Smooth seas do not make good sailors by Georgina Parry

Georgina Woodward

Hi Mark,

Thanks for reading the essay. I was using the story to raise and give possible solution to many of the problems facing mankind. Rather than considering future politics. However since the politics concerns you, I envision it as more of a democratically elected meritocracy.Candidates having been educated to fulfil leadership roles. I agree it is not necessarily utopian but I have tried to suggest that the people have a lot of freedom to choose what they do and that there is a rich culture and promotion of creativity, better health, pleasing architecture. The deleterious effects of stress has been acknowledged and stress relief activities are considered worthy of dedication time. The sanctuaries are not prisons anyone can leave if they wish and take their chances.The sanctuaries are a way of allowing a large number of people survive rather than the human race going through an evolutionary bottle neck.

Armin Nikkhah Shirazi

Dear Georgina,

You have written an imaginative essay in which you mention a host of challenges for humanity, and, although a future living in underground colonies sounds rather bleak, you have managed to keep the essay upbeat.

I have noticed a similarity between the affirmations and lessons in your essay and the "rules for a prosperous society" in mine, and it seems that we both agree that they need to be inculcated at the earliest possible age. How we raise our children will probably have the largest impact on the future of humanity, and that message came clearly through in your essay.

All the best,

Armin

Georgina Woodward

Author Georgina Parry wrote on Apr. 29, 2014 @ 00:55 GMT

Hi Armin,

thank you for reading my essay and for your comments. Yes I have included many solutions. Though the final outcome may be displeasing to many it is a far better outcome than many others that could be considered.

I look forward to reading your essay.

Georgina Woodward

Hi Judy,

thank you for reading may essay and for your queries.A solution to antibiotic resistance, symbiosis with micro flora in the habitats was given. Cancer, no light at night and adequate regular sleep regime and optimal vitamin D levels in the population. If you had looked at the references you would have seen this is based upon actual current research. Growth in population is halted by having a controlled parenting programme. See my reply to Tejinder Singh re the acceptability of that programme.

I envisioned that the sanctuaries programme would be started too late and so there is a backdrop of war , famine and disease that has also reduced world population.I have also given a solution to the problem of unwanted children. There is education and public information to remind people of the need to stay within limits and they now understand the lesson of the exponential function unlike most people alive today.Yes it might be regarded as indoctrination but it could be more kindly likened to social engineering such as anti smoking or anti drink driving campaigns.

I have given a solution to desertification. Alan savory is working on that now. its not a make believe solution. I could go onbut I have written a list of the problems raised, in this thread which you could take a look at if you are interested.

I think to make the programme acceptable the "indoctrination' or public information and education would have to begin before any construction begins. I can see that otherwise the programmes would be considered a waste of money and resources and might meet a lot of opposition.

The rate in growth of the worlds population is dropping in part because in modern societies women have the choice to reproduce or not and an increasing number find fulfilment in other ways. There needs to be a continuation of that trend and one way is to regard women as more than just potential mothers and for child free status to be seen in a positive light rather than a cause for suspicion of selfishness or something not quite right. Perhaps more media exposure of men and women who have voluntarily chosen top be child free. More research into their mental well being and sense of fulfilment/ regrets would be good. That can be fed back to the population to attempt to spread the desired cultural change. I have seen studies showing that child free people do have better mental health and sense of personal fulfilment. I will add those references here later. Thanks Georgina

Georgina Woodward

Hi Armin,

I look forward to reading your essay.

Georgina Woodward

Put this in the wrong place.

have now replied in the correct place.

Georgina Woodward

Hi Ajay,

thank you for your comments.

I don't see the sanctuary as something stagnant but something adapting and developing like a life form itself.Smooth seas do not make good sailors rough and unpredictable ones do. They are still learning all of the ways of dealing with problems as they arise and for future use. The kids start their lifelong creativity with IT, study of nature and engineering very early. As I said in the essay high culture and creativity are in part how the success of the society is measured. Yes I think there is a preservation of genetic diversity, rather than allowing drift, to keep populations healthy and give the maximum ability to diverge into new niches when the Earth is habitable again or on other worlds.

I will read your essay, Georgina

Georgina Woodward

Hi Tom,

Glad you enjoyed reading it. I meant that it's the 'rough and unpredictable seas', difficulties, problems, challenges, that make good sailors. That is what Grace's mother was trying to explain to Grace. That's still ongoing as they do not know what new challenges they will face. They are filling their 'tool box' with as many solutions as possible, for current challenges and ones that might arise in the future.

I have a list in this thread of many of the problems that are raised in the essay and solutions given. There are references through out many to current research and with hyper-links for easy access. I have also referred subtly to my explanatory framework by mentioning the un-written future and saying that the present image is written in the light but the material future has not been built.

Thanks Tom, Georgina

Ajay Bhatla

Hi Georgina,

Thank you for the reply..

Am I correct to understand that Grace is simply a representative of all children but not for all the many residents of the sanctuary?

As everyone is a child once, I can see the logic in presenting just this perspective or slice to define your vision.

Powerful in many ways, indeed.

Thanks

Georgina Woodward

Tom,

I should also say that it is meant as a science essay not just a sociological experiment fantasy. It seems many people don't like the lifestyle of the inhabitants, they could easily imagine something different and more to their liking. However I think they should also ask themselves if it solves as many or more problems.If not I would question whether it is better. War, famine and disease are not exhilarating for most but misery.

There are some premises on which the essay is built. Though it does not become obvious until the end; the idea that the future can be built rather than just steering towards a space-time future that has existence in the space-time continuum, or towards a particular branching of the universe. That comes from my explanatory framework, it is the last reference in the essay. It is referred to subtly because to present it overtly might be seen as just using the essay as an excuse to talk about it.

