My bride and I were sitting in the back yard the other
evening enjoying the lower humidity, a slight breeze, and waving at the steady
stream of people hiking and biking the Blue Heron trail. She was in her swing
and I, a chair and the subject of robotics and the future came up. I'm sure
this is something you and yours have mulled over ad nauseam, but hear me out.
Now before I go any further, let me answer your first
question. Why were we not out hiking and biking instead of sitting on our thinking
caps like a pair of contributors to America's obesity epidemic? Because
we are morning exercisers and had already did our daily quota. With that out of
the way, what about those robots?
She was pondering the idea of possibly marketing a product
that was unique and would suddenly become popular enough to mass-market.
"It might just make us rich!" she exclaimed. Now seeing that I lived
in a Third-World country for 2 years, I already know the majority of Americans
are rich already and I felt compelled to bring up what some would call a
"Debbie Downer" statement, but I believe is our future.
"If you have an idea that will suddenly become popular
enough to mass market, companies like Amazon with their robotic warehouses will
put you out of business. There is no way you can economically compete with
machines that run 24 hours a day, without a break, benefits, or any sort of
human interaction," was along the lines of what I just quoted.
"Using the same advanced technology, they can
manufacture an improved variation with more efficiently and probably
cheaper." Her reply was that if machines will be doing everything,
"What will people do?" This is a conclusion that every human should
consider and make plans, if it isn't already too late. The truth is we will be
given tasks by our government in exchange for credits. For nostalgia's sake, we
will call it our job. It will be a bumped up welfare system that nearly
everyone will be required to partake of, or starve. Of course, the elite will
be excluded, as in all past systems including our current one.
It could be a called a tax credit, or a food credit. One way
or the other, the long term vision of our government will be the management and
well being of the population. Along with this comes total control of us. As in George Orwell's book, "1984" the government's job will be to keep us
occupied. The easiest way to do that is create "make work". Make work
is defined as "an activity that serves mainly to keep someone busy and is
of little value in itself." Kind of like using a fidget spinner, except
for 8 hours a day and calling it your job.
Anyway, our true preoccupation and one the government will
endorse is recreation. The more "work" credits you earn, the more
recreation time you can enjoy. There will be weekly lottos held to reward a
certain percentage with more extreme recreation. Everything good and fun we now
take for granted will be served as recreational credits and regardless of your
current station in life, you will be herded into this system. It will be a
brave new world dictated by automation and an all powerful, but nearly
invisible one world government and like the matrix, there won't be any option
to opt out.
Now wait a second there, Bubba. What if we don't want to be a part of it? No
worries here (notice I didn't say no problem) your children's children will
openly embrace a life of ease without the nasty hassles of having to earn an
education and get out there and go toe to toe for a slim to non-existent job market.
This inevitable and unstoppable change will come into play by invitation, not
by invasion. What you now see as freedom of choice, the future generations will
see as chains and shackles and giggly embrace their government caretaker.
There will be no need for anyone to invent anything as
artificial intelligence will be dictating our course "for the good of the
people" and the entire human population will be regulated. Birth rates,
ecology, environment, law and order, economics, health care, and recreation
facilities will all be dictated to and for us and compliance will be mandatory
and strictly enforced. "Remember the Smith's in C sector? Yea, they
disappeared yesterday. I knew they were
heading for trouble when they started complaining about the credit
system."
"Why fight and grapple for your place in the workforce
when all you have to do is earn credits and then you can play?" I
concluded and suddenly looked up at my bride there in the swing. "Too much
information?" She told me it wasn't and said she hopes to never see that
day. I agreed with her, but that is the direction we are heading. I am sure of
it.
