jbrandonhall

Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you.

-Jim Rohn

As a companion to yesterdays Does This Smell Funny podcast I would like to go a little deeper into the concept of defending your bandwidth. I’ll begin with a question. How is it that two people who live in the same area, make similar wages, and have had a similar set of experiences can view the world in two completely different ways? Two people who sit next to each other at the same job, grew up in the same town, and have effectively lived identical lives can live in two completely different worlds. Person A reads books, travels on their vacations, and practices kindness and patience when having conversations with people. Person A’s friends would refer to them as optimistic and curious. Person B only watches specific news channels, only engages in specific conversations with people who agree with their beliefs, and avoids any and all conversations and information that opposes the beliefs they have.

On a fundamental level there is little reason to believe that these two people should view the world from polar opposite perspectives. However, they do, and they do to a significant degree. Certain symptoms of an optimistic, growth mindset such as the one shown by Person A are beliefs that change in the presence of new information and constructive conversations with people that hold varying positions. Person B is dismissive with a more fixed mindset. This person holds the same views regardless of any new perspectives or information they encounter. Things like confirmation bias, cognitive dissonance, and an echo chamber effect emerge. The only information sought is that which is predetermined to agree with established positions or it is rejected. Whenever information is happened upon that contradicts established positions and opinions these are reacted to with pretty consistent strategies. Either a dismissive disqualification of either the information, or the person providing the information is established. Often lumping them into a group or other method of invalidation (liberal, globalist, dumb or naive kid) or simply reacting with hostility (ad hominem). One thing is for sure is that rarely will the components of the actual topic be discussed, and if they are it will not be with any open mindedness or chance of constructive progression.

None of this is meant to be an attack on those with fixed mindsets or uncompromising belief systems. People often develop these positions either out of privilege (no not that kind of privilege), example, or necessity. It is the example that was set for them, or the tool kit that has helped them navigate their lives up to this point. Optimism is not safe and being open minded is not always accepted or comforting. If your parents hold uncompromising views and have fixed mind sets there is little opportunity for you develop an optimistic, growth mindset. An adolescent expressing progressive beliefs, or any belief that does not align with their authority figures will often be met with the same response that they will end up using in perpetuity, or until a better example is set or growth occurs.

The reason I am discussing this is because one consistent observation I see is the difference in the quality of life and the level of peace. So what is the most important decision a person can make? It is the decision to be happy. This is truly the only decision that matters. No single person has influence over every circumstance they encounter, but your reaction is completely up to you. I am not suggesting anything akin to self delusion or deception. I am simply suggesting to allow yourself to be at peace by controlling your perception. Problems will inevitably arise, but getting angry about something you can have zero influence on is simply spinning wheels with the parking brake on. Lots of smoke and damage but no distance is covered. Cut yourself a break and take a moment to asses a situation using a simple two step test.

Step 1: Can you do anything about it?

If not then let it go immediately. If yes proceed to step 2.

Step 2: Do something about it and then let it go.

No value is created through division and contempt for people who hold different views. If you find yourself in combat with an idea, I urge you to allow yourself, or even force yourself, to deploy kindness and patience, and take a moment to realize we are all just doing the best we can. Regardless of the scorecard at the end of any given day, we are all we have, and an open mind allows for unity and strength where a closed mind is simply stagnant. Please allow yourself peace and try to seek to understand those you are at odds with, before trying to convince them of anything.

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood”

-Stephen Covey (soft attribution to Habit 5)

Until very recent history innovation has pretty much kept reasonable pace with capability and capacity. Recently the discrepancy between what has been possible and what is being achieved has been widening more and more. Now we are in a world of boundless possibility with the realization that we are under performing as a species to a significant degree.

No reason for world hunger to still exist.

There is no reason that stem cell therapy should not be eradicating disease already.

No reason that we should not already be an interplanetary species.

These are all complete failures of the human race. Nothing less.

Abundance used to be what humanity would strive for when the benefits were not even all that apparent. Now it seems to be resisted at every turn when benefits are immediately apparent. Entrenched industries being disrupted left and right is a side effect of how long overdue change is. Little more than a bit of imagination, some tech savvy, and a little hard work has been disintegrating the status quo for the last decade.

It is actually pretty difficult to quantify how much progress was lost throughout human history because of ignorance and resistance to change, but ANY amount was tantamount to nothing short of a tragedy.

What can we do as a people to minimize the loss of progress from this point forward?

There is no imminent problem that we do not have the tools to solve at this point. Our level of capability from a creativity, knowledge, resources, and needs perspective is at a surplus.

