This week I am absorbing "21 Lessons for the 21st Century" - the latest work from Yuval Noah Harari. The quote below strikes me as particularly foreboding:

"We should never underestimate human stupidity. Both on the personal and the collective level, humans are prone to engage in self-destructive activities. ...no god and no law of nature protect us from human stupidity."

The 21 Lessons presented are as follows, (from the Table of Contents):

1. Disillusionment: The End of History Has Been Postponed.
2. Work: When You Grow Up, You Might Not Have a Job.
3. Liberty: Big Data is Watching You.
4. Equality: Those Who Own the Data Own the Future.
5. Community: Humans Have Bodies.
6. Civilization: There Is Just One Civilization in the World.
7. Nationalism: Global Problems Need Global Answers.
8. Religion: God Now Serves the Nation.
9. Immigration: Some Cultures Might Be Better than Others.
10. Terrorism: Don't Panic.
11. War: Never Underestimate Human Stupidity.
12. Humility: You Are Not the Center of the World.
13. God: Don't Take the Name of God in Vain.
14. Secularism: Acknowledge Your Shadow.
15. Ignorance: You Know Less than You Think.
16. Justice: Our Sense of Justice Might Be Out of Date.
17. Post-Truth: Some Fake News Lasts Forever.
18. Science Fiction: The Future Is Not What You See in the Movies.
19. Education: Change Is the Only Constant.
20. Meaning: Life Is Not a Story.
21. Meditation: Just Observe.

Below are my personal corresponding interpretations of how each lesson may add to my personal learning and growth.

