2023: We've never had it better.
Welcome to 2023!
A year predicted to be the best in human history.
Despite the media's doom and gloom, life is on the up, and we've never had it better.
Today, people live longer, more peaceful lives with more access to resources and education than ever.
Across every global metric, we are moving forward as a race.
You've heard this before, but it's worth repeating:
We have more power on our wrists and at our fingertips than the kings and queens of old.
Not only that:
Each of us has access to the same technology – phones, wearables, cars and computers – as today's elite.
We're equal with the billionaires, presidents, prime ministers and celebrities of our world.
Some of the most potent human innovations get delivered to our door with the click of a button!
An ancient Astrolabe device. An example of early human technology.
Imagine a world without technology
We would miss the critical elements of our modern lives: wifi, air con, transport, and the many things we take for granted.
Tinkering with technology has made our world what it is.
And our natural curiosity has enabled the luxury of a conversation about which direction we want to go.
The trap we fall into is guilt over what it took to get here.
The mistake we make is to judge ourselves for the problems that arise along the way.
To be clear:
Every resource we've used so far has been worth it.
From the ancients refining copper and bronze into the first metal tools to today's use of rare metals in the hunt for net zero, every piece is justified and essential in improving our conditions.
But problems are a natural part of life.
And we continue to discover more thanks to the technology we've built using the available resources.
Without which, we'd still be in the dark – literally.
Where we’ve come from, to where we’re going. Technology and the world won’t stand still.
How to stay alive
What's truly scary is stagnation, or worse, regression.
A quick trip to the boneyard of civilisation should be enough to see what happens in the absence of forward progress.
Where would we be if we didn't use our resources to employ – not enslave – millions of people and drive innovation?
“All great civilisations have had some things in common – advanced technology, large populations, and a well-organised workforce”
Technology is key to unlocking the best we have to offer.
And as humans, we are always on the lookout for the next big thing, exploring, inventing and learning what works and what doesn't through trial and error.
So, why the doom and gloom?
If you happen to turn on the news on any given day or expose yourself to some form of media, you'll be bombarded with a river of despair.
Why is it so?
Aren't we, so far, the luckiest humans to occupy the planet?
We are, but it's also natural to focus on things that aren't going well.
It could just be for entertainment.
Or we could be hardwired to look for problems worth solving.
In this context, we can take the example of climate change and the increasing proportion of carbon in our atmosphere and oceans.
I am relatively agnostic about the argument and listen to both sides; however, there's a lot of nonsense floating in both directions.
Some voices even advocate for more resource use to solve the next series of challenges in our way.
And I agree.
But it's a view that people instantly shy away from thanks to the discussion around resource depletion, valid or not.
Nuclear fusion could become a source of infinite clean energy.
The cost of progress
We are leveraging an array of rare critical minerals to enable our leap in the global electrification age.
This means significant increases in mining operations the world over.
And in places like Africa, where regulation is lax, and corruption is high, there will be problems as there are now.
But mining is also essential to solving the world's most pressing problems.
“Ideas are creatively generated in the mind of a human - and nowhere else. A human mind is creative when it can explore new terrain. The more “newness”, the better - the faster and more original the innovations will be. And like explorers of the past - new lands were found when the unexpected happened”
Our next great leap will be into a net zero carbon economy and searching for unlimited clean energy supplies.
Guilt over our role in climate change or blaming it on previous generations is a distraction.
And we tend to only look at the problem, possibly because they're fun to solve creatively.
But It's a mistake to hold onto the thought that problems are only harmful and not a milestone along our journey.
A potentially damaging mistake.
The idea that "dirty industries", like those in the resources sector, cannot help us get clean is an unnecessary paradox.
Everything we have in modern life, including the technology I rely on to run my business, has required the Earth's resources.
And thanks to human innovation, I now only need a device and wifi to earn a living.
This idea would seem fantastical or alien to my parents.
Today we wear technology that eclipses everything that has come before.
We've never had it better.
In the modern age, we enjoy more of everything that matters:
Freedom
Work and travel opportunities
Access to infinite knowledge (without university)
Health
Lifespan
Education
Food
“But as the enlightenment spreads, there will be no choice. We will innovate through knowledge creation and criticism or stagnate and decline. This is true of the individual, organisations, nations and the world”
Do we fear the fix?
To get away from politics and infighting, we must reframe the current problem.
While forgiving ourselves – and those before us – because everything we had to do was for the betterment of people.
We are progressing thanks to those innovators who came before us, and our children will have it better thanks to the problems we solve today.
We must use the resources available to enable our big next step forward.
There's no other way.
And it would be a failure in our duty to future generations to deny them a stable platform from which to succeed.
And so our kids can complain about how hard they've got it.
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