I think I have found a new hero in life – his name is Peter Diamandis and he has written a book called Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think.
One of the first points that Diamandis makes is that the amygdala in our brain is geared for survival and hence is always paying attention to what might harm us. This helps to explain our desire to read negative press and be influenced by it.
For example there are few places in the media where the following information is promoted. In the last 100 years the cost of:
1. food has dropped by a factor of 10
2. electricity by a factor of 20
3. transport by a factor of 100 and
4. communication by a factor of 1000
Similarly the psychologist Professor Steve Pinker believes we live in one of the most peaceful times in Earth’s history.
If our amygdala is always taking our attention and erring on the side of what could go wrong then we may become blinded to what is possible. Diamandis makes the point that scarcity is contextual and that humans have an incredible ability to develop breakthrough technology, thus making what was once scarce now abundant. In the 1800s, for example, aluminium was rare and precious until the invention of electrolysis made extracting it from bauxite cheap and available.
The communications industry is also testimony to this as the cost has dropped by a factor of 1000. Diamandis states that a Masai warrior with a cell phone has better mobile phone capabilities than did the President of the United States 25 ago.
The point Diamanidis makes is that with increasing technology there are very few resources that could be considered really scarce – they are merely inaccessible to us right now. Yet the predominance of ‘scarcity’ is a great part of modern thinking.
Imagine how our lives would be different if we could have an attitude of abundance and possibility rather than luxury and scarcity.
Live! Live ! Laugh! Love! Be Abundant!
Roz Roz Townsend www.roztownsend.com
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