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Jul 3, 2021Liked by Ken Pahana

Found your link in a comment on Timcast... I appreciate the sentiment. I don't see how we find liberty in a society that has highly centralized power nexuses. That would include powerful governments or global multi-national corporations. They are all bad, imo.

It seems to me that liberty can only be found by bringing the economic power and decision making closer to the people. This would be the opposite of the trend that is occurring and I don't know how to reverse it or even slow it down. People want their "stuff" and material wealth is abundant even as we are spiritually impoverished. We are cut off from the world, our neighbors and ourselves to a great degree. But we have smartphones (the new opiate of the masses) and the promise that the government will take care of us.

I, for one, am soon going to be opting out of the city and finding a simpler life in a much smaller community. I am going to become involved in politics and encourage an agenda of self-sufficiency and local consumption. I am definitely going to advocate for an education system that challenges students to learn and think critically. No participation trophies and no "you're perfect the way you are" platitudes. As much as possible, I want our children to be self-aware, humble in the face of what they don't know and appreciative of what they have inherited at least as much as they are critical. That will be my contribution to the cause.

Anyway, the problem is not simple. Perhaps technology will be our savior. AI systems will continue to evolve. If their purpose continues to be, as is the case today, to maximize profit, I believe we are headed for a new dark age. If their goal becomes the maximization of human potential and satisfaction, it could be a very different story. We'll see, my crystal ball is cloudy.

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Hello

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