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While @july has never felt more optimistic about the future, I'm slowly veering in the opposite direction.

A few people asked why, so I wrote this short essay.

After years of working with century long time horizons, I'm noticing a shift in my optimism. I believe it partly stems from a paradox around unprecedented global connectivity alongside deepening fragmentation. 

It makes me wonder if our technological ingenuity can truly outpace our collective dysfunction when planetary challenges demand wisdom.

https://cyrusclarke.substack.com/p/why-an-optimist-is-slowly-veering

I read this and here's my take:
- I couldn't agree more with many points articulated here
- I think it does a great job, of grieving our current landscape of fragmentation. 
- Hard to move forward if we don't accept how things aren't great today, and only getting worse
- Yet, again progress comes from crisis, and crisis is an opportunity
- And if anything @cyrus and his writing makes me more optimistic about the future because ultimately because without fragmentation, there is no unification. without unification, there will never be another fragmentation
- Especially the social side of things more (e/acc is only tech focused) where we are, who we are and what is happening -- in order to move forward where in the longer run the arc of humanity lifts us forward
- Short term: it's easy to see where we are and be distraught
- Long term: I continue to be unable to contain my excitement about the future, I really couldn't if I tried to

Researcher at MIT Media Lab | Creating futures | https://cyrus.website/info

creating and destroying; flying cars, roc.camera, july.rocks

I wish I could be optimistic given my love for humanity and life and glimpses of our potential but we're accelerating towards extinction with no brakes and I don't see how things can possibly get better without massive catastrophe and some sort of far future recovery if humans survive.