Humanity's Identity Crisis

Hi,

I think our ancestors faced similar problems:

new transportation by cars and railroads (1850...),

new weapons that threatened existing fortresses and ships (1500...)

invaders that brought with them new arms and illnesses (1200 trebuchet, 1492...)

new believing that changed everything (Christian monks in Northern Europe)

breakdown of long-lasting wealthy communities (Roman empire)

invention of new materials (steel, bronze...)

invention of new technology (stone age flint knapping, bows and archery)

new hunting and fishing (nets, spears...)

new social structures (family and clan structure changed along the way to human life)

totally new communication at the first evolution of possibilities to speak and early differentiation of languages...

many more along the million plus way from pre-human to human to agriculture to technology to science to modern computers, science, biology etc.

So I think this process is quite usual, but the speed of evolution is not at all even and smooth.

So we have to be flexible, to learn a lot of seemingly useless skills, to know how to survive in ugly environments (deserts no longer being a challenge but cities are).

At the same time genetic diversification will spread out different genes.

So at the moment of a next crisis there will be a suitable fraction able to survive.

If the crisis is only a mild crisis (sub-prime?) then all those that are skilled and educated have a good chance.

Human evolution had as consequence that our uncles (Neanderthals and many other not so famous) could not survive, but human could and split into many not so different peoples.

Now with globalisation and mixing of people of different ethnic heritage may be we merge again into a big community, may be we prepare by this way to a next big crisis.

I do not think that we can really learn a lot from history and I do not think that we can react in time if there are new challenges. This inability will cause many future crisis to come.

So be prepared!

RHABE