Brilliance and Human Development

Are we as smart as we were?  Or has this still fairly new century found the human race on the downside of the learning curve? 

Is the world a better place than it was four years ago, ten years ago, 20 years ago?

I’ll admit my first tendency is to offer a resounding “no”.

How do you measure for the answer to either question?

I only observe. 

A myriad of wonderful technology developed by smart people helps us live life easier, longer, safer, and happier if we so desire.  That same technology can make a person miserable; can put them in danger.  (The cell phone is an example.)  I think the truth is the quality of our lives is based upon the choices we make; the personal standards we set and follow.   Who or what influences our actions.  Technology alone will not improve the condition of the human race.

I’m actually unhappy realizing I’m inclined to think brilliance among us is smothered by the insane popularity of mediocrity.  

This is about television.  Yes, my cable company gets the credit for bothering my mind with these confounding thoughts.

Optimum is requiring each TV set to have a cable box or it will not get any cable service at all.  We’ll be left with only a snowy screen.

As I write this, I have so many TV’s my entire home is a ‘media room’.  I need never be out of sight and sound of a television program I’m interested in. However, only two of the TV’s in my home had the premium service that required a cable box.  The service from the others was just fine, i.e., limited channel options with great picture quality. 

I guess, to help customers ease into this new and expensive requirement, Optimum is giving us the additional cable box hook-ups free for a year.   After that I understand the cost will be close to seven dollars a month for each TV.  Ouch!

For sure, I’ve taken advantage of the ‘free for the year’ opportunity.  My two TVs with premium cable box service have grown to become six TVs with premium cable box service.  Two others I’ll ignore for the time being.  My responsibility now is to use this ‘free year’ to seriously research my TV watching preferences and do a cost/needs analysis.  In less than a week of this research, I’m surprised to note how infrequently I watch TV – for good reason.

There is a lot of silly stuff on television.  Or it’s violent.  Or it’s totally discouraging.  Or it’s people yelling over each other.   Or it’s self-serving personalities helping advance the careers of other personalities.  Or its news and information interspersed with an overabundance of advertising.

TV programming today does little to evidence the results of the brilliance of mankind among us today.   I’m talking about the kind of brilliance that improves an individual’s concept of self as well as the community of man.  Well, last night I did see a great documentary about a brilliant man, Carl Sandburg.  But, he is one of the many from the 20^th Century.  

Are we as smart as we were or is the human race on the downside of a learning curve? 

I welcome your commentary to my questions.