Students seeking degrees in the sciences is on the rise!! No single sentence has ever given me more hope for the future. The level of progress that we have achieved as a society has been achieved by the tiny percentage of science minded individuals among us. If this trend continues it will be inevitable that every aspect of life on earth (and beyond) will be improved significantly in the near future. Progress has been built upon the foundation of transferable knowledge. The written and spoken word all the way through to the information age has been little more than tiny layer upon layer of added knowledge and then the expression of the knew thoughts and ideas that emerge from it.

Historically a lot of discovery and progress was achieved, knowingly or unknowingly, as seed investing for future generations. Gorilla glass was invented a generations prior to the smart phone making it ubiquitous. Countless examples exist for this type of situation. Where a discovery was made but practical uses for it would be years away. We are not as severely confined to this timeline progression anymore. We are in the midst of an era where the distance ideas have to travel from the realm of science fiction to culturally irrelevant is very short. We are on the path to shorten that timeline from idea to distribution effectively to zero. Ideas will be able to be created with AI, AR, and then rapid prototyped on home 3D printers with the ease that you could type and print a document today. So the manufacturing stream of the very near future is going to be done in home or even in-situ.

So what will it take to align our progress with our capabilities? What will it take to optimize innovation? In “Ideas and Opinions” Einstein speaks of the need to remove obstacles from the path of creativity and discovery. Freedom to explore ideas is the most powerful ingredient to progress. Throughout all but the most recent portions of human history there has been a pervasive fear and beliefs in mythology that has hamstrung progress in the sciences for more time than it has not. How do we balance this? How do we usher in the next phase of scientific progress? How do we bridge the gaps between the sciences and create a global (and beyond) community that fosters progress and triumph for humanity? Ultimately how do we align our capabilities with our performance?

Cooperation and pressure in the pursuit of magnificent goals.

This is the strategy that got us to the moon. This is the strategy that precipitated the greatest achievements in human history. This is the strategy that will align the capabilities of our collective human race with the next wave of solutions to humanities biggest problems.

Alignment and cooperation is a strategy that can result in the largest possible benefit for the largest possible amount of the world. The resources are available. Both to accomplish any goal set forth while at the same time giving the following generations the biggest head start possible so that they can do the same, so on and so forth. Maximizing the compound interest returned on our investment into ourselves and our planet.

I imagine a trend where the largest companies in the world begin making it a priority to amplify their positive impact, and the awareness of the impact, on the world as a whole. Not only companies but all institutions. Hospitals and militaries as well. Any entity with the resources and personnel  will always find acceptance and longevity making investments into the future of all humankind.

I think it is an absolute necessity to shift the focus of all societies to a more connected, positive paradigm. It always puzzles me when I find out that there are massive charitable organizations that nobody has ever heard of but if a Kardashian puts out a new book or has a baby, everyone knows about it in real time!!! This in and of itself should be ample motivation to realign the priorities of society. There are massive forces for good at work that can be 10X’d if the public connection to them was amplified. It is a tragedy that the knowledge of these forces contributions have to be pursued when the latest fodder on TMZ spreads like the flu. Everyone knows the second McDonald’s has a new dollar menu item but the actions of the Ronald McDonald house?? sorry, you are going to have to dig for that. There are a class of mutual funds identified as “social” funds. These are funds that consist of companies that have met certain criteria of social responsibility. You would be shocked at the companies that meet this standard and how drastically their social reputation is in opposition to this achievement. Companies that have an image that is either disconnected from social responsibility or are perceived as socially irresponsible are often found on these indexes. It baffles me that this is not a priority for them to have these actions as part of their public image as their product.

The previous rant was simply some of the thoughts that catalyzed the dream of OneGen.

Morgan Freeman’s character in Shawshank Redemption had a very powerful line in reference to “time and pressure”. Few things are unable to be achieved when put under these conditions. I think there is massive value in applying time and pressure to situations in an effort to inspire and accelerate their achievement. There is absolutely zero reason that humanities greatest problems cannot be effectively eliminated in one generation.

That is the vision statement for OneGen- to align the capabilities of humanity with its accomplishments. Ruthlessly pursue knowledge and solve the worlds problems in systematic fashion. Nobody in the world is doing the best they can, we can and must do better.

Examples of possible OneGen projects:

How do we raise the collective IQ (ability to consume and process knowledge and form, articulate, and execute on intelligible thoughts and ideas) and EQ (empathy, compassion, kindness, and patience) of humanity?

How do we achieve a zero waste world?

How do we raise the standard of living of the entire world to above anything resembling poverty?

How do we stop people from ever getting cancer (or any disease?)

