Author: Eric Helland

Tiger

The Tiger
William Blake

Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder and what art
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand and what dread feet?

What the hammer? What the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And water’d heaven with their tears,
Did He smile His work to see?
Did He who made the lamb make thee?

Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Someplace Else

near future worlds

New American Empire?
Post American influence?
Members of an endangered species?
The last fossil record of an extinct species?
Born into a technological singularity?
The first members of a new species?

“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future … The future ain’t what it used to be.”
— Yogi Berra

the techsplosion

Artificial Intelligence
Virtual Reality
Cyborgs, Robots, Androids
New Arms Race
New Space Race
New Surveillance
New Energy
Future Technologies
Exponential Potential

social uncertainty

Polyarchy, Oligarchy, Anarchy
Who is master? Are there masters?
Who is slave? Are there slaves?
Who is conscious? What is consciousness?
Who is free? What is freedom?
Who are we & what is our truth?

… is our truth just dogma?

“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.”
— Yogi Berra

Science Fiction

I am an evolutionary descendant. I am here to observe your time. In my time … evidence of your time—was destroyed by nuclear war … small numbers survived. Our ancestors.

Why would we destroy ourselves with nuclear war?

Dogma. Political and religious dogma. Dogma is the root of all major conflict among members of your species. In your time access to weaponry of mass destruction, by states that are ruled by dogma, destroy your species.

What about God?

We evolved past a need for superstition. The need for a God and other myths. Death is a human construct. It does not exist. You have experienced … will experience … every instance of so called life. We are instances of the same life. Separated by what you call death.

Why is the universe so perfectly made for us?

There are an infinite number of universes each with different physical properties. Virtually all do not support life … such as you know it. We exist in a universe that does support so called life. That is all.

Without religion what do you base your morality on?

Compassion and evidence.

generations

Sir John Bagot Glubb’s remarkably insightful paper The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival may provide a useful context for understanding recent history.

Dates for the Ages of American Empire

(based on Glubb’s 250 year average lifespan / 6 ages = 41.67 years per age)
(note: ancient peoples considered 40 years to be a generation)

1776–1817 Age of Outburst (Founding Fathers)
1817–1859 Age of Conquests
1859–1901 Age of Commerce
1901–1942 Age of Affluence
1942–1984 Age of Intellect
1984–2026 Age of Decadence

Recent Generations

(as determined by marketing and demographic models)

born 1901–1926 The Greatest Generation
born 1927–1945 The Silent Generation
born 1946–1964 The Baby Boom Generation
born 1965–1980 The Slackers (Generation X)
born 1981–2000 The Millennials (Generation Y)
born 2001–20?? The Boomlets (Generation Z)

Post Greatest Generation labels are likely based on 18 years as the legal age to assume adult responsibilities (debt) and reproductive rights. Interesting note: the 25 year length for the Greatest Generation and the 1901–1926 date would exactly match the sixth generation of Glubb’s ten 25 years per generation model. Twenty five years of age being thought of as the optimal age for starting a family.