Stepstones to Nowhere

When the great minds of my times proclaimed “its time for us to colonize other planets”, the question raging in my mind was “why are we not there yet“? But now considering how “truly advanced” we’re, the only thing that I am pondering about is “how are we still here… and surviving?“

I think recent incidents give us a good glimpse as to where we stand with respect to exploring the cosmos. Forget an alien invasion or even a CME from our friendly star, I am certain that sooner than later we will cause the disruption of how this world functions; that the word “civilized” will probably be relegated to the confines of the dictionary, is certain!

Where are the responsible people who are willing to lead from the front? Where is the law which is not afraid to punish the guilty and defend the innocent? I am not going on a rhetoric here. Just some doubts that occur to me more often nowadays.

There was an age when what we knew was minimal, the tools given to us was just about enough and we thrived. We could produce miracles, cultivated in abundance, encouraged without repugnance. When was the last time we invented something utterly new; a creation that changed the world? Don’t even think about a smartphone; it is just a mash-up!

Within the last century we’ve seen incredible minds clashing with each other, competing to discover and innovate – perhaps the golden age of knowledge implosion. We’ve seen truly visionary writers, artists with incredible aura, giving birth to whole new world of entertainment industries. There were, of course, those who thought ahead of their time, industrialists and entrepreneurs – people with morals who managed to establish not just business but a good name for themselves. And who can forget those true legends? Leaders who were more than willing to walk the talk – heroes who could overcome herculean hurdles with their spirit; men and women who, with their charisma and charm, could make or break an Empire!

From zero we produced the Silicon and telecom boom in a few decades. It truly felt like running a race. With all the advancements and an era of relative peace, we flounder. Now that indeed is a predicament to ponder!

In today’s world we’re just happy to condense our thoughts to 140 characters or less. I cannot help but deride when what we know about a person is reduced to status messages and blog updates. We wake up to scams and all sorts of debauchery. We cannot call ourselves the dominant species when we cannot even control our excesses.

While we technologically advanced, we became bankrupt in a sociological sense! We are now at the risk of narrowing not just our sights (to adjust to our screens) but also our vision.

We know we’ve so much to learn, yet our patience weans. Never forget – the society we wish to live in tomorrow is looking up to us to show tolerance and love.

The truth is, we are far from finished. Fundamentally, nothing changed. We still are defined by our thoughts and mindset. Great people and societies are not born but made – with perseverance and relentless struggle.

So what if we lose sight of one aircraft (though I truly wish we hadn’t)? We should at least be willing to make amends and correct everything that went wrong (no blame game please).

What if we failed to elect the right leaders? Let us stand together and vote this time.

Where did we go wrong to treat the weak and infirm the way we do? Put ourselves in their shoes for a minute.

Too many roadblocks to see the positive side of life? Be patient and keep learning from the mistakes we made. The real fall is in never attempting to rise again!

Where are we “truly” headed? One small step at a time please!