Bits Of Childhood Memory
In a typical linear fashion, change happens gradually. I think it's quite true that we overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can do in a decade.
Of course, we may no longer be living in a linear age, but this exponential age operates within the constraints of available resources and energy.
What's a respectable timeframe for thinking about the future in a world that's evolving rapidly? Is it 5 years? 10 years?
I doubt whether strong fundamentals like established business models or economic frameworks will remain unchanged in this type of environment.
Maybe, most frameworks or models will have to be rebuilt more or less from scratch with only a small kernel of fundamental universal principles that remain unchanged from one type of environment to another.
One of the sort of constants for me is my interests with science and technology. This hasn't changed much despite having gone through a myriad of changes on different aspects of my life.
Twisted Logic
It's sort of constant because going back into my childhood years, nothing about politics interests me. It sounded too complicated yet boring at that time.
Also, I think my mind wasn't structured enough to understand how politics is a driving force in steering humanity's collective future.
Now, I view it differently. So much so that I've come to view politics as this "operating system" on which all other societal software runs.
My childhood fascination with science and technology was incomplete without understanding the political infrastructure that enables(or constraints) innovation.
In a way, it's quite similar to finally seeing the full chess board after years of focusing on individual pieces.
A Strong Catalyst
What's particularly interesting to me also is how this interplay manifests in seemingly unrelated domains. Financial technologies reshape monetary policy just like social media platforms influence electoral processes.
One could even make the argument that technology has become the primary catalyst for political change.
AI systems are already challenging regulatory frameworks, influencing the latter to adapt or risk becoming obsolete.
It's sort of a loop whereby technological advancement creates ripples through the political sphere, which in turn relatively affects the direction and pace of future innovations.
Understanding this feedback loop is crucial for anyone attempting to navigate our rapidly evolving landscape.
This could be one of the reasons why thinking in traditional 5 or 10-year timeframes feels increasingly inadequate.
Because we need to simultaneously hold multiple temporal perspectives: the immediate technical possibilities, the medium-term political realities, and the long-term societal implications of both.
My childhood self, interested in science but dismissive of politics, couldn't have imagined this synthesis - but then again, we tend to underestimate what can change in a decade, including ourselves.
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