Poor Cubicle, Rich Life

In reply to a Wednesday, March 04, 2009 post that concerned me…describing the life context of a chess player.

It is true that increased specialization without increasing general knowledge leads to people becoming more "just another brick in the wall". Clearly, to someone who is doing this in a large, for-profit multinational, it would seem like the rest of the world is doing the same, i.e.: one would be likely to assert this world view as "contrary to...[when] job descriptions in many cases were self defining and not standard."

It is distressing to see the "free market" corporate worldview of TINA: "there is no alternative" and the capitalist doctrine of scarcity so deeply expressed. While acknowledging the virtues of motivation, industry, and self-improvement that this model embraces, in the desire for a more nuanced and better balanced view, I would assert that the internet and new media & communications, while requiring and enabling specialized skills and greater isolation, also enable the development of a more robust worldview, and much greater ability for democratic participation in, and contribution to the greater society. This is in part, why I had mixed feelings watching interviews today regarding the RMN closure.

The transformative power of our new paradigms, technologies and techniques can enable a broader scope of vision, and an unprecedented opportunity for generalized gains in virtues of wisdom, compassion, and clarity. Such virtues are not only needed to lead a just and moral life, but are likely to be essential for the long term survival of our species.