Blog post II 2/7

Hello world again!

As a way to segment from my first blog post, I would like to begin with this statement: this decade will be just like the roaring 20s as it will be a period marked by a societal revolution as a result of important technological advancements.

While the world is tremendously complex with a wide array of different ideologies across the globe, we all have something in common which is that we are constantly heading in the same direction: forward and into the future. Some people want to move into the future while up-keeping the traditions of the past. These people are often apprehensive to change. Others want to advance into the future by adopting new technologies and forgetting about the ideas of the past and previous ways of life. These people are usually optimistic about change. One common way to classify these people with different ideologies would be to discern them into two opposing categories: conservatives and progressives. Continuing to investigate their differences is crucial for understanding our general vision of the future.

I am fascinated by understanding how these two forces relate to each other and compare in terms of validity in the future. Which type of people tend to prefer which school of thinking and why? Will both forces always co-exist with hostility? Do conservative ideas become more popular after a series of radical changes in society? Does enough progress in society eventually overwhelm conservative forces? Will conservative thinking always exist? These are all questions that might not have an absolute truth answer yet or perhaps ever.

Meanwhile, as we enter this new era in which the the corona virus pandemic has forcefully empowered technology like never before, we also experience extreme levels of political polarity. Our country is as divided as it possibly can be and people seem to be more enraged than ever. Many conservatives feel evidently strong about containing the powerful progressive movement toward a society with more regulation, cooperation, development and ability for advancement. Some opposers of progress have even taken violent action to exhibit their feelings. Is this a sustainable way of governance?

We cannot merely investigate the issues about political and ideological division in society without thinking of ways to diminish it and hope to prevent it. Part of my research this semester will be to understand where the difference in ideologies stem from and what can be done to better the situation. I believe understanding why the differences exist will be straightforward but the solution will be either extremely hard to implement or simply unfathomable.

I believe we should all strive for a society where individuals all on the “same page” and strive for similar outcomes. In this case, our efforts will be much more efficient and we would most logically be more happy and opportunistic about the future. However, since there are still so many different cultures and ideologies, it will take time for them to converge. It makes most sense for us to cooperate on what which technologies we think are best. After all, we all have something in common which is that we are moving in the same direction: forward and into the future.