how wide is the chasm between the world you envision and the world you possess?

Question

is it far? is it too far? how can you bridge that gap?

Answer 1

Pretty wide..... I remember reading in My Weekly Reader when I was 6, what the future was projected to be like, and what the world would look like in the year 2000. I expected to see a colony on the moon by now, but it hasn't happened. Alot of things they predicted in 1966 have happened by now though, things like clean electric cars, children being able to go to school from home on a computer, and people being able to work from home on a computer, but still live in a rural area somewhere. The 1966 idea of a future phone conversation was on a special telephone with a view screen, the phone company was really promoting that sort of thing, but it didn't fly. Instead it took place on the web, where we can talk and look at each other here if we want to, but the phone company just hadn't been prepared for the advent of personal computers at the time, and didn't realize that the vision of a video phone would happen, but just in a different way from the one they wanted to promote and sell. The late 60's offered alot of visions of what sort of world I should expect to live in today, on the Jetson's, on Star Trek, and things like that. Technologically speaking, alot of the things they predicted have actually come to pass, and many more are close to arriving. But the vision falls way short of the reality in alot of ways. These visions didn't only show us technological advances, but also a world where we as a species kept up, and had the wisdom to use these gifts.
The visions showed people who were fulfilled. Who didn't need to spend as much time at work, because robots and computers made things easier, so we as a species had more leisure time to spend on things like art, education, and time with our families. It hasn't worked out that way at all. The 60's vision of what today should be like, was amazingly accurate in what we actually have in the way of technology, but it also offered a vision of a world where everyone was better educated, where we were all employed, but our jobs would be easier, and we could accomplish the same amount of work in a shorter time, where every thing was clean, and we had cleaner ways to do things, and everyone had what they needed, not only in the United States, but that these things would make the world easier for everyone on a Global scale. Our surroundings changed, but our species didn't change with them, if anything, things got worse. Computers and robotics have led to less need for humans on the job, but instead of people having easier work to do, they're unemployed. Those of us who are keeping employed are working longer hours than ever. As a group, in the US, we're all in debt up to our eyeballs, and still can't seem to keep up. Companies are planning thier products to be obsolete in 6 months, and keeping up with the Jone's has snowballed into everyone expecting they should have huge McMansions. Our housing was supposed to be cheaper, and easier to maintain by now, but instead they have just gotten huge, and using more resources than ever. The no child left behind policy has left children being moved on without knowing how to read or write, instead of making sure they can do those things before they get sent on in school. As near as I can tell, the majority of our children are listless, bored, spending more time on WOW than they are on thier education, unmotivated with respect to thier futures, and not getting any where near enough time from thier parents, who are both working, and sometimes working two or more jobs just to keep the bills paid. I just heared a story on the news that the dropout rate in Baltimore is a whopping 60%! Amazing... We as a whole are less healthy, instead of healthier, and suffering side effects from our technological advances. We are more stressed out than ever, when we should be less. While all this tech should be leading us to abundance and time to spend on things like health, education and spiritual develpment, and leading us to resources that we can share with the rest of the world, it isn't happening, dis-ease and poverty are running amok the same as always. I don't know what to do about it. The only thing that I can come up with, is we have to look around us, figure out where our priorities are, ask ourselves if we're really happy with this, and if not, put our foot down, individually, and collectively and say "enough". Say it to ourselves, to the developers, to corporate America, to our children, and whoever else we need to say it to, then work toward a vision where all this wealth takes human beings in to account, and find a place where all this technology is being applied with wisdom, and bringing about the future as it was supposed to be....

Answer 2

I don't possess the world - it possesses me. So there's no gulf at all when I am in a forest or my garden, or by the sea. But between that and the world of humanity there's a gulf too far, and to the world I can envision a chasm even deeper. So one does what one can. I see the Deep Ecology movements (beyond environmentalism from which they stem, reaching into personal and social constructs of interdependence) as the potential bridge, and have at least laid a few bricks, I hope!

Answer 3

It's pretty far, all things considered.

When I was very young I lived in a poor country area. We had all sorts of different stereotypes living there, but my parents kept my sisters & I sheltered from things such as that, since they wanted us to grow up without being biased. I remember seeing things, but I didn't really know what much of it meant until I grew much older.

When I was a teenager I lived in a politically correct suburb & attended a high school that enforced the same policy. They didn't do a very good job of making sure that everyone knew what the real world was like (violence, sex, ect), since they assumed that most people would end up staying in the "safe" areas of society. We were taught very specific things about the "dangerous" areas. Homeless people were there because of fate, not b/c of their own actions. Violence only happens in the really big cities. Sexual abuse & rape doesn't happen if you are a "good girl". (You get the picture.)

Now I am an adult. I am working at both a bookstore in the middle of a suburban area, as well as an inner city hospital. I see both sides of the world, and sometimes it is hard to make both of my world views meet. I have grown accustomed to seeing that sometimes bad stuff happens to people who don't deserve it & did nothing to deserve it. I have also grown used to seeing people put in situations due to their own actions, not because of a twist of fate.

I don't know if I could truly bridge the gap between the two worlds. I'm not sure if I want to keep my older views, but sometimes I feel like I have to. Right now I'm trying to build a new world outlook. It's hard, but I'm trying. I guess that's the best anyone can really do sometimes.

Answer 4

The chasm between me and my ideal world is too far to bridge as it depends on everyone gathering around a group of ideals. Life as shown us, everyone has an opinion and the value of that opinion is dependent of the common sense and wisdom of the group as a whole.

Answer 5

Know the natural limits. Think more logically, not idealistically. Bridge the gap by realizing the limitations in resource and time. Taming the imagination but not killing yourself is the tricky part. It has been done and many have expressed it through writing but not doing.

Answer 6

i do no longer faith a superb effect in lots of peoples lifes. i think of the worldwide is in basic terms advantageous the way it somewhat is. And what makes you think of atheists all help gay marrage. My mom and pa the place 2 diffrent cultures and raised me without faith you communicate like we've diffrent view of the worldwide then maximum. i do no longer care approximately gay marrage there is no benifit to sociaty for permitting it so I dont supply a crap the two way. you do no longer prefer a god to be a ethical individual.

Answer 7

It's a pretty wide gap, but it is attainable with the proper help! I just can't seem to find that help!

Answer 8

The world we can envision is not as great as the world we can have. We can have what we envision and much more.

Answer 9

ther is a great difference between word and deed, so.it is difficult to trust in people and nations and tha makes the life difficult.

Answer 10

as i grow old, the gap becomes closer and closer because i start to take things as it is and i make my dreams more realistic.