Getting to Information and Beyond It

Information Society is a great achievement. Are we going to step forward?

By Adina Riposan
Director, e&m Global Perspective – Editorial, January 2002
 

 
“You see things as they are and ask, ‘Why?’
I dream things as they never were and ask, ‘Why not?'”
(George Bernard Shaw)
 

The emerging communicational media enable the worldwide integration of business, social systems and political systems as well. A remarkable ease of information transmission through the entire thicket of digital networks and channels leads to increasing transparency and connectivity, as synergistic and holistic communication develops throughout the world. Basically, access to timely Information has become vital and new dimensions are currently given to the matter.

In fact, the driving force for all development has ever been the unequaled power of human curiosity. Since ages we have met the challenge of reality and sought to discover “What’s beyond it?”. And most often hunches have been the leading end.
 
We have built a miracle out of humanity, worldwidely connected by digital media and artificial intelligence, a wireless culture is developing so fast that it becomes critical to keep up with the novelties and follow changes. It is more than obvious that the speed of development steps up, the progress becomes ‘exponential’, so growing extensively and learning by accumulation are already limited means for keeping us ahead.

By now-a-days convictions, we believe in rationality and “matter-of-fact”. People base their acts on facts & figures and build their lives according to it. They seek to live in accordance with generally accepted patterns and we even seem to be confident that an entire civilization and human culture have evolved and expended in the spirit of “Black & White”. This might be rational; however, facing impending challenges, we actually strive for renewal and trust our instincts when doing so. This converts challenges into opportunities and opportunities into success.

If we talk figures, we have developed all this by using only 4% of our brains. This is impressive, but actually in the light of what we didn’t use. Learning machines that learn how to learn are turning our lives remarkably easier, yet this shouldn’t make us forget we are still the creators and we need to ensure we always hold the rein. Maybe there is a sign we need new means for developing as living creatures and human kind, so that we manage to keep up with the miracle we have ourselves created, also remembering that a certain sort of “Enlightenment” is required in every stage of human progress, and sooner or later people become aware of it.

Maybe it’s time for renewal, maybe it’s time to start looking for pure knowledge and qualitative information, to leave an open door to intuition and finally get to “the second coming out of the cave”. Maybe it’s time to move on, dig up and discover what nature set aside for us, until the day we are prepared for it.