interview, “We would use scientific scales of performance for measurement and allocation of resources so that human biases are left out of the equation.”)

    Once systems are in place, they’re hard to change and harder to replace. Even more seriously, the machines will need to have guiding values. If the values selected are interpreted by the AI in a way that’s inimical to human interests, the consequences may be severe. For example, if an AI with power to rule us decides to minimize pain, it may permanently immobilize all humans in order to protect us.

    This is why a Celebrationist system of governance will be by people, but people who coexist within a very different kind of system than we have now. Celebrationism will encourage cooperation, mutual respect, evidence-based decision making, mutual service, and the cherishing of differences. Further, as I envision it, none of the people in government will have strong individual powers. Likewise, the AI’s will be partners who advise us.

    I advocate a scientific, technological basis for society, but do so in order to create a neutral vessel within which all manner of beliefs and lifestyles, including faith-based practices and revealed knowledge, can flourish.

    Finally, while some such as Mr. Fresco believe that a single model of a scientific society can be perfected, I have no such expectations, and true sustainability requires significant diversity. As I see it, those of us who come together to simulate a Celebration Society will not seek to make a single perfect model, but instead compete in teams to see who can devise the first viable and practical societal design—knowing that it still includes flaws, which will come to light over time. Then we’ll test that design in the real world, with each implementation being locally appropriate, and refine it further.

    When others, inspired by our successes, want to build their own Celebration Societies, we’ll support them and allow them to share the “brand’ if they agree to certain principles. But beyond that, they may well take very different paths to expressing how their society(ies) serve those principles.

    We’ll all learn from each other, because we’re all imperfect beings. So, too, will superhuman AI’s be imperfect, should such emerge. We will ever more closely approach truth and perfection, never achieving either in this relative world. But the journey will be delightful and awe-inspiring.

     

     

     

    [1] I am using the word “religious” more broadly than most do

  • Let’s Replace Our Lead Pipes

    Let’s Replace Our Lead Pipes

    Every great civilization has its high points and its low points. Often, it’s difficult to see the low points of one’s own society from within it.

    One popular pastime among Americans is to compare it to Rome. Such people often opine that American will soon go the way of the Roman Empire.

    The Romans were known for many accomplishments, from amphitheaters to roads that still exist today. They even had a system of government that made those they conquered often want to be part of the Roman Empire.

    They also had lead pipes. Lead is a wonderful material for pipes. It’s malleable, and resistant to corrosion and breakage. It is also a neurotoxin. It causes brain damage, and damage to other organs as well. Over time, exposure can lead to loss of intelligence and even insanity.

    Rome was known for some insane emperors. Caligula and Nero come to mind. It doesn’t take many insane leaders to turn a civilization uncivilized.

    What are our lead pipes? We Americans live in a society where:

    • We feel so unsafe, many of us feel the need to carry guns
    • Our kids are forced into a system that trains them to be drones. At the same time, we’re training drones to think like us
    • We slave at jobs that many of us hate, to pay for lives that we don’t have enough time to enjoy
    • Our financial system protects the financial service providers, leaving the rest of us at their mercy
    • Almost everyone detests the tax system, but no one seems able to do anything about it
    • We’re proud of democratic institutions that barely function, often giving us laws that 80% of us dislike

    I could go on, and other societies have their issues as well. But here’s a modest proposal: let’s try something different!

    Let’s create one model Celebration Society somewhere on Earth within the next decade. We can start it as a simulation; something fun and risk-free. Once that works, those participants who wish can join together and create a new city-state for real to further test it out.

    As I’ve demonstrated in my book, we have the technology and understandings right now to create a society in which everyone’s basic needs are met automatically, by machines. Done thoughtfully, our allies including leaders in different fields are saying that this could be a blueprint for a new world.

    We don’t have to go the way of the Romans.

     

  • Towards a Celebrationist Future (A Personal Note)

    Towards a Celebrationist Future (A Personal Note)

    Like many of us, I’ve had a lot of pain in my life. It’s part of living. (As I’ve written on Quora, fears about robots suffering are unfounded.) Recently, I delivered a speech entitled “The Gift Box of Pain”. A realization has been dawning in me that some of the greatest gifts of my life have arisen from some of the deepest pain.

