The Future: Increasingly Complex & Specialized

I think it's safe to make the assumption that as we evolve and as science and technology evolves with us, things are getting more and more complex. Not only this, but we are able to do things faster and faster too.


What does this mean for civilization? It means 2 things:

1. That if we don't keep up with such rapid rates of change, we'll end up getting left behind and our ideas and philosophies will become stagnant.
2. The propensity to psychologically contract in the face of such rapid change becomes ever more real. Quickening systems and ways of thinking and doing things results in increased stress levels. And stress is the number one cause of illness and disease in modern day society. 

So how then do we manage to keep up with such rapid change and increasing complexity?

1. We have to spend time mastering mindset. Ultimately, if we're not relaxed and focus at the same time, moment to moment, we're going to find such fast-paced change overwhelming. Mindset mastery also requires that we constantly work at challenging or questioning our own limited beliefs or assumptions. This will help us to be more flexible and vulnerable, thereby assisting us to open up to change through creativity, innovation and productivity.
2. Become more specialized in your chosen field. This means spending hours and hours developing unique and valuable skills that will enable you to move through challenges with a sense of ease and purpose. It also means being more available to the learning process. If you think you know it all, you're lost. This is why I believe the return of apprenticeships will play such a vital role in the future as traditional structures and ways of learning break down.

Once again, mindset mastery and skills specialization cannot be viewed in isolation, as one separate from the other. We have to work at these concepts simultaneously. 

I would say it's also useful to stretch yourself with these ideas, constantly push the boundaries of what you're capable of doing. This way, you'll have a benchmark against which to measure your state of consciousness and your skills when the heat in the kitchen notches up a few levels.