The next premise is that there are problems that already have solutions that ought to be implemented.Allan Savory's work on combating desertification , pandemic vitamin D deficiency, night light cancer link, Fever cancer treatment are examples.

The third is that there are unknown and unpredictable problems that we will face, and that we can prepare for them, "filling the tool box". The chaos in the weather and climate were given as examples, there is reference to the Lorenz center and a really interesting video on why they are unpredictable and the need for more investment on even greater computing power. That's about physics. The Prairie dog tunnels, physics, the gills physics. I was trying to show how the physics (and biology) of nature can be taken and utilized to preserve and improve quality of life under extreme conditions ie. subterranean and subaquatic living.

Georgina Woodward

Hi Ajay,

yes Grace is a typical child. I have imagined her to be about 14 or 15 years old but have not given an age in the story. I think it would have been too difficult to describe the lives of all the people in just a few pages. Thank you very much for your interest and kind comment, Georgina

Georgina Woodward

Not really just for you Tom but anyone thinking of reading the essay : )

Ross Cevenst

Hi Georgina don't forget to rate my essay if you get a chance! So far I'm getting lots of great comments but only one rating. Good luck with your essay!

Georgina Woodward

In the last section of the essay is written "The image mankind call 'the present' has been written in the light but the material future has not been built." That is not just poetry but physics. 'Goals and intent', Quote "Encourage and support rigorous, innovative, and influential thinking connected with foundational questions." FQXi.org

An observer receiving em sensory data forms the input into an output experienced reality. If the light from a distant star is observed it is seen in the observers present no matter how long it has taken the light to arrive. The material, made of fermion particles and atoms, configuration/arrangement of matter that was the source of the light will have changed as there is continual recycling and only the configuration at uni-temporal Now exists. That means that there many possible written futures in the em data in the environment that can be received and made into a present Image reality but the material future has not been built, it does not exist.Only the material arrangement at uni-temporal Now exists, the source of new em signals that will enter the data pool. The structure of the explanatory framework is shown in the attached diagram. It is referenced in the essay. It overcomes the temporal paradoxes, makes relativity intuitive and allows relativity and QM to co exist without contradiction.

'Evaluation criteria' Quote "Additionally, to be consonant with FQXi's scope and goals, essays should be sure to touch on issues in physics and cosmology, or closed related fields, such as astrophysics, biophysics, mathematics, complexity and emergence, and the philosophy of physics."FQXi.org

I have also talked about chaos theory and other aspects of physics in the essay, with references to the source of the information.Attachment #1: 1_RICP3D_high_def_essay_version..pdf

Tommy Anderberg

I thought there was something familiar about this story as I read it, but it was the additional background in answers to comments that made me sit up and exclaim (for dramatic effect): prequel!

Georgina Woodward

Tommy,

thanks for the link, I enjoyed the story though it is a grim vision of future humanity. Maybe that short story should be put on the future school's curriculum, as a warning not to go too far in that direction.

Laurence Hitterdale

Hi Georgina,

The first thought that occurred to me as I read your essay was the dialectic tension between utopian and dystopian factors. However, you and several commentators have already discussed this, so I will add only a brief observation to that discussion. It seems to me that the situation you describe is dystopian in the sense that the given circumstances of life are not good, but the situation is utopian in the sense that the people have done well in building a tolerable and in some ways desirable place for themselves in the midst of those circumstances.

This observation leads me to suggest that your imaginative vision of the future might be a parallel to human existence in other times and places. We have always been living in a sanctuary, whether that be the light around the campfire, a cabin in a clearing, a walled city, or whatever. I think we could see the sanctuary not just as a physical space but as a social and psychological comfort zone.

The difficult question is how humanity can build sanctuaries appropriate for present and future challenges.

Your comments on my essay were helpful and appreciated. In my reply, I tried to deal with the issues you raised. Thanks.

Laurence Hitterdale

Georgina Woodward

Thank you for your observations. Yes I agree completely.

The essay was a vehicle for raising and addressing a number of problems. Such as lifestyle and diet changes to prevent cancer. Fever therapy and symbiotic environments to overcome the problem of antibiotic resistance. Returning grazing herds to eroded grasslands to prevent desertification, and if done on a large enough scale ameliorating climate change. These are real solutions to real problems.

Are people used to a 24 /7 lifestyle prepared to voluntarily give it up for the sake of their health? Probably not.Do most people take the threat of antibiotic resistance as seriously as they should? probably not.

Re sanctuaries of the future, I think governments are already considering the kinds of threats we might face and looking at preparing infrastructure to deal with the threats. Flooding has been a big issue in the UK. One solution is not building homes on flood plains! A possible problem is the speed at which change might occur and whether we can adapt in time. Why in tornado prone areas aren't buildings and car parks constructed underground?

Charles St Pierre

Dear Georgina,

Very imaginative, in the best sense.

As you note, education, and instilling the proper attitude for survival are key. The construction of sanctuaries, or at least communities of those more interested in humanity's survival (although they must also secure their own) may indeed be the only practical solution. You might have provided a little more detail on how to get there, but given the constraints, excellent in scope.

And thanks for reading my essay.

Regards,

Charles Gregory St. Pierre

Georgina Woodward

Hi Charles,

thank you very much for reading my essay and for your comments on it. Yes perhaps a little history lesson on how the sanctuaries came to be constructed would have helped the story. Others have picked out different details that they would have liked. The story is just a way of talking about problems facing humanity and how they might be overcome, in an interesting way. That you have appreciated the importance of the lessons and the scope of the essay makes me happy, thank you.

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