1. Widespread present-day disillusionment has resulted in widespread present-day divisiveness. It appears to me that we have one faction looking to restore the past and another faction looking to maintain the present. The answers are not here or there. We cannot turn the clock back, nor can we productively advance by living in this moment. But I CAN learn from the past to live in the moment FOR the future. If we do not rationally and decisively look to the future together, we will not survive. The answers are in the future; a future that we must start building NOW!
2. Work is no longer a clock or a widget. Work is productive contribution. Some of the hardest working people in this world are parents; (multiply that by two for a single parent). Some form of universal basic income is necessary; (I made a suggestion here - March 11, 2017). For now I will continue to work beyond traditional parameters so I may continue to learn and grow.
3. Because of Big Data, the more I click on what I believe, the more opportunity I have to click on what I believe and the less I see of opposing perspectives, thus becoming more firmly entrenched in my beliefs. I have a responsibility to myself and to all of humanind to seek, find, and then work to understand contrasting and discordant viewpoints so I may encourage an openness resulting in a rational, autonomous evolution of thought.
4. For centuries now wealth and power as established by property has perpetuated inequality. Today the richest 1 percent own half the world's wealth and the richest one hundred people own more than the poorest four billion people. Tomorrow personal data in the form of big data will become the "new" basis for wealth and power. It is possible that those with today's wealth and power will take control of big data. It is possible that governments will take control. To have our needs and desires manipulated by either possibility is potentially dangerous. Harari presents the possibility of a global human collective, but this would require massive global cooperation; which we are, today, moving away from. For today I will continue to work at crossing up the algorithms by clicking on, purchasing, watching and listening to wildly contrasting and discordant points of view; in this way I will, to a degree, maintain personal ownership.
5. Community still means face-to-face human connectivity. It also requires me to pay attention and listen to wildly contrasting and discordant perspectives. I will continue to push myself into varying forms of social connectivity. Some days I prefer my nose in a book, but when I am able, I find myself more studious and open to learning if I take that book (and my nose) to a coffee shop.
6. As entropy marches on, some gaps are getting smaller. Globally, each one of us share similarities---(similar political systems and similar economic models and similar medical practices and similar business practices and similar scientific and technological advancements and even similar ethical and moral beliefs)---with a large majority of the rest of the world's individuals. We all belong to the same civilization. I am a member of a global civilization.
7. It is okay for me to think my nation is unique and special to me. It is no longer necessary (or okay) to think my nation is superior to all other nations. We will never resolve global issues and challenges with radical, extreme, or even merely pretentious nationalism. (See #6 above.)
8. It is okay for me to think my religion/spirituality is unique and special to me. It is no longer necessary (or okay) to think my religion/spirituality is superior to all other interpretations. We will never resolve global issues and challenges with radical, extreme, or even merely pretentious religious beliefs. (See #6 above.)
9. Immigration is a difficult problem and both anti and pro camps have some valid arguments. When I work to think rationally without emotion, I recognize fear as an emotion and it becomes both reasonable and obviously beneficial to encourage diversity within an organized system of immigration. Walls exacerbate fear. The theater of terrorism exacerbates fear. We will never resolve global issues and challenges with radical, extreme, or even merely pretentious emotion. (See #6 above.)
10. In the U.S., since 2001, about 10 people per year have been killed by terrorists; European Union - 50; China - 7; worldwide - 25,000, mostly in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Syria. The theater of terrorism exacerbates fear, and thanks to our over-the-top media and fearmongering politicians we play right into the hands of small fanatical extremist groups that have no other weapon but fear. I will continue to direct my vigilance, apprehension, annoyance and anger at the careless and ignorant drivers that kill 100 or more people each day in this country, as I am much more likely to save my life by being afraid of college girls on cell phones.
11. War. This is the chapter from which I lifted the quote I began with. I often see stupidity stemming from emotion. We will never resolve global issues and challenges with radical, extreme, or even merely pretentious stupidity, and we run a very good chance, (with radical or extreme stupidity), of widespread decimation leading to near or complete extinction. I will maintain an attentive awareness, and I will work to not underestimate human stupidity.
12. Because I am Human, I lack humility; yet it is the single most important quality for our future together. To sincerely practice humility, I must not, in good conscience, belong to any group that believes they are in any way above, better than, or more entitled than any other group. Yet, because I am Human, I do; it is difficult not to. I must work to improve my awareness, my efforts and my ability to diplomatically communicate my reasons for perceived slights caused by my distance. Perhaps by simply saying, "verifiable history argues against predetermined superiority..."
13. God has too often been an excuse to cause suffering. It is okay to seek peace and harmony through a personal relationship with your God. It is not okay to claim a specific God and believe that He justifies persecution or even divisiveness. (For me), God is Compassion for the Past-Present-Future as one. I should work on this relationship.
14. Regardless of professed religious affiliation, globally, each one of us share a similar secular ideal based on our neverending search for Truth and Wisdom; a search that is not undertaken by those who believe they have all the answers. It is not only okay, but also necessary, for me to be skeptical and question everything. It is not only okay, but also necessary, for me to say, "I don't know" when I don't know. It is not only okay, but also necessary, for me to say, "I don't know" when I think I know. It is not only okay, but also necessary, for me to acknowledge my mistakes. I am Human. I am imperfect.
15. It is okay to utilize groupthink and universal knowledge, as long as I recognize it as such; I am seldom as smart as a rational, open-minded, interdependent collective. It is not okay to play follow-the-leader. It is better to wander alone in an active and curious ignorance than to lead obedient followers to an ever-crumbling precipice of power. (The unfortunate accompanying injustice is that ignorance often does not pay as well.)
16. Justice. I don't have an answer. We don't have an answer. It is as if justice is packaged unaddressed and delivered proportionally according to the size of the houses in the neighborhood, (bigger house = more justice), because FedEx finds it more expedient to deal with the complaints later. I can (and will) continue to complain and I will continue to advocate for some form of universal basic income, (see #2 above), as I believe that to be a way to require justice to be delivered more equitably.
17. The entire history of Humanity is simultaneously post-truth and pre-Truth. The upper-case T denotes a complete and perfect Truth, obviously unattainable yet necessarily desirable. Post-truth acknowledges the necessity of myth and convention that aids in our delusion of control, which in turn has been necessary for our survival. Fake news is not new. I must continue to seek tangible truth from verified experts.
18. There is freedom and a hint of Truth to be found in art. Art inspires the imagination. Perhaps Truth is unattainable because it too is a myth. Regardless, I will keep searching.
19. Today we need to teach our children how to think; a process best accomplished by questioning every thing in every moment. The traditional model of education is obsolete. According to Harari, some experts are advocating completely replacing our traditional model with "the four C's" - critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Because of rapid-fire change, rapid-fire skepticism will become necessary for individuals to retain some semblance of autonomy and not be swallowed whole by Big Data.
20. Meaning. Hocus-Pocus. Sacrifice: fool or villain? Tell me a story; or not. In my story, I am the hero. In my story, the hero suffers. In reality, each one of us suffers. Does that mean we are all heroes? Or does that mean there is no story?
21. Who am I? Today I have the opportunity to explore this most difficult question. Tomorrow? I may be too busy...

Final Thought:

When I close my eyes, I will not become invisible; I will become oblivious. When I tell my story, I will not become a superhero; I will remain oblivious, and I may become a liar, a zealot, a fearmonger, a fool, and/or a villain.