How do we develop the technologies to free us from energy dependence?

How do we remove the risk of fatality from as much of daily life as possible?

If we use a format where we think through grand scale solutions to their end, then we are automatically left with a picture to simply reverse engineer into a step by step guide to solving these issues. This is my action plan for OneGen. To tap into as much knowledge and expertise as possible to form strategic road maps for moonshot achievements to be accomplished as fast as possible.

When teams begin work on a project, shared progress will be reviewed to see where opportunities for cooperation emerge. Strategic alliances will be compound the likelihood of success. Personal gain and ambition will have to be sidelined for these projects as the achievement needs to be the reward, that way prize money can instead be used to fund and accelerate the projects.

As a strength athlete I am no stranger to people who appear larger than life. Stand next to Worlds Strongest Man Brian Shaw for a moment if you ever find yourself needing to be brought back down to Earth in a hurry. The man is massive and powerful in every sense of the word. Born a few decades earlier a man of his dimensions would be traveling with the circus as regular employment being anything other than a plow horse would not be logistically possible. However when I was growing up there was one person that I found time and time again as powerful and impactful as any other that had come before him. He was a mighty little game changer going by the name Bruce Lee. His seminal work, the Tao of Jeet Kune Do is an amazing masterpiece that I am pleased to take a dive into today.

First order of business is to clarify that this book is in many ways an homage to Lee more than a work directly attributed to him. It is a compilation that was compiled and edited after his death. The profundity of the work speaks to the intensity of the man but the biggest take away for me is the fact that this amount of insight and enlightenment was attained by such a young man. One could be forgiven for attributing the work to someone of a much more advanced age. I am left to wonder what impact this man could have had on society had he been among us longer than 32 short years. He was empowering, inspiring, and progressive. Far beyond being a performer he had incredible gravitas, a commanding presence, and contagious energy that made him the consummate teacher sought by elite martial artists and celebrities alike. You will be hard pressed to find a more quotable person, always focused, deliberate, and engaging. “Be like water” “Using no way as the way, and no limitation as the limitation”. That’s good shit right there!!!! The ultimate inward locus of control!! These philosophies are so inspiring that they have seeded the Bruce Lee Foundation. The foundation uses the philosophies of self-expression and empowerment to engage with the youth and underprivileged. The Foundations website says that through his philosophies and inspiration “we can impact the world by giving people permission to follow their dreams, in harmony with their community”.  How powerful is that? PERMISSION! Not from the context that permission is being granted to the individual, it is from the perspective that we are the arbiters of our empowerment, and the our own guides to enlightenment.

At a time when the self-improvement genre was still at the fringes, the Tao of Jeet Kune Do was relegated to the bookstore under how-to Karate.

Mentor is a buzzword that permeates the self-improvement world these days, and while there is no denying the power of mentorship on the path to success the value of ultimate self-expression can not be overlooked. A true teacher or mentor has failed if they simply reproduce themselves in an effort to carry on a legacy. A true legacy that will stand the test of time is one of empowering the self with confidence to be an individual. Inspiration not replication. When a teacher empowers a student to achieve a fulfillment of the self, and achieve things that no one else has ever achieved before, that is true mentorship. If one was to try to illustrate the influence Bruce Lee has had it would be quite exponential. The fact that martial arts studios are commonplace across the entire country and that the martial arts film genre is one that has become deeply embedded in American culture are both just testaments to the ripple effect this man had on our culture. He was the original MMA pioneer.

Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.

-Bruce Lee

This is the hallmark of the MMA philosophy and a powerful tactic to deploy in pursuit of self  betterment. Another observation that validates the impact Bruce Lee had culturally is that you see people crediting him with influence from sports and industries that could not be more detached from martial arts. His philosophy is inclusive and universal. It can be applied to any domain and be as impactful as it has been on the martial arts world. The term “kung fu” itself is often misappropriated to the martial arts. The true nature of the term is simply referring to a high level of mastery achieved through dedicated effort. When concepts are distilled to their underlying principles it is often the case that a certain universality emerges. The same dedicated effort and self-confidence that makes a proficient fighter also makes a funny comedian, a great chef, and a master artisan. These principles hold the same value for the martial artist as they do artists from any genre. An elite ballerina is as much a kung fu master as is an elite martial artist. But the most powerful thread connecting all of his principles are that we are all complete just as we are. Self actualization needs no additional ingredients. You are everything you need and will ever need to become your ultimate self-expression.

