The World in Hyperspeed

This (admittedly short and casual) article explains why 2012 was the best year ever. They cite global improvements across metrics such as life expectancy, poverty, disease, energy consumption, and more. Despite the major problems in the U.S. and across the world (which dominate a major portion of the news cycle), globalization and new technologies have meant more prosperity, better health, fairer opportunity, and much more.

I'm struck by the human race's velocity as we continue to hurtle forward. How's this for perspective: If Earth's history was compressed into a single day, dinosaurs don't pop up until 11PM. Their reign is an impressive forty-five minutes. Our humble ancestors, the modern human, only join the party around a minute or so before midnight. Our recorded history only covers the last few seconds.

In the 5,000 odd-years since the construction of the Great Pyramids of Giza, we've been improving in countless ways thanks to technology. From the wheel, agricultural systems, iron tools, to the steam engine, semi-conductor, iPhone, and fiber optic internet, our ability to combat and control nature has grown in previously-unimaginable ways. In the truest sense, we've gone forth and prospered.

We are moving fast. Real fast. It took thousands of years to progress from the wheel to the wagon. But quickly we built a car, and then sent men into space. Our disparate, unique, exotic cultures: the Minoans, Egyptians, Mayans, Greeks, Romans, and more, now exist only in history books. Cultural heritage and tradition across the globe are being flattened, normalized, or lost. Financial centers mirror each other: cars, skyscrapers, hotels, on every continent. There's a McDonald's on each corner, and a Coke sign above every shop. We are zooming ahead, and using our natural resources to boot.

Think about it: the Earth moved along, doing its thing, for 23hours, 58minutes, 30seconds. We show up, figure out how to chop down trees for fire. But then we also figure out how to harness coal, and petroleum. We are_hurtling_towards a divergent point. Either technology continues to progress, and a pie-in-the-sky solution is found (thoriumreactors; Asimov-esque orbiting solar panels; etc.), or our astounding consumption of the planet and its natural resources are sure to catch up with us — Fermi paradox, anyone?

I think we'll figure it out. We'll slow our consumption, improve and embrace green technology, and get through this just fine. But still, I can't help but worry that we're going to royally screw this whole thing up pretty bad. Victims of velocity.