Future Shock: Are You Unknowingly Participating in Tomorrow's Scandals?
Future Shock: Are You Unknowingly Participating in Tomorrow's Scandals?
How today's normal becomes tomorrow's unthinkable
Afternoon tea at the Ritz London is my guilty pleasure. Every London visit, I make sure to book a table there. It's become a bit of a tradition.
Last time, while browsing the tea menu, I chatted with their tea sommelier. It was fascinating to learn that most of their teas come from India and China.
The Ritz's tea room feels like stepping back in time. Sitting there, I felt transported back to 1906 London.
But then a thought hit me. If it really was 1906, someone like me probably wouldn't be welcome here. Sure, they'd serve tea from the Far East, but people who looked like me? Probably wouldn't be allowed through the front door.
It showed me how much has changed in a century. I couldn't help but feel grateful that it has changed for the better.
This got me wondering: What things that are considered normal and accepted now might not be the same in 100 years from now?
Change is not merely necessary to life - it is life. - Alvin Toffler
Some changes are for the better, some are no longer acceptable. The future holds both good and bad changes.
Hope or Illusion?
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said,
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
The Ritz stood as a living testament to both progress and lingering inequality. I couldn't help but wonder:
Is this hopeful vision of moral progress a reality, or a comforting illusion?
Are we really moving forward, or just shuffling around our moral blind spots?
Maybe we're just trading one set of problems for another, patting ourselves on the back for fixing yesterday's issues while being oblivious to today's challenges.
The Path Forward
Karl Popper, a philosopher who lived through the turbulent 20th century, came up with an idea he called "critical rationalism." He argued that we should hold all our beliefs open to criticism and be willing to revise them in light of new evidence or arguments. This could be our best path forward.
Instead of trying to nail down a perfect set of rules that will work forever, we can see ethics as a work in progress.
But that's okay. It's how we grow.
The trick is to stay curious, keep learning, unlearning, then relearning.
"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. - Alvin Toffler
So next time you're sipping your tea, take a moment to ponder:
What beliefs am I holding that might need a new perspective?
What new ideas am I resisting just because they're unfamiliar?
Embracing this ethical mindset might just be the key to a better future for all of us.
The future holds both good and bad. But change is inevitable.
Future generations will probably judge us, but they'll also build on whatever foundation we lay today. Our task is not to achieve moral perfection, but to live better, think deeper, be kinder, and make things fairer for everyone.
It's certainly food for thought over a good cup of tea, isn't it?
Continuously to learn, unlearn, relearn.
More to unlearn
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Well said Cammi. Change can happen fast sometimes. Other times, as you are relating, it can take eons. Change is a concept that we could take a lot of our time analyzing. It is good to notice what changes over time and what doesn't. Also, as you allude to, change can be difficult, resisted, even result in violent reactions. Resistance can sometimes to lead to a return to the situation prior to an assumed change. Take the abortion decision by the Supreme Court after 50 years. Some people still believe the earth is still flat. Many countries reacting to migrants entering their countries. If you like history, that one has been one that has changed many times throughout human history. However, change is worth examining, as Cammi so brilliantly reminds us. Thanks again Cammi.
'Ethics as a work in progress.' Absolutely, Cammi, although there's nothing absolute. What comprises progress towards a 'better' moral code is uncertain. What some would see as progress, others would see as regress. And vice versa. Socialism, communism, democracy, theocracy, autocracy, and the other 'isms' and 'ocracys' have their own supposedly unchanging moral code embedded. Which is another way of saying wherever, whatever and whenever you are, there are the accepted codes. I can say and do things here in Australia that would get me killed in Tehran.