Is AI going to be the piece of the puzzle that finally allows us to understand consciousness? Maybe. The score at this point of the game is AI-0 humans-1 in the game of self-awareness. I am very excited to see this game play out. Certain people like Sam Harris raise valid concerns regarding the implications of what may happen if/when we crack the code of consciousness and more specifically if we do so unwittingly, without acknowledging the possibility that we may stumble upon a self-aware system in tandem with creating functional AI. As monumental of an AH HA moment as that would be it could leave us at a significant disadvantage in dealing with unforeseen repercussions of the discovery.

I am at a loss to envision another for of experiment that would identify the boundaries, causes, and necessary ingredients to consciousness other than replicating ourselves and seeing at which point self-awareness emerges (or if it even would). As much as it seems like we have the fundamental understanding of the human brain necessary to exclude the likeliness of certain possibilities, until we identify the flash point of consciousness we cannot completely dismiss the possibility that there may be more to it than we can currently account for.

My personal hypotheses aside, history has shown us the dangers of aggressively pursuing knowledge and discovery in the absence of an equivalently serious exploration of contingency planning for the fallout (literally in the case of the atomic bomb). These possibilities are endlessly explored throughout the sci-fi genre. Skynet is an unfamiliar term to very few people, particularly those who are prone to exposure to this subject matter. Even in a best case scenario it would be psychotically irresponsible to continue to create something on par with AI, which the CEO of Google just likened to a discovery more significant than mans discovery of fire, without as mature and sober of a discussion as humanly possible.

To avoid voyaging down previously blazed trails I would like to explore one specific possibility that could emerge from functional artificial intelligence being created without it resulting in a fully sentient being. If there is some currently unknown component to consciousness that will prevent it from spontaneously emerging during the creation of general intelligence, then the possibility exists that the creation of AI will still find humanity in the role of arbiter. What will the best application of this technology be? Solving our biggest problems and asking the questions we have not yet thought to ask seems like a noble task to set the AI to. How do we cure our diseases? End our social shortcomings like war, wealth disparity, and world hunger! Create optimum strategies for advancement of all of humanities best ideals. The legal and political systems would be great candidates for massive rethinks, as would any traditional process that is as prone to error and corruption as those are. Imagine an impartial superintelligence acting as mediator for global conflicts. Coming up with forward thinking strategies to end wars in ways that are best possible outcomes for all, and implementing these strategies without the parties involved even realizing that the strategies deployed for resolution were not their own.

If AI reaches these levels of capabilities without becoming self-aware then it will be even more critical to funnel the deployment of this technology with the most extreme ethical considerations possible. Every major player in the AI game would have to make an unbreakable commitment to an ethical agreement (which would best be drafted by an AI ironically) that would confine the use and implementation of AI to only those arenas that would be mutually agreeable as beneficial for all. If this agreement does not restrict use to an appropriate degree then we will begin to see the potential of weaponized AI. Incidents of fraud and misinformation would be the most trite offenses compared to a worst case scenario. Since humans achieved self-awareness our intelligence has been our superpower. Our collective knowledge has been our finishing move against every threat we have faced as a species. What will our defense be against our own creation that came into being with the sole purpose of surpassing our cognitive limitations?

To end on a positive note I am truly excited for the possibilities that will emerge from a synthesis of AI with our inherited consciousness. I enjoy the current state of this situation every day. I feel like a kid with a toy from the future every time I ask Alexa to play a song or answer a question and she does so accurately with some level of personality. I am well aware that her quips in response to my questions and comments are pre-programmed and are not able to be associated with a true personality… yet.

Time will tell if we will ultimately be the arbiters of AI or simply a predecessor to its emergence. If we end up the latter I can only imagine that it will be the result of recklessness on our part. Ideally if we succeed in creating our successor it will embody the best of us. Humans tend to become more compassionate in the presence of knowledge and familiarity. Our worst characteristics are amplified in moments of fear and ignorance. My hope is that because of the prerequisite intellect that will be required to ultimately succeed in creating AI that we will imbue our best traits into it. My hope is that Sundar Pichai is correct, and not only will this be the most significant progression humanity has made to this point, but that it will serve as a guiding light as to how we can be the best possible version of ourselves

“A planned division of labor is becoming more and more of a crying necessity and this division will lead to the material security of the individual. This security and the spare time and energy which the individual will have at his disposal can be turned to the development of his personality. in this way the community may regain its health and we will hope that future historians will explain the morbid symptoms of present day society as the childhood ailments of an aspiring humanity, due entirely to the excessive speed at which civilization was advancing.”  Albert Einstein (pg. 15, ideas and opinions)

