Progress by definition suggests things are improving and innovation is lessening burdens and adding quality to life. The test for advantageous progress is "result", we can assess a progress change through the advantage it provides.
Can a point be reached where progress reaches a place where the gains become overwhelmed by disadvantages?
I find the question interesting. In today's world it is difficult to ascribe the word satisfying to the condition of being alive as a human on this planet, no doubt we have also contributed to dissatisfaction for all other life on the planet, so--explain to me again the intent of "progress."
Often the disadvantages of progress come in a form we call unintended consequence. This occurs when a particular step in progress manifests a series of disadvantages which render the attempted progress as regressive in practice.
Have we reached a point where many intended progressive schemes have added so much complexity to our lives as to render the intended advantages as not worth it, or even worse, layers of complexity which threaten our ability to manage and cope with the aftermath of said "progress"?
Has humanity reached its point of incompetence?
Whether I survey technology, social engineering, economics, politics, legislation, manufacturing, agriculture or any other human contrived state of existence I get the sense of an unsustainable condition through unmanageable conditions directly attributable to the massive layers of complexity associated with the implementation of an unfathomable array of intended "progress."
Are we now stalled out in a quagmire of unintended consequence?
Have we gone beyond a point of innovation where massive layers of cloying complexity inhibit our capacity to enjoy progress, are we at a place of unacceptable mistrust of our own brilliance?
As each day goes by how often do you wonder "Who or what can I trust?"
Trust is a fundamental requirement for healthy human function and one wonders about the effect of not being able to trust things which in past times could be trusted. The stresses of living in an environment of distrust is debilitating and is bound to reflect in an increase of mental strain and resulting bizarre behaviors, this again heaps yet another complexity upon the pile. like a tractor pull competition, the harder you pull the more resistance is applied to the puller, eventually the machinery stalls and dies.
My feeling is, we have reached a point where coping with so-called modern life exceeds the human capacity to cope with it, the result is a time-bomb likely to manifest as a mass hysterical meltdown within society.
As more ill-advised, wanton and even reckless progress is applied we may want to revisit the definition of 'progress' itself and review whether what we are doing is indeed progressive. We may in fact may be deceiving ourselves and are achieving regression rather than progressive headway.
The truth seems to be, we have exceeded some sort of red-line on the dial of human capacity to manage. So complex has everything become no one is capable of managing the machinery behind all of innovation. We are now in a chaotic state where circumstances dictate motion and where decisions are reactionary not strategic.
Simple things have been turned into highly complex, puzzling and confusing things so much so--as an example even knowing when to eat, what to eat and why has become a full time preoccupation.
Complexity has eroded our sense of trust. We are now at a place where we cannot trust anything.
Collapse of everything seems to be a daily sentiment. How long do you suppose we can remain red-lined before a key sprocket, pinion or gear hatches and our entire glorious engine of progress erupts into an uncontrolled ball of hurt?
For those with a heightened sense of personal survival it would seem prudent to take stock, reset expectations and gear for a less complex existence, for one is sure to come. Starting with self--list those things which you can trust, a small piece of paper will be sufficient.
Imagine a world the way a world should be--it will come about. Many doing a little bit of good a lot should do the trick...
Stay tuned...
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