"No single idea has been more important than...the Idea of Progress in Western civilization for three thousand years”
Robert Nisbet
Robert Nisbet
It is said that when there is improvement in the human condition, there is progress. Over many millennia, man has progressed from being a “cave man” to a “civilized man”. Technological, scientific and political advancement has greatly improved man’s living condition.
There is a saying “Necessity is the mother of invention”. This implies that all inventions and discoveries have been due to a crying need of man, whether it was the wheel, metals, agriculture and so on and so forth. However has all progress been a result due to necessity only? And is that still true or has mankind moved beyond necessity being a motivator, to his vision being a motivator?
In the early part of the twentieth century Albert Einstein said “Everything has changed except our way of thinking”. One could not blame him. After all while there were always visions of creativity, the funding and effort always came about because of necessity. Take aviation. The Wright Brothers could prove the possibility of powered flight as early as 1903. However it was only World War 1 which could move governments to fund it rapid advancement.
Similarly in a special Message to Congress, in May 25, 1961, when President John F Kennedy unveiled a vision to place a man on the moon by this statement “ I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” This would have been a bold vision had it not been due the advancements made by the Soviets especially of sending Yuri Gagarin to Space.
If we had not seen the marvel of the communication revolution brought about by the internet and other IT related advancement one may have agreed with Albert Einstein.
However since the advent of the computer revolution, visions of a better future have become more common. In fact Bill Gates in his book “The Road Ahead” prophesized the importance of the internet as an information superhighway. Has the computer and the power of information technology been able to provide a means other than necessity to help “Progress?” If one were to see the headlines of a couple of days ago wherein scientists announced a breakthrough about the creation of artificial life, without any specific life threatening necessity one would be tempted to agree.
One would be tempted to think that man has really changed his way of thinking so that Progress is now possible without any specific necessity.
8 comments:
Vision leads to progress.
"If you get the inside right, the outside will fall into place" - Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now
Articulating our passion and then creating a compelling vision is one of the simplest exercises in motivating and attracting us towards desired success. It is like putting the key in the ignition of our automobile to get it started. The vision is the key to start your engine!
Masters of Success have a vision that aligns with their values. They aren't traveling on a path based on reacting to circumstances. They create opportunities based on their burning desire to transform what is to what's possible.
Evolution is part of nature. Nothing stays the same, yet rather than take advantage of the potential within, the majority of people fight to keep situations/relationships the same regardless of dissatisfaction. More than likely they are subconsciously using familiar habits and strategies to transform expecting new results. It's ludicrous to expect different results using the same patterns! These actions are more of survival rather than proactive self-leadership in generating opportunities.
Success begins with us and our willingness not to work harder, but smarter. This does require accessing our potential through self-awareness. We already have the potential, why not access it?
Trying to force success by working harder is draining physical resources and very stressful on mind, body and soul. Accessing potential from within to generate outward success is far more lucrative and fulfilling.
It is from our inner resources where dreams reside waiting to hear from us. Eleanor Roosevelt said of dreams: "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
Maybe we want a fulfilling professional career and environment where we thrive rather than survive. Maybe we are a successful executive who is ready to take on a new challenge. Maybe we want to expand our entrepreneurial talents but feel stuck in the muck with overwhelm. The answers lie in us being proactive in developing our self-leadership. Having a vision we believe in and are passionate about is a very good beginning.
A compelling vision is a future we live into and generate. It is something that is important to us. It is something we desire. It isn't stagnant. As we evolve, our vision evolves. It is a key to our authenticity as a leader no matter what we do or where we are. It is doing what we love and the money will follow.
Think about what is important to us in putting together our vision statement.
Remember: Anything is possible and you are the possibility of what you truly want!
Hi Sunil,
While the necessity behind some newer advances may not be as patently obvious as in others, historical imperatives and the momentum associated with them are a great invisible driver behind most societal changes, including technological ones. You might recall it was a military imperative that necessitated the creation of the proto-internet. You and I are using its child, the internet, to communicate on this forum. Certain innovations driven by imperatives have indeed such a momentum that they develop in ways that are unanticipated and unpredictable. Thus, necessity and vision, rather counter intuitively, go hand in hand. Necessity provides the necessary impetus to create, vision is required to see the potential and possibilities in the creation. The internet is a case in point.
Tirumalai Kamala
Immunologist, Microbiologist, Organizer
In Modern Times? Vision! Creativity. Inspiration. Talent. Fame. Fortune. Notoriety. Attraction. Zeal. In Ancient Times? Necessity.
The key driver of progress actually turns out to be individual rights. I wrote an essay on this topic not too long ago. (http://alamanach.com/2010/04/05/the-civilization-molecule/) In societies where rights are guaranteed, there is some notion of equality between people and there is some degree of freedom. Not all societies have this, and the mindset of the ones that don't can be very difficult for free people to comprehend.
There are societies in which some tribal chief or similar headman is the final authority in all things. And when I say all things, that includes reality itself. What the chief says, is. Hard as it is to imagine, such societies have no conception of an objective reality with which an individual can engage and explore. The chief dictates reality, and society follows.
Because such societies do not recognize objective reality, they do not attempt to learn about it. Without learning there are no discoveries, and without discoveries no innovation. Progress never gets started.
Introduce the simple social notion of individual rights, and dramatic changes follow. If you and I are equals in some way and we disagree on some point of fact or other, it would make little sense for us to go ask the chief what he says-- how would he know any better than we? We have to gather facts, and see what those facts indicate. Whoever has the facts on his side wins, and in such societies it is possible to speak truth to power, even when that power is a king. To gather our facts, you and I have to do research, during which we will make discoveries, and innovations will eventually follow. Progress happens because we have rights.
So, the key driver of progress is rights. Now, once rights are in place, then we can toss the cat around about the primacy of necessity or vision. Progress can come from either, though I think my vote is going to be that it's more often the result of necessity. I say this because I look at the incredible amount of innovation that comes from industry, and industry is primarily profit-driven and its innovations usually needs-based. Compare this to the number of hobbyists who have brought innovation to the world, people whom I expect are mostly driven by vision. Necessity seems to drive more progress than vision does.
One of my favorite quotes
"Without vision people will perish"
One of my favorite quotes
"Without vision people will perish"
Thanks,
ilias farfouris
Progress rarely comes from necessity - that drives change, but reactive and limited, true progress requires vision.
Sunil then asked about the Magna Carta, and Social Contract" I'd say:
The Magna Carta was a necessity for the monarchy faced with pressure from the nobles, but the driver was actually a vision by the nobility that they COULD change the ages-old traditional allocation of power.
The social contract is definitely vision-led.
By force one usually progresses what is necessary for sustenance. The key drivers for progress are passion to do something and confidence. Vision is the course you follow to progress. As you progress there is a need to keep enhancing your vision.
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