    I won’t dwell on this here, but I delivered that speech in the Toastmasters semi-annual competition, and we recorded it. For now, what I wish to say is that by recognizing that pain may have hidden within it gifts in the form of lessons, I have come to welcome—not seek!—pain, as an honored companion on my journey. Also, by accepting pain as it appears, and looking for its gifts, it never becomes suffering.

    What I’ve noticed, more and more, is that the journey is moving from struggle and pain to steps of joy and wonder. Every week, amazing new companions and prospective allies are emerging. Some of them are exactly the people whom I’ve sought in my heart for a long time. I feel as if a greater intelligence is dancing with me, and with us, bringing us all together to begin weaving a tapestry of tomorrow.

    I don’t know where this journey will take us but, as I advised a young man recently who had asked my help, by living a life that answers for oneself Peter Diamandis’ great challenge[1], it’s already a success regardless of what happens. (I am already hearing the inner music. I hope you are, too.)

    Individually, we are insignificant to the course of time. (Common “great man” theories of history generally underestimate the necessity of the many devoted allies that always align with an Einstein, a Tesla, a Curie.) Together, we are a mighty force for change, and can be a beacon that burns so brightly people will need sunglasses to look at us.

    By building a society based on the sustainable science and technologies of abundance, we’ll never again be plagued by the weaknesses of “indispensable leaders” or of incorrect revealed knowledge. (Leaders and revealed knowledge may be honored, as each person feels appropriate. But such persons and knowledge should never be at the core of a society. Its Charter should be at the core, and leaders should attain that status by virtue of other people wanting to play with them in realizing a shared vision.)

    Let’s dance and play our way to a future in which people generally experience continuing peace, prosperity, enthusiasm and unrestricted progress. The technologies are there to help us, the AI’s will welcome the unlimited intellectual challenge and the robots will do everything we don’t care to do.

    I am even starting to envision bumper stickers. Here are some candidates:

    • Celebrationists have more fun!
    • Work is a four letter word
    • Celebrations: in YOUR future
    • Jobs are for machines

    Maybe bumper stickers won’t be such a good idea. I’m happy to hear your ideas for increasing awareness, allies, and Society members!

     

    [1] Figure out that for which you would gladly die, then live your life in service to this vision.

  • The Achilles Heel of Guaranteed Income Plans

    The Achilles Heel of Guaranteed Income Plans

    Most of us derive two entirely different things from work. Both are vital. The first is income, the second is meaning.

    I’ve been told that people who are given the opportunity for a guaranteed income manage to find their own meaning in short order. I would love to see this research, but so far it’s not been presented and I haven’t found it.

    Involuntary loss of job is actually a risk factor for suicide. Back in the 1990’s, IBM began switching from its long-standing policy of a guaranteed job for life to a more conventional policy.

    According to my wife, who was with IBM for 22 years and witnessed this unfolding, when IBM began encouraging people to leave the company they didn’t just offer attractive severance packages.

    IBM also provided a (mandatory) two-week counseling process. The purpose of the counseling was to assure that the departing employee found meaning in life after IBM.

    The reason this was considered so important was that IBM’s research had determined that employees who separated from the employer and did not have a continuing sense of meaning in life significantly elevated risk of suicide.

    It didn’t matter so much where the meaning came from. it could be spending time with grandkids, volunteering in a church, or some other activity that involved contributing to other people’s lives. IBM was determined that each departing employee identify something of this nature before they were let go.

    Being a large, highly successful company, IBM doesn’t like to waste money. The fact that they did this highlights the importance of meeting for people who no longer find it from their work. Research does exist supporting this. Indeed, one study found that “social exclusion could threaten people at such a basic level that it would impair their sense of meaningful existence “ (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2717555/)

    A guaranteed income does not and never will provide meaning, regardless of which form it takes. At best, it could offer people the necessities of life—if that. But meaning comes from our social connections, and if a guaranteed income replaces the loss of a job those connections will remain lost. Many of those who are about to become technologically unemployed will not have an IBM looking out for them. They will need a different way to find meaning in their lives.

    The Citizen Income of a Celebration Society addresses the need for meaning by its very nature. It’s certainly not the only solution to this problem, but it is a solution.