Many people do not like change, yet we live in a constantly changing world that affects our culture deeply.
For many years I had such a fascination, and still do to a certain extent, with the notion of change. I even had a column in the local paper. I watched as things that caused change helped with living in this world and disrupted living in this Technojungle world. I often wondered if technological change could be slowed just long enough for more people to adjust. Can the Technojungle keep up its rapid pace of change?
If there is one thing that we can be sure is true concerning the Technojungle is that it is always changing, and rapidly. There’s so much change, I say we have a lot of spare change. Do you think the Technojungle changes faster than we humans do? Do you feel you are always playing catch-up? Or are you someone who likes to have a lot of things around you changing quickly?
There has been a debate around how the Earth is changing and particularly regarding climate change due to global warming. These terms refer to how the Earth’s climate is changing from both natural causes and from human technologies—the Technojungle. The degree to which human technologies might be changing the Earth is difficult to determine because the Earth does not stay the same anyway. What are your views on climate change and global warming due to the human-made Technojungle versus nature?
If we consider the Earth as being one huge natural jungle, could the human-made Technojungle be in competition with the natural jungle and possibly trying to take over? When I consider all the other animals we share this Earth with, I can think of none that change their environment to the extent we do. Humans do, we compete with the natural world—nature. We try to co-exist and control nature and our Technojungle, but seem to do a poor job of it.
Are we humans some sort of disease, virus, or infection, to the Earth? Our desire to dominate has caused extreme devastation to the planet. Is the Earth retaliating in some way? It seems like massive natural events are becoming more frequent and colossal. A huge hurricane just finished flattening several areas of the world. Forrest fires, often caused by humans, seem to be growing in devastation. I’m sure that one day humans will use the Technojungle to attempt to control these natural events to a greater extent than they can today.
The Earth is no longer a pristine natural world. The impacts of human Technojungle change on the Earth can be seen from outer space. We log, mine, build cities and highways, all to change the world and dominate it. Our relationship with the Earth has changed. Instead of the Earth looking after us humans, as it does for all other animals, we are now in the position of having to look after the Earth. We must learn how we can steward both the Technojungle and the Earth. Human survival once meant understanding how to live in the natural world, today our survival means understanding how to live in the Technojungle.
It occurred to me one day that everything may remain the same, unless some force acts on it. I think Newton would like that. My mind, thoughts, beliefs and values, for example, probably remain close to the same until something challenges them. My computer just sits and does not seem to be changing. This is the state until I press a key. Then the computer does something very quickly and returns to just sitting there again asking, “What next?” Is everything in the Technojungle like that, changing only when a human does something?
Change is a very important concept to consider. It is worth keeping an eye on. Not just Technojungle change, or the weather, but other areas, such as social change. The Technojungle heavily influences social change.
As I gain in years, I look back and see how life and the world used to be. Not everyone is comfortable with a particular rates of change in the various areas of their lives. I believe there is a delicate balance required. I am writing this book because the current rate of change seems to be pushing the boundaries of what is comfortable for most people. Somehow we need to balance our lives in the Technojungle. Most importantly, we need to attempt to understand where Technojungle change is taking us into the future, a future that is sure to arrive with baggage and not as we are expecting. Still, we can try to prepare for the Technojungle of the future.
Would life be boring to you if there was less change? For most of human history, folks could learn how to live from their parents and even grandparents. Change was gradual. Then the Technojungle began to accelerate. Now it seems people need to reinvent ways to live every few years.
A safari in the Technojungle becomes a journey of change. We observe it changing and we are changed by the Technojungle. Perhaps we need to take care that we don’t lose our way back along the path since it might become overgrown by the jungle foliage of technological change. If we become lost, we also lose our way to learning about being better human beings and living in the Technojungle.
Note: There is a specific field of study called change management. A discussion of that field is beyond the scope of this book as it relates more to business practices.
Did you change your mind about change and what it means to you? Are you a person who embraces change or do you prefer to have things stay much the same? Have you ever wondered if the world really has to be so complex?
The Technojungle Safari 