From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
Our system has never defined what it means to be 'good' – what is the ideal human being in capitalism? Is it Jeff Bezos? Is it Steve Jobs? They thrived, they profited, are they 'moral'? The ideal human profile of capitalism does not fit with our basic human dignity.
We need to be responsible adults, yet society is- at best- irresponsible adolescents. Our society isn't worried about long-term consequences, it's 'live for today, party now, forget about the hangover...'
Our world today is not only superficial, but also very cynical, almost to the point of nihilism. There's a cynicism that masquerades as intelligence, but which- in reality- is a form of despair, a kind of excuse for not having to do anything.
In our modern world, everyone has an opinion about everything; and it's powerful to step back and go, 'you know what… I genuinely don't have an opinion about that…' – taking that position is seen as most terrible in today's day and age, but if you really work to dismantle all the things you think you are, you'll probably find you don't have an opinion about so many things.
India boasts a robust workforce with nearly 5 million developers, a vast, young demographic, a burgeoning middle class, and a tech-enabled, English-speaking workforce. All these factors combine to offer what could be the opportunity of the decade for India.
Philosophy is embedded in everything. We all have philosophies which form the basis for our motivations and what we do with our days. Everyone has their own philosophy of life; every institution has a philosophy... but for most of us, those philosophies are unexamined and more or less automatic and instinctual.
Even if we end up with better regulations, we'll still have 300 million guns washing around the US, and that's going to be a huge problem for decades, because guns last a long time.
Social media has completely and seismically changed our industry in a way that is hard to express. Historically we would have largely been reliant on a few gatekeepers, but that has been completely flipped on its head with social media, in that anybody with a unique voice that is able to connect with an audience can be talent.
The basic problem is that if you attempt to commit suicide with a gun, you typically succeed. It's also true that there is a more violent culture generally in the US. The US in general, has broader problems with crime, with social dysfunction, narcotics often, and all these work together with guns to create this epidemic.
I often joke that social media is the 'NutraSweet' version—it seems good but doesn't deliver the psychological benefit we expect. In fact, our use of technology can be a big opportunity cost on a lot of the stuff that truly matters for happiness.
All you have to do is walk through an airport, for example, and notice that it is very difficult to navigate through it. You will encounter humans (almost statue like) who are glued – looking at their mobile phones, unaware of what is happening around them, because they are addicted to their technology. That is by design that people are addicted to technology.
In my experience, unless you are directly affected by a human rights abuse, you are unlikely to give it a second thought. How many times do you draw breath a day? It's about 22,000 times – you don't think about it until you can't. That's exactly how most people view human rights- they are generally apathetic and may express some concern or sympathy when they hear about something on the news, but they don't mobilise unless it affects them directly.