Why Create a Grand Future

As a kid, I pissed my parents off, a lot. As many with curious children will attest to, kids will ask why… constantly. Apparently, I did this to the point, where according to them, “it just wasn’t cute anymore”. I’m pretty sure that I was the model of perfection as a young lad. But I will concede, I was very inquisitive to the point of obsession. That hunger to learn has stayed with me.

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Why, Indeed?

There is, however, something to questioning everything as a child. Children start asking why so they can make important connections and attain an understanding of the world around them. I feel that more adults could take heed and learn from this approach. By questioning why things are done the way they are, we can challenge the status quo and form our own opinions to chart our own course through life. We shouldn’t just follow the “because that’s just the way it is” mentality passed down from previous generations. We should be constantly trying to improve and grow.

I’ve found this strategy even helps to really get to the ‘root’ of even my personal wants as well. By digging and reflecting on the why of my motivations, I’ve gained clarity on what truly brings me happiness and my underlying desires. If we took this a step further, at the societal level, asking why and questioning could help us cut through the BS and make more prudent, more transparent, and effective plans and actions.

Let’s start asking why, again. Let’s dissect current processes and systems to see if there are better ways. I want to start to lay a groundwork for what a bright future looks like and how to get there. I hope to expand on some of the ‘Whys’ below and dive deeper into these topics with future content. From there, we can build a framework for how humanity can shape a better world. We are all here together and we need to work together to ensure the future is bright.

Why is a Grand Future Important?

When asking myself why I wanted to undertake this… endeavor, I really did a lot of soul searching to uncover my inner motivations and drive. I found I wanted to create a “roadmap”, of sorts, for the future.

I also realized that my “Why” is more nuanced than I thought. Asking why can really get you to the root of a problem, similar to the practice of first principle thinking. First principles thinking tears down a process into its most basic components and then builds from there.

We only have one shot at this planetary-wide experiment: the earth, the biosphere, all Earth’s inhabitants – once they are gone, that’s it, they’re gone forever. If we mess things up, there’s no turning back. We need to be proactive and thoughtful with our actions. The choices we make today will have compounding effects down the line.

We are at a crossroads as a species. Several crossroads in fact.

One of these crossroads is climate change. Climate change is real. It’s not as simple as saying that the polar caps will melt or the rising sea levels will cause flooding and damage to coastal cities. It’s not just that the Earth’s temperature will raise a few degrees. It could be much, much worse.

This is just the start. These seemingly subtle issues could start a feedback loop where environmental problems compound into more massive global altering catastrophes. Climate change could cause extinction level events on a worldwide scale. If we don’t drastically pivot into a more sustainable functioning civilization, we might reach a ‘point of no return’. We only have to look at our planetary neighbor, Venus, to see the effects of a runaway greenhouse after a planet reaches the point of no return. With an atmospheric surface pressure 90 times that of Earth, Venus also has an average temperature of 800 degrees Fahrenheit. The atmosphere is almost entirely composed of sulfur and CO₂. Any living creature – plants, animals, and humans would be crushed and burned alive under those environmental conditions.

Locally, we are seeing the beginnings of climate change already taking place in the form of more severe droughts, more frequent hurricanes, and changing weather patterns. This could affect the availability of crops, water, and livestock that humans need to live. Hunger rates could increase dramatically and feeding the world’s populace will be harder if these droughts continue.

I don’t want to sound all doom and gloom, but climate change is only one of the issues facing humanity and the planet. Today, there are close to 8 billion people on every continent on the globe. The activities of humans on this scale will definitely impact the environment and, frankly, each other.

We need a plan, and maybe even a paradigm shift, in order to make sure that our only planet is livable and idyllic for our children and their children. I want to believe that we can all make the world a better place if we could put our collective minds and hands together to attack our problems. This is the belief I wanted to capture as the core principle for A Grand Future.

Vision:

A GRAND FUTURE where ALL Earth’s inhabitants can live together on a sustainable world.

This planet is our home. I want future generations to be impressed by the world they inherit. We need to preserve and protect it. I want them as proud of us as I am of my grandparents’ “Greatest Generation”. Our grandchildren have to build on the world we give them, so humanity can grow and flourish. We need to make constructive changes now to see positive progress towards a better world.

What are we doing to bring about A Grand Future?

Okay, sorry I cheated here. I didn’t start with “Why”… my bad.

But really, what are the ‘powers that be’ doing to bring about a hopeful future?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the short answer is: NOT MUCH.

Shouldn’t advocating for a better future be priority NUMBER ONE with those in positions of power? If we don’t even have a direction on where we’re going, how the hell are we going to get there? Or anywhere, for that matter?

“I feel like I’m taking crazy pills here!!”
– Mugatu

Did you realize that the United States of America, the nation that is the supposedly the so-called ‘leader of the free world’, has no dedicated body or department or even a committee that is figuring out where to take the nation? There are no long-term planning “think-tanks”.

At best, plans are determined four years at a time by a sitting president’s stint in office. Those plans are hardly ever accomplished because of the way the system is set up. It’s really sad that the nation that once stood as a beacon of progress and hope, is slowly becoming a shadow of its former self.

While the US is squabbling, divided, and dithering, other nations are taking the lead in becoming trailblazers for change. There are upcoming nations with a keener eye towards the future. If the US wants to once again be a positive inspiration to the world, it will need to pivot and implement forward-looking optimistic long-term plans.

