I’m already not driving my son to school (in my Tesla self-driving mode). Now Tesla has introduced cars sans steering wheels, and with that wheel literally gone so goes the small but meaningful bit of responsibility for the archetypal parent chauffeur. What’s a golf mom to do if my driving services aren’t needed?
This existential question: “Who am I and what is my purpose?” seems to be sinking in rapidly for everyone. Venture capitalist Matt Shumer’s warning: “I am no longer needed for the actual technical work of my job” – should send chills up our spines. Work isn’t just a way to make money, it’s deeply tied to purpose, identity and even moral duty. It justifies our place in the social order. The problem we face isn’t just displacement, it’s disorientation.
Making matters worse, our education systems – the universities and schools we’ve built – may be preparing young people for jobs that are vanishing. If we’re not already negligent in the way we’re teaching them, we’re at least outdated.
But yet in all this – there seems to be a silver lining. James Miller, who specializes in the intersection of global religions, nature and ecology, is a professor of Humanities at Duke Kunshan University in China. He believes we may see the rise of new Renaissance men and women. A Renaissance man is someone who’s well-rounded with proficiency across multiple disciplines to bring about invaluable insights through cross-referencing and connecting different forms of knowledge. Leonardo da Vinci integrated art, engineering, philosophy, anatomy, etc. into a unified attempt to understand the world. Society has, sadly, moved away from that.
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