Note: This is a chapter of my new book Satoshi, which you can get for free here: Satoshi by Stephen Parato
I personally like visualizing the positive outcomes.
I have this personal theory that every possible future is its own timeline. And you can jump timelines according to which one you focus on (and your choices, of course).
So I choose to focus on one I’d like to live in; that techno-utopia scenario.
It’s honestly the most common-sense way that a technological future would manifest. This whole idea of technology performing all of the monotonous tasks, thus “freeing humans up.” I mean, even those “in control” would have a better life than they do now. It’s really only insanity on their part that is resisting this inevitable future.
How will this techno-utopia look?
Let’s start with the automation aspect. You know how we outsource things to our subconscious mind to automate them? Well, the same thing is happening with technology.
When you’re working on a repetitive task, you’re doing it unconsciously, while your conscious mind is having a conversation or thinking about what you’re gonna eat for lunch. The same thing goes for driving. Our subconscious mind is pressing the breaks and steering the car, while we’re absorbed in something else.
Now, imagine the possibilities if we could automate all monotonous tasks… Humanity would be freed up in every way. And hopefully we use that freedom for more productive things than just dwelling on what we’re gonna eat for lunch.
My idea is that the creative floodgates will be opened.
Here’s why. Automation means that basic needs will be met for everyone. Like my dear said, resource scarcity is really economic scarcity, not actual scarcity.
With basic needs met, no one’s going to be scrambling for survival. Sure, some people will want more, but most people aren’t going to be in fight or flight mode too often. Humanity will finally be able to exhale and think, “So what do we really want to create here?”
That is the opening of the floodgates. The floodgates of creativity.
Will there be fear? Of course. We’ll still have the human mind, which is a risk calculating machine. So all risks will be considered, even when physical danger is a rare occurrence. Will there be challenges? Of course. There are always challenges in physical reality. That’s where growth comes from. No challenge, no growth.
It’s like an individual. When someone achieves financial freedom, and has all of their needs taken care of, their problems don’t disappear. They still feel fear. They still face challenges. But the difference is that they have the choice to choose what they want to do next, and deal with the challenge that comes from leaving their comfort zone and trying something new. That’s the difference. When your basic needs aren’t met, you’re forced into fear and challenges whether you choose to or not.
So what I’m getting at is that humanity as a whole will have climbed Maslow’s hierarchy. And the difficulties we face will be the ones we choose. The challenges of growth. The uncomfortable feeling of trying something completely new.
Now, what will be automated specifically? Food production, energy production, transportation, construction. Also, everything with “transactional intermediaries” will be automated and publicly available: money, contracts, wills and things like that. We don’t need someone sitting in an office just to approve things all day either.
The lay of the land will be interesting as well.
It will vary, just as climates and landscapes vary. Earth will be a network of different types of communities. There will be different forms of energy used, different social structures, different cultures, different types of buildings and homes; all depending on what is in harmony with the land the community is on.
The whole paradigm will be working with nature, instead of fighting it. No more clearing everything to build a standard Wal-Mart in every town. Again, variety, in accordance with what is most harmonious in each specific place.
In coastal communities, they will harness power from ocean waves, for example. In forest communities, they will have tree house villages that may be powered by a river. On a windy plain, they might have a windmill, built out of sustainable materials, that also has solar panels. And that’s not even mentioning perpetual motion devices or tech that harvests the infinitely dense energy in “empty” space.
What would life be like?
Let’s dive into a “day in the life” I dreamt up. Or “a life in the day” if you want to look at it that way. Let’s call her Aurora.
Aurora lives in a treehouse village. Well, more like a network of treehouse villages that spans much of the Pacific Northwest of what is now the United States.
Her house is a treehouse. It’s all built around the trunk of a gargantuan tree, without interfering with the tree’s growth or function. The material they use is wood from sustainably grown hemp trees.
I honestly don’t know how they put everything together without nails, but it somehow works. I know I’m a programmer, but my dream didn’t get into every detail.
Anyway, Aurora’s community is magical. It reminds me of the ewok village in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. With all of the treehouses dotting the forest.
Aurora is the local herbalist. She has a garden at the base of her treehouse, around the tree, where she grows dozens of different herbs. People come from miles around to buy her herbs, with digital alternative currency of course.
There’s no formal government either. Due to ample resources for everyone, there’s only an understanding of “don’t cause harm to others and you’re alright.”
I know, this sounds pretty idealistic, especially from our current worldview. But think about it. With an abundance of energy, food and shelter, what do people need to fight over? Exactly. And nature is already abundant. We, as humanity, just need to let ourselves use it.
And it’s easier than we’ve been led to believe. All it takes is harmonizing with the natural state of the Universe, even with technology.
I’ve seen a short scene of her life a few times…
Aurora wakes up, in her sweet treehouse. It’s powered by a combination of energy harvested from a nearby river and perpetual motion devices.
She drinks a big glass of pure spring water. Then she walks down the spiral staircase to a grassy patch on the base of the tree, where she does yoga and some stretching to ground and center herself.
Then she meditates on the grass, listening to the sound of birds, squirrels and other small creatures of the woods. Other people are waking up too, and she hears the soft movements of them engaging in similar morning rituals. Aurora soon drops into a state of deep peace, stillness.
Soon enough, she rises and walks to a nearby tea shop. At the shop, she orders a tea from her dear friend Jasper who runs it. She whips out a quartz crystal, places it against one that Jasper has on the counter – the “register” – and it makes a “ding” sound. That means the transaction was completed. It’s not really money that is exchanged. It’s more like inventory tracking, so everyone knows when to re-up the supply of whatever they’re offering. Like I said, this world is abundant in everything. So all that is required is for everyone to offer their goods and services, which are logged to ensure that there is always enough to offer.
In addition to being an herbalist, Aurora is also an artist; a visual storyteller, if you will. At the tea shop she pulls out a sustainably harvested canvas and natural dyes and begins a simple painting. A beautiful mandala emerges on her canvas, filled with sacred geometry and vibrant colors. After finishing it, Aurora grabs a flat crystal platform, which projects a hologram. Think of this as the crystalline version of our smartphones. She holds the hologram over her painting and it uploads to the digital grid (the new internet), where it can be viewed by anyone anywhere in the world.
The combination of crystals and holograms is incredibly effective for storing and sharing information. We even know this today. It’s another loooong tangent though. So just look into “Holographic data storage” if you’re curious.
Also, this digital grid accessed by crystals actually resonates at a harmonic frequency, unlike that of our wifi right now, which is quite disharmonious. That’s another tangent too.
Anyway. After sharing her amazing painting, Aurora leaves the tea shop and walks through the village. She sees a group of people building a treehouse. No one has to do it. They want too. First of all, it’s a place to live – shelter – everyone needs that. And every home is also a work of art. Just like how Aurora’s art is on a canvas, some people’s art is building and architecture. They take pride in it. And it’s passion, play, not work.
Some parts are automated too, which makes it easier. Acoustic levitation and robotic technology makes building much easier than it is now. The same applies to food production, though many people in Aurora’s village have their own garden as well, because they want to be involved in the cultivation of the food they eat.
The vision I have always ends with a type of festival. It’s just a glimpse. But a glimpse, a taste, is all I need.
The festival is a celebration that seems to extend everywhere.
Music permeates the air. Vibrant colors everywhere. People are dancing, eating, drinking and laughing. Even the plants and trees seem to be celebrating.
This festival, whatever it is, is the celebration of life. And it’s so beautiful.
Note: This is a chapter of my new book Satoshi, which you can get for free here: Satoshi by Stephen Parato
Thank you so much for reading! Stephen Parato