Tall structures for seeing distant objects have been vital in virtually every successful civilization. For millennia, the heights of buildings were very limited to only several stories due to a lack of either innovation or resources.
With stone and mortar, watchtowers allowed sentinels to keep watch over great swaths of distant land. With only a few more innovative methods and sophisticated materials, we have reached exponentially greater heights. The tallest human-made structure in the world, the Burj Kalifa tower in Dubai, stands 2,722 feet tall.
Additional innovation has resulted in satellites which now circumvent the necessity for stone and mortar. Our friends on the International Space Station can see a huge portion of the Earth as they orbit at a speed of 5 miles per second. In fact, with their view of Earth, many astronauts and cosmonauts experience the humbling Overview Effect. More on that in a later article.
If stone and mortar are fundamental materials to build basic towers to help us see farther spatially, what can help us see further temporally? What do we have to construct an allegorical tower of foresight for our society? Can we launch a satellite of foresight?
I believe our own experience and learning from humanity’s past may be among the most important “materials” we have for constructing such towers of foresight. Nineteenth century philosopher George Santayana’s words, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” echo Marcus Tullius Cicero’s, “To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child,” from the first century B.C.E.
With the advent of technology and public education, we have easy access to historical knowledge, and problem solving is what humans do. Yet, sometimes our solutions are simply band aids which won’t help in the long run. Some people think more about the future than others, but I believe virtually everyone has the power to foresee events if they ponder cause and effect. If we understand the past and learn human history, we can avoid foreseeable mistakes and come up with better, lasting solutions.
I recall history enthusiast Dan Carlin saying something to science historian James Burke in an interview. “[Every] generation is born into this world that is not of their making and confronting challenges that are not of their doing.” Our descendants will live in a world you and I leave behind. How will our descendants think of their living conditions if we carry on as we are?
What are practical applications for thinking of cause and effect effectually long-term? Consider our energy policy. The Department of Energy, one of the most far-sighted government programs we have, is looking at solving problems for the next 10,000 years because that’s how long nuclear waste will remain radioactive. Consider agriculture. Globally, 30% of arable soil has been lost to either erosion or nutrient depletion in the last 40 years. Is this sustainable? Do we care?
If we do care, mitigating problems in the future must be done by thinking about the decisions we make now. Soil, energy, clean water, and this two-degree Celsius experiment we are in require our attention and lasting solutions. We’ve got a plethora little towers built right now and some taller ones (Dept. of Energy [for the moment]) and many of us have the necessary tools and materials to see several years down the road. I can only ask that we come together as a community to come up with ideas to address these problems. Why together? Because that is what makes us human, and it’s going to take all of us.
From the stone and mortar watchtowers of past human societies; from cityscapes to views of Earth seen by our friends in the International Space Station, our vision of what our physical surroundings are has increased exponentially. We’ve tackled problems successfully, but sometimes at the cost of those further down the road in time. Upcoming challenges face our community, state, nation, and our world. The more we can prevent now, the less our descendants will need to react in the future. What will be our legacy?
Cheers.
Sources
Tallest buildings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_world’s_tallest_buildings
Overview effect: http://www.businessinsider.com/overview-effect-nasa-apollo8-perspective-awareness-space-2015-8
Dan Carlin interview: http://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-18-a-fly-on-james-burkes-wall/
Nuclear waste: https://energy.gov/articles/finding-long-term-solutions-nuclear-waste
Soil erosion: https://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2006/03/slow-insidious-soil-erosion-threatens-human-health-and-welfare
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