Will D'Arcangelo, pastor of the First Parish Church of Fitchburg; (Courtesy of Will D'Arcangelo)
What is the learning curve for freedom and power? I ask this because it is a question at the root of Western civilization and the most important determinant of our collective future.
What do human groups do once they have freedom and power? And, to be clear, it is only under rare circumstances that individuals actually have true freedom or power. We're painting a bigger picture than the individual here.
The specific freedom I am talking about is freedom from the monarchy. It is the yolk of tyranny that our nation removed from our country during the American Revolution. The country was freed from King George and fought for and won self-government.
I can see the revolutionaries of the 18th century, when they had just won, thinking to themselves, “Now what do we do?” At that moment, America began an unfinished learning curve toward true freedom. The children are now in charge of the candy store.
What would a child do with their own giant candy store? What is the process of learning how to be responsible for such assets? How long does it take to know their true value?
Because I think it's inevitable that your child will almost destroy themselves with sugar in the first place. And after that expensive trip to the dentist, you realize you actually need to order more candy. At some point, you might suddenly realize that you actually need to manage this business.
Of course, they will start noticing their employees. That's either because they get it done on their own, or because the employees revolt to the point where their demands have to be caved in. Then begins a long learning curve to realize that the most profitable companies are those where employees feel safe, respected, and valued.
Freedom is difficult. It's a lot of work. It's not a no-consequence utopia where you just eat as much candy as you want. The process of harnessing and exercising wisdom is a path littered with unintended consequences over the centuries.
Where are we now in the long process of learning how to run a candy store with our wits? Because wisdom naturally includes compassion. Store owners will eventually realize that running a good business goes deeper than simply selling products that people want. There is a large system at work in which all different components have some influence on whether a business is successful or not. Among these, employee satisfaction stands out.
I use (or maybe overuse) this metaphor as a way to explain where we are on this continuum. Similarly, I also use it as a way to predict what will happen in the future.
My optimistic argument is that we are on an upward trajectory in terms of freedom and the wisdom of exercising power. As individuals, we don't have that much. But as a country, given our place in the world, we have all the freedom and power we want to achieve. But we probably can't give too much credit to our progress at this point.
But honestly, I don't think it's possible to truly understand the wisdom needed to use freedom and power wisely without abusing it. You don't want to eat too much of all the candy in front of you first and then have an effect on your stomach later on. Do humans really learn in other ways?
Some may disagree with that (and many have in the process of preparing this column), but I believe with all my being that we will be okay.
It is true that our freedoms and powers have expanded to an alarming degree. But as we look at the past 400 years while thinking about what will happen in his next 400 years, we can't help but observe a learning curve at work. Of course, it's difficult to see the forest through the trees. It's hard to think of what we're experiencing now as part of the progress we seek. But it definitely is.
Our best evidence is the enormous amount of human cooperation required to accomplish some of the things that may ultimately lead to our best future. Achievements like medical innovation, space exploration, and human survival through a global pandemic. These things don't happen by chance.
A collaboration of this scale signals something very encouraging about our future. Because while there are many things we can buy and grasp, we cannot force collaboration. Of course, you could just put a bunch of smart people in a room, hold them at gunpoint, and tell them to build something. But will it produce the same results as the collaboration that occurs through incremental wisdom? I feel that over time, this kind of forced collaboration will eventually break down on its own. Sure, it might produce something for a while, but human ingenuity doesn't thrive under tyranny, so its effectiveness will naturally wane.
Things like quantum computing, nanotechnology, brain-computer interfaces, and of course artificial intelligence are coming through the pipeline. These are new candy products in our store. Tastier than anything I've tried before. But without wisdom and good cooperation, our teeth will get cavities and pop out of our heads.
Do we have the wisdom we need to avoid the worst? Behind the scenes, yes,
But you have to look for it. I foresee a day in the not-too-distant future when our swords will really become plowshares. The main reason for this is that the learning curve inevitably leads to that eventually. How much we suffer during that time is up to us. But there is no doubt that our future is bright.
However, you still need a proper dental plan.
Will D'Arcangelo, MD, is a Unitarian Universalist pastor of the First Diocese of Fitchburg and the First Church of Lancaster. He is also the host of a monthly radio show called “Our Common Dharma” based on his column on WPKZ 105.3FM on the fourth Monday of each month at noon. Email wildarcangelo@gmail.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @wildarcangelo. His blog, Hopeful Thinking, can be found at www.hopeful Thinkingworld.blogspot.com.