Overall, it feels as though we’re spinning our wheels. Bureaucratic nonsense stalls anything substantial from being accomplished towards progressing the human race. The proverbial torch has to be picked up by all, if we are to affect A Grand Future. We’re all passengers on this ship, but who is doing the steering?

On a global level, there are some promising international talks happening that are looking further afield. There are global climate conferences taking place. The nations of the world have committed to meeting certain metrics to limit fossil fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions. One could make the argument that this is a decent start.

After all, they are getting people and nations talking. The public is finally starting to focus on a common problem. But more needs to be done faster (of course…). If we weren’t so lackadaisical in the last few decades, we could have had more of a head start on fixing the issues facing humanity and the world. But instead, on the whole, we’ve become a society glued to social media and mind-numbing hours of television.

In general, I believe the change has to start at home first. We need to first fix what’s wrong with ourselves. Only then, can we expand our bubble outward to encompass and correct other problems in the world, at large. Many human activities are currently not sustainable and will have to be altered or eliminated to grow as a species.

There aren’t any organizations focused on pushing humanity towards a positive future. The nations of the world don’t have a BOLD PLAN to help solve the world’s problems. I wanted to start this discourse in order to give humanity a path towards A Grand Future.

Why Create a Website?

Personally, I found that by writing ideas down, I can flesh out concepts, organize, and work through them easier. Ideas that started out as vague notions or disjointed thoughts could be written out and wrangled into some semblance of coherence.

I felt that creating a website would give more flexibility with content. Other forms of media are static – such as a book or movie. They are released to the public and then it sits, unchanging. As I learn more, get more suggestions, come across different ways of thinking and ideas, I felt a website is the perfect medium to incorporate, modify, update, and mold as better solutions present themselves. It becomes a living, growing, and breathing thing.

This could be a sandbox where I can just put some ideas out there and ‘try them out for size’. They might not be right. Heck, they might be totally off base, but why not cover all angles? What are we missing? Why not be open minded? Maybe something that seems off, could be partially used to trigger a great idea. You never know.

Also, by committing to a website, I’ll have some accountability and go deeper into research that interests me. It is pretty much, one of the simplest avenues to get one’s ideas out into the world at large and get people talking.

The internet tells any would-be website owner to “niche down” and be as specific as possible to focus your website. I plan on doing just the opposite. This is a place where I want to talk about big bold ideas, where concepts can come together, and then fleshed out to be as practical as possible. Hopefully, people will find inspiration in the ideas and share them with friends.

As a single individual, there’s honestly not much you can do to affect the world on a global scale by yourself. But as a group, there is definitely power in numbers. A website can get a message out to the people of the world unlike any other time in history. Every journey begins with a first step, I hope this can be the opening into helping push solutions forward to protect our planet and all its inhabitants.

Why Not?

I always knew I wanted to be a part of something meaningful where I could make an impact on the world. But, for a long time, I struggled to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I couldn’t really pin down what my purpose was. At the same time, I had all these big ideas floating around in my head and I couldn’t do anything with them.

Most people default into putting in the minimum amount of effort to get a job done. I am no exception. I needed a “vehicle” to convey ideas publicly and, thus, this website was born. Creating a website was really the most effective and efficient way to get my ideas ‘out of my head’.

Before I started, I had a lot of self-doubts creep in. Like – why bother, what difference will it make, who will care, etc. But, deep down, the drive to create A Grand Future outweighed all the negatives. I passionately care about the planet and life.

I hope putting this message on paper, so to speak, and out into the world will help me as much as it helps all of “us” collectively, both present and future.

But even if I am speaking to the void, at least a path will be stamped out here for reference and for those who want to follow – and hopefully gain inspiration. I’ve been blessed to have a decent amount of free time. I’ve filled that leisure time with reading, thinking, and seeking out knowledge in specific areas I find interesting.

And when I’m old and gray, I won’t need to look back at my life regretting not following my heart. I felt someone needed to take in the world as a whole and look at the big picture.

We could very well possibly be the only place in the universe to harbor life. I don’t think any of us would like to be associated with the demise of life in the entire cosmos, if possible.

My hope is that in time this website inspires and gathers a following. Or, in a small way, helps bring about a future we can all be proud to be a part of. I want these words to be here in black and white for future reference. This is a place for ideas to flourish and where concepts can come to life.

For the Future

I believe there is no nobler cause than fighting for a better world. As humans, I believe we are capable of anything if we have a purpose and a common direction. Humanity can achieve great things. Building a sustainable world is honestly the most important goal for our generation and every generation to come.

We are the only fully sentient species on this planet and all in this together. It is our responsibility to care for the planet and protect those who can’t take care of themselves both human and otherwise.

Building a bright future is not currently a top priority for people. I hope this will change. There are no committees, boards, or long-term government plans or groups steering the direction of a single country let alone all of humanity. There needs to be someone, preferably multiple someones, looking forward.

We need a movement to think beyond the short term. Instead, we need to look into putting the right measures in place now so our descendants are not saddled with our problems. We should be proud of the world we bring them into.

If the planet and its inhabitants are not important to you, then you can move on. But, if the ideas here resonate and speak to you, then I hope we can build a community starting with this website. Only through our combined energy can we build A Grand Future.

We need something to look forward to – We need hope.