Listening to Ray Kurzweil at the AC2005 conference over a week ago was reminding me about the power of accelerating change. If you follow his argument the pace of change is not linear, it is itself accelerating. In the coming decade the rate of change will be about 10 times greater than it was in the last 10 years. Weren't they quite breathtaking already?
Change especially rapid change brings a great deal of uncertainty with it and we humans don't like uncertainty. We often rather stay put even if we are in misery, at least it is a known misery.
We already have a tough time to keep up with what is going on right now and right here. How on (this) earth are we going to cope with even more even accelerating change?
All that change and uncertainty is leading to growing anxiety. Sanjay Khanna will make the case at the next Future Salon that a new Age of Anxiety is upon us. We will discuss ways to cope with it and how to see change as a chance for a better future for all of us.
(Above picture from Jay Cross who has some more details to Ray's talk)
Here Sanjay's abstract:
Anxiety. Stress. Fear. Uncertainty. Doubt. These moods and conditions may represent the predominant emotional and mental qualities in our fast-changing world. As anxiety dominates how people think - and as the speed of business and social change overwhelms people's abilities to cope healthily - innovation and creativity will be affected. Sanjay Khanna, a writer, researcher and consultant for technology companies in consumer and enterprise markets, will discuss key implications of our age of anxiety for individuals, societies, cultures and innovative industries. He will also offer an antidote, which he calls "Realistic Sanctuary."
We have an Age of Anxiety Wiki page where you can already get some background information, post your own thoughts and links to interesting sites covering the theme. (By the way that wiki page is on the first page of Google results already if you search for "Age of Anxiety".
Details: Future Salon Age of Anxiety Friday October 21st 2005
Future Salon has the following structure: 6-7 networking with light refreshments proudly sponsored by SAP . From 7-9+pm presentation and discussion. SAP Labs North America, Building D, Room Southern Cross, 3410 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94304 [map] As always free and open to the public. Improve your commute by sharing it with a fellow Futurist. Check the Ride Board for opportunities. Free and open to the public. Please RSVP, so we can get enough food and drinks.
The event will be Webcasted check the Age of Anxiety Wiki for the details and we will have an IRC chat too: Server: irc.freenode.net Channel: #futuresalon
Social Anxiety is a potentially debilitating fear of social situations. It is generally considered to be the most common psychological problem, and encompasses a wide range of phobias and anxieties having to do with social situations. Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), if left untreated, can degenerate into worse psychological issues, like agoraphobia or substance abuse, as people try to deal with their issues through avoiding them.
Posted by: AnxietyCure.org | January 27, 2006 at 03:13