Ian Weinberg

6 years ago · 2 min. reading time · ~10 ·

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Time to blend the rules

Time to blend the rules


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What was alluded to in light discussion as recently as eighteen months ago has become harsh reality. AI and robotics have come of age and predictions are that somewhere between 25% and 40% of the corporate workforce will be made redundant as a consequence, over the next three years. This redundancy will target all ages and all levels within multiple organizations and industries. Compounding this will be the significant move towards online purchasing and the threatened redundancy of large retail stores.

In real terms we are witnessing a new Industrial Revolution which just happened to exclude humanity. Obsolescence now looms large for the ‘middlemen’ – the stock brokers, travel agents, estate agents and realtors, analysts (except those right at the top of the pile) and hands-on manufacturers. Soon to face obsolescence are the drivers of all nature of vehicles as well as a not too insignificant proportion of the education and healthcare industries.

The knock on effect of this loss of economically active people will further impact in a very negative way upon the greater economy – locally and globally. With this descent into survival mode there is an accompanying descent into hopeless-helplessness and the illnesses, both emotional and physical, that surely follow. And so we note with alarm, the increases in suicide rates in many parts of the world. Accompanying the wretchedness of this mind state has been the need for mind-numbing drugs in a desperate attempt to shut out the pain and squeeze out just a little bit of dopamine-mediated gratification.

Humanity has arrived at yet another nodal point in our evolution. We have successfully multiplied, pillaged our natural environments and painted ourselves out of the picture of existence. Unfortunately there will be much more pain and suffering and probably a lot of dying. We know only too well that when socio-economic conditions breach that threshold line, wars inevitably follow.

And so thoughts turn to how best to survive, and better still, to transcend and thrive. I would propose that we have moved beyond ‘branding’, whether it is applied to the individual or to a product. We have arrived at the ‘blended’ human being! As in a good coffee or whisky blend, there are authentic components which together create an offering of value. By its very nature, the blend is more than the sum of its parts. The value contribution of the blend is to fulfill a need, a desire and in this way enhance the qualities of the recipients and indeed, of the environment itself.

I would suggest that we all need to self-reflect and identify our essence in terms of talents, skills, gratifying activities and so on and thereby create our unique blend. This should be a value contribution to ourselves, to others and to the extended environment. This takes hard work and courage, but if the blend is authentic the rewards will follow.

When all is said and done, human beings are social animals right down to their biochemistry. This flesh and blood requires to be part of a bigger community. Not a community of robots and LED screens, but a community of humans who have sensitivity and empathy ingrained in the depths of their cerebral cortices. It is a fact of life that many situations suppress our sensitivities and the ability to bond. But I have taken heart from personal experiences where I have witnessed callousness and insensitivities evaporate in a moment of need.

My belief is that we will not only prevail and transcend the pain, but we will individually and collectively evolve, re-connect with our human heritage and ultimately thrive. The very destructiveness of the impersonalization of mankind will drive us to re-discover our essence and create our value-contributing blends. The hulking, soul-destroying megaliths of business and politics will give birth to a new entrepreneurial spirit in the form of small contractors and service providers with heart and soul and with respect for the collective and the extended environment.


                                 Copyright reserved - Neurosurge 2017  www.neuronostic.com 


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Comments

Jerry Fletcher

6 years ago #21

#24
I agree Ian. Sometimes technology gets in the way and other times it greases the skids. I've spent years on the bleeding edge of technology promoting new products and way too often it is the overlooked capability that connects with humanity that makes a product or service successful. As all of us learn to adapt the capabilities of the digital world to our mundane businesses we will find ways to make the products and services we provide more accessible.

Ian Weinberg

6 years ago #20

#23
Thanks for that Jerry Fletcher While reading your comment, a thought occurred to me. Regarding the integration of technology with inter-human engagement, an Uber or Airbnb -type program or concept linking like-minded entrepreneurs in a global network would really get the concept off the ground. I personally would choose to support individuals in trade, who subscribe to the values outlined in my post. Participants would be rated by the network and so it would be in the interests of all those engaged to support, enhance and perpetuate the core values.

Jerry Fletcher

6 years ago #19

Ian, There is a change in the air but I must echo your positive attitude expressed at the end of your piece as I see it among the entrepreneurs I serve as a speaker and a consultant. I have seen a young man in bio research build a company and then intentionally put it in the hands of successors so he could start another business to build hand wrought furniture. I spoke with a young woman who worked as a change agent bringing technology to entire countries who is now intent on providing micro loans to women in Africa. As you say, each of us is more than one thing. Each of us can bring more to humanity. Perhaps technology can help us do that.

