Evolution is not just real; it's mandatory.

We live in exciting times; some might even say scary. We definitely live in a world with exponential change, closing gaps - geographic, educational, wealth - and economic growth. We live in a time when technology is advancing so fast, we can see that at the current pace, we will have surpassed our imagination.

We live in a time where "literati" will have a new meaning. We have surpassed the "information age" and are rapidly accelerating into the "knowledge age". Mere bits and bytes of data are insufficient. Knowledge itself is becoming obsolete.

Unfortunately, by the time we realize we have entered the "knowledge age", we will already be behind those who have recognized that knowledge is not what is important. The application of that knowledge is what matters. And they will be behind, still, those who recognize that it is not the application of knowledge, but the creation of new knowledge, what Buddhists must view as Nirvana, that will matter.

We live in a time that requires us to evolve. We must evolve as intellectuals, as Americans, and, most importantly, as a human race. As intellectuals, we must look beyond what is ordinary, and recognize the attainability of the extraordinary. As Americans, we must recognize that we will soon be looking up to the new global superpower. We must recognize that the new superpower will no longer have a white face; no longer be a Christian. We must evolve as humans, to see that humanity is what matters, not race, not religion, not gender.

Must we evolve to a collective? A communism of knowledge, if not of economics. Will this new communal thinking remove our creativity, our intelligence, and our individualism? Or, as Linux, Firefox, YouTube, MySpace, and Wikipedia have all shown us, will the community only ENHANCE our creativity, EXPAND our intellectual prowess, and EXPLOIT our individualism on a new stage?

Only time will tell. The one thing that is clear is that you will either sit on the side and watch it pass by at the speed of fiber optics, or you'll change with it. Evolve with it. Those who don't evolve won't have offspring who survive.

Maybe Darwin really had something.

http://scottmcleod.org/didyouknow.wmv