Nasty Little Habit

Fellow Toastmasters, honored guests.

Raise your hands for me if you know the significance of November 17, 1883, Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania.  This happens to be the time that the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Mount Carmel was founded.

Does anyone here know the significance of William Kemmler in New York's Auburn Prison on August 6, 1890?  He happens to be the first person electrocuted on the electric chair.

A mere seven years between the inception of a new technology and it's first application to kill someone.  Clearly human beings have a nasty little habit of killing each other with each new technology.

I'd like to spend the next few minutes talking about the examples of our nasty little habit, pontificate as to the causes of why we do this, and what the future may hold.

Kubrick's 2001 shows the first time an ape used a bone as a tool, it was to beat another ape.  This is probably not far from the truth.  Survival of the fittest is not only related to different species, but within the species itself.

Gunpowder apparently had been used  for warfare before fireworks in China, and it still is the most popular method of killing each other today.

Einstein expressed mass-energy equivalence in 1906, and in 1945 the atomic bomb leveled Hiroshima.  The two aren't exactly related, but that realization was needed before an atomic bomb can be constructed.

Why do we do it?  This is what kills me.  How is it someone can look at a brilliancy in science, one that reveals an understanding of our universe that was never expressed, and the first application that comes to mind is how big does it blow up?

I'll plagiarize a bit and state that it is the combination of tribalism and the hubris or arrogance of the tribal leader.

Jared Diamond wrote "Guns, Germs and Steel", a fantastic read, and he discusses the origin of human society and how Europe dominated the last few centuries.  He started with prehistoric man, and noted with anthropological evidence that local society started with agriculture.  Resources were conveniently located in one place to pillage, which then led the villagers to protect their land and food.  Realizing the difficulty and competition, the tribal leader organizes an army and uses religion or patriotism to convince the populace it's right and just to kill their enemy.  And this method is still in use today.

But what motivates the leaders?  The real motivation of the leader is described in 1984, it is simply that they have the lust for power.  They believe, for whatever reason, that their decisions are of monumental importance, and other people's lives are ancillary casualties.  Ask Joseph Stalin, 'One death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic.'

So what does the future hold?  We continue to invent new and exciting technologies, so how are we going to use them to kill each other?

Just guessing, current technology waves are in genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics.

Genetic engineering:  'Gattaca' is perhaps the best visualized look into the future of genetically improved human beings.  It started with  improvements to the babies, which then led to discrimination against those adults who weren't improved.  More than anything, this one scares me.  How long before they find ways to remove defects such as a conscience?

Nanotechnology:  Michael Crichton's 'Prey' was a bit more farcical, but if tiny machines could collaborate together, damage could be done.  I'm a little less worried about this right now.

Robotics: This is clearly Hollywood's favorite...everybody remembers the Terminator, and let's not forget the cylons of Battlestar Galactica, they were ruthless...and hot.  But seriously, the closer we get to artificial intelligence, the more likely it will realize how flawed we are.

I've talked about examples of our nasty little habit, the history of it, and what can come next.

But I would like to be more proactive about this.  How can this endless cycle be stopped?  If we don't stop it, it won't be long before we let out a danger that we cannot stop and we will all die.

Maybe what we need is a new way of thinking, a kinder, gentler way for mankind to thrive.  Clearly, the present leadership will not suffice because they are tainted.  Just look at the wars going on today.  A new leader will have to take office, and it will not be an easy task.  They will resist.  Follow me, while some people may die, we can change this horrible behavior, and secure a better world for our children.

After all, didn't Thomas Jefferson say the tree of liberty must be refreshed with the blood of patriots?

Fellow Toastmasters, honored guests, thank you for your time.