Ian Weinberg

6 years ago #18

#19
G'day mate. Thanks for popping in Ken Boddie and contributing wholesome stuff. I truly believe that we'll be kick-started to return to rightful inter-human engagement. I take heart from such spaces as beBee where this is the prevailing theme.

Ian Weinberg

6 years ago #17

#18
Thanks for that Todd Jones

Lance 🐝 Scoular

6 years ago #16

👍 👥ed 🐝🐝🐤🐳🔥🚲

Ken Boddie

6 years ago #15

The day an on line retailer, or a robot, or a lifeless multiple person transporter can look me straight in the eye, melt me with a smile and make me feel individual and special ...... that's the day I'll cash in my chips and give up on the human race. Until then, Ian, I'll continue to buy, try, ply and fly where good personal service is the norm rather than a distraction. The sooner service providers get back to providing real honest to goodness service, stop ignoring their customers and clients, and stop whinging about on line competition, the sooner we'll be on track and back towards living sucually instead of individually. As you have aptly stated, Ian, the warning signs are there and we can either cut our social ties and be sucked into a descending spiral of oblivious inhumanity or wake up, say g'day, help our mates, and save the day. Robots all the while? Or service with a smile? I hope the choice is still ours to make.

Ian Weinberg

6 years ago #14

#16
Thanks for that Pascal Derrien

Pascal Derrien

6 years ago #13

Music to my ears you have just described Social Entrepreneurship not CSR bull chip something SE is on the rise conceptually and finding its ways to be a sustainable model economically speaking identifying a problem and fixing it is the philosophy not creating new ones :-) a good one again Ian Weinberg :-)

Ian Weinberg

6 years ago #12

#14
Thanks as always for your enlightened contribution Praveen Raj Gullepalli

Ian Weinberg

6 years ago #11

#10
Thanks Paul Walters from paradise which shall surely cure all maladies!

Ian Weinberg

6 years ago #10

#9
Thanks for the optimistic input The proof is in the pudding ... watch this space!

Ian Weinberg

6 years ago #9

#8
Thanks Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman, Brand Ambassador @ beBee and thanks for sharing

Paul Walters

6 years ago #8

Ian Weinberg another gem that makes one think. I'm currently hopping ( literally) around Cambodia where, from my initial observations I can see that the country and its people are battered and bruised. It has the feeling of instability and discontent . AI is a long long way off here as the impoverished people simply toil away to simply feed their families. However another great buzz that I am digesting along with my breakfast.Thank you .

David B. Grinberg

6 years ago #7

Thanks for this buzzing blog post and your astute analysis on such a timely issue, Ian. However, being an eternal optimist leads me to believe that as old jobs are superseded by AI, machine learning and robotics, new jobs will be created with new and unforeseen technology. Jobs were also lost during the Industrial Revolution, but new jobs emerged. I think the same historical pattern will repeat itself. Another benefit might be working fewer hours but having more time for family and leisure, perhaps with 3-4 day work week. Thus, rather than being burnt out and stressed out by information overload -- buttressed by the frenetic pace of life in the Information Age -- perhaps the new tech noted above will enable people to finally achieve a real work-life balance (which is all too elusive today). Sometimes being an eternal optimist is a good thing, other times it may result in being naive by failing to see the facts. I'm putting my money on the former, not the latter. Ultimately, time will tell. Thanks again for such a thought-provoking and interesting read.

Ian Weinberg

6 years ago #6

#6
Thanksdebasish majumder
Another winner. I tell my sons, "They can't outsource your trades' jobs," but That's probably not true. Corporate America will always find a way to downsize humanity; often without realizing it is to their own demise.

Ian Weinberg

6 years ago #4

#3
Thanks Sara Jacobovici. The post was prompted by several conversations that I had on my recent travels, with very informed individuals. Much of what is happening at the present time was accurately predicted by Strauss and Howe in their book, The Fourth Turning (early nineties).

Sara Jacobovici

6 years ago #3

I'm glad I had the courage to read to the end of your post Ian Weinberg. And I acknowledge the hard work ahead. I echo your belief: "My belief is that we will not only prevail and transcend the pain, but we will individually and collectively evolve, re-connect with our human heritage and ultimately thrive. The very destructiveness of the impersonalization of mankind will drive us to re-discover our essence and create our value-contributing blends."

Ian Weinberg

6 years ago #2

#1
Thanks Gert

Gert Scholtz

6 years ago #1

Ian Weinberg The idea of a personal Blend does sound rich in depth and very personal. Always good to read about your thoughts and ideas. Intriguing post!

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