I should know better anytime I believe to be the creator of some level of original thought. Came across this little gem from Einstein from 1934. So my article about how Universal Basic Income will be what frees up the workforce and resources necessary to repair the damage done from our industrial awakening is far from original. I guess there are worse people to find out beat me to the punch. This is an exciting proposition. Consumerism has fallowed the path of the shiny new Christmas gift that no longer invokes excitement. Society is quickly leveling out with technology lowering the minimum cost of living to a level that is sustainable and able to effect major change. Poverty is not going to be solved by increasing wages, it is going to be solved by demonetizing basic needs. Food, shelter, clothing, and basic necessities will essentially be free. Technology will unshackle us from these chains and allow people to pursue passion and purpose with the majority of their time. What world problems could be solved with 100 billion man hours available to focus on the solution?

In a recent email to entrepreneurs interested in his Abundance 360 program, Peter Diamandis posed some questions: How do we deal with the coming challenges of technological unemployment? How will we tame the social unrest that will potentially ensue? Who will we blame?

Concern over the rise of robots and computers emerged in the 80’s—just to be clear, that’s the 1980’s, since century turns always reveal unease about social and technological advances. The auto industry in particular braced for a mass expulsion of its human work force; this industry has always rapidly integrated technological advances. Now, almost forty years later, if you tour the floor of any auto manufacturing plant, you see that the heavy lifting is indeed carried out by robotics. The major concern stemming from these integrations is the large number of people forecast to be displaced and the rate that this shift will occur.

Most industries currently require an ever-increasing amount of training and continuing education for their rank-and-file employees because the alternative is human resources wasted in irrelevance and obsolescence. Despite these efforts, though, the need for personnel continues to decrease as technology improves efficiency. Certain positions become unnecessary, resulting in trained, skilled, and educated members of the workforce desperate to find employment outside of the manufacturing sector.

Diamantis explains that this employment void will not necessarily need to be filled with people working in traditional occupations, like manufacturing, because he projects that technological progress will make it possible for a family to survive on less monetary income. The time commitment to meet financial obligations will no longer determine how people live their lives. Occupations and similar obligations will only consume a few hours per month. So what will we do with all of that free time at our disposal? There is only so much Netflix a person can watch! So where will people find purpose?

As technology displaces portions of the workforce, the search for purpose and validation is potentially going to be a serious issue. I believe that we can draw insight from recovery programs designed to guide people suffering from depression and/or addiction. One of the most effective components of many programs is service work. People in recovery experience significant impact as they fulfill a valuable role in helping others. These people use their own experiences to help others in similar situations, and the result is often a dramatic decrease in recurrence of symptoms or relapse. The feeling of usefulness and significance that accompanies taking a role in the life of another person, especially when that role has a positive impact, is one of the most fulfilling experiences a person can have. People treat themselves better, and hold themselves more accountable, when they know that others are relying on them.

It makes sense to me that we will see the progression from paid occupation to vocational service work a natural social evolution, similar to that of humans progressing from hunter-gatherers living in tribes to individuals contributing to the survival and comfort of the species only in exchange for pay. Thousands and thousands of people with substantial time available to commit to unpaid service work will be able to facilitate progress on a scale that is currently unthinkable. Service work will no longer be enacted by skeleton crews, doing their best with limited funding and small bits of spare time to make an impact.

Imagine if, when Hurricane Katrina hit, there had been tens of thousands of people available, with significant technological and monetary resources to come to the rescue. Imagine advanced transportation options to help get to people and get them out of danger without putting additional people at risk. Imagine being able to transfer precise amounts of food, medicine, and other life-saving goods to the displaced at 100 times the speed currently readily available. Imagine advanced computing power capable of implementing efficient and effective strategies to address all of the needs of the people affected, providing access to medical records, accounting missing persons in real time. Imagine AI and drone tech doing search and rescue with minimal risk of human collateral damage. You get the picture. Not only would this type of volunteer work force be available to offer aid, its resources would not significantly draw from resources deployed elsewhere. Advances in land and air travel would allow for rapid movement of people and resources anywhere in the world in a fraction of the time.

In the process of this transition from occupational paid work to vocational service work, a huge discrepancy will arise across the globe between struggle and abundance. Certain populations will achieve liberation from the occupational culture long before others have even risen above finding balance with their natural environment. But ultimately, the goal of the global workforce will be to bring the entire world into sustainable abundance, where people’s biggest choice will be how they can be of the utmost value to the world as a whole. People will be able to provide value—based purely on their willingness to be of value to the world.

This opportunity to spend a significant amount of time being of service to fellow humans, animals, or the environment will be one possible bridge to abundance.