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While @july has never felt more optimistic about the future, I'm slowly veering in the opposite direction.

A few people asked why, so I wrote this short essay.

After years of working with century long time horizons, I'm noticing a shift in my optimism. I believe it partly stems from a paradox around unprecedented global connectivity alongside deepening fragmentation. 

It makes me wonder if our technological ingenuity can truly outpace our collective dysfunction when planetary challenges demand wisdom.

https://cyrusclarke.substack.com/p/why-an-optimist-is-slowly-veering

I read this and here's my take:
- I couldn't agree more with many points articulated here
- I think it does a great job, of grieving our current landscape of fragmentation. 
- Hard to move forward if we don't accept how things aren't great today, and only getting worse
- Yet, again progress comes from crisis, and crisis is an opportunity
- And if anything @cyrus and his writing makes me more optimistic about the future because ultimately because without fragmentation, there is no unification. without unification, there will never be another fragmentation
- Especially the social side of things more (e/acc is only tech focused) where we are, who we are and what is happening -- in order to move forward where in the longer run the arc of humanity lifts us forward
- Short term: it's easy to see where we are and be distraught
- Long term: I continue to be unable to contain my excitement about the future, I really couldn't if I tried to

Researcher at MIT Media Lab | Creating futures | https://cyrus.website/info

creating and destroying; flying cars, roc.camera, july.rocks /july /faust

thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. 

i like your framing of it as almost grieving the present to unlock the critical energy required to enable 'better' futures

your optimism is precious and hope it continues. im expecting mine to fully bloom again someday soon.

that's a great call-out 

we need more aspiring cathedral builders!

It’s easy to stay in the nostalgia of becoming and grieve permanently and never move forward 

It’s easy to ignore the human loss of the past and not feel and just progress

I think the right answer is grieve the past but belief / devotion for the future - even if you don’t know 

It’s like laying the bricks down for a cathedral that you may never see. You do it anyway - why? Devotion

Grieving is one of the most important things

It means that you care

And it means you won’t lose your humanity as you love and move forward into the new world