We have a glut of good ideas. But, we are seriously lacking in the action needed to turn those ideas into realities.
We are able to think extensively about positive futures but we struggle to find the ability create them.
This gap between what we can imagine and what we can do is felt most acutely in the world of atoms. The total extent of our difficulty here is hard to quantify but it is certain that in Canada and the US in the last decades we have directed our efforts as a society further away from the physical world and more to the world of ideas.
We can’t easily reverse this trend. If we want to direct ourselves towards taking positive actions to change the world whether in the world of atoms or the world of ideas we will need to get there step by step.
I would guess that most people reading this work day-to-day as part of the ‘professional services’ - card carrying members of the laptop class1. Many people in this position wonder if there is any way for their work day-to-day to escape the world of pure ideas free of action in the world (read bullsh*t). I know I certainly do.
I think we can be encouraged by the many examples of success at this kind of work. Management whether of people, capital, computers, or ideas is a real skill.
Singapore was a city formed on a swamp with no natural resources, and essentially no history. Yet somehow in less than 100 years it became extremely prosperous both economically and culturally. The only reasonable explanation is that it was well managed.
That the skills to do management and ‘knowledge work’ well can be taught is also attested to by the continuous creation of new successful and wise companies. Personally, I am particularly inspired here by Stripe and what they have created. Almost everything that I read or listen to from leaders at the company speaks to how their material and cultural productivity2 has been cultivated with great intention.
Work in the physical world enforces contact with reality and requires skilful actions to transform that reality. When working in the realm of ideas it is all too easy for us to avoid this kind of contact and get lost in meaningless abstractions.
If we want to transform our societies into ones which accomplish great things it will require a shift back to making contact with the real world and developing skill in that interaction.
In part this does mean shifting more attention back to physical work. Unfortunately though the hard truth is that switching into a trade or other more manual kinds of work is not a desirable, feasible, or viable option for all (or even most of us) that currently find ourselves as members of the “knowledge economy”.
There is hope and grace still for us though. Every day there are ways to become more skilful and ensure this skilfulness is not simply imagined through contact with the real world. This can range from seemingly mundane but mechanically effective activities like learning to touch type to more subtle but undoubtedly profound ones like knowing how to form a world-class team.
Take heart. There is a path to skilful engagement with the world no matter what work you are doing today. You only need to be committed to seeking it out.
To be precise the chart above would include jobs like doctors as part of professional services. Though the vast majority in the bucket do spend the bulk of their time doing desk work.
Today Stripe processes more than $800B of payments online each year. They also support one of the most intellectually vibrant independent presses in the world.