Paradigms

Since much of what I will likely discuss on here concerns paradigms, it seems suitable as my first topic of discussion.  According to vocabulary.com, "A paradigm is a standard, perspective, or set of ideas. A paradigm is a way of looking at something."  Paradigms are a status quo of sorts, based on what most people think or have thought.  They are not based on fact.  To be fair, very few people have the time or interest in researching for themselves where a paradigm comes from or if it is factual.  With work and family and all of our other obligations, we rarely have time to sit down and think, let alone do research.  This does not lessen the importance of paradigms and how they impact our future. 

Where do these paradigms come from?  Multiple sources exist, but I believe the most prevalent are: parents, schools, media and religious organizations.  Obviously, we tend to favor the perspectives taught to us as children, especially from parents.  Children come into the world knowing nothing, they must trust those close to them to teach them what they need to know.  In the past, such trust (especially in parents) was vital to survival.  Thus children are very trusting, and are not quick to question what they are told.  Where do parents get their beliefs/standards?  Usually from the sources listed above.  Typically they do not question things until their adolescent years, which brings the schools into this.  If the school is teaching what is status quo, the child will miss an opportunity to question the paradigms that may have already been proven to be wrong.  Thus the school has a greater responsibility to be up to date, and not just follow old paradigms.  Of course, it is not all up to the educators, in many cases they are told ahead of time what they are allowed to teach, with no regard for accuracy.  Luckily, for those who are able to go to college, the education system is less regulated at these levels. Because it is college, the professors are more likely to have the most recent research and discoveries.  But, it is estimated that only 20-25% of the American population graduates from college, meaning many people are not exposed to this information.  For those who are, given the human psyche, they may revert to what they learned in their youth.  As we all know, many people base their beliefs on what their favorite media source tells them.  After all, if you can't trust them, who knows what you can believe?  Unfortunately, the media is rarely without bias.  They tend to support a specific party, cause or belief system.  When we add in religious influence, we get one more layer built onto the expected beliefs that build a paradigm.  Beliefs can be interpreted in  hundreds of different ways, and can be many times harmful.  When a belief denies science or the fundamental rights of another, it needs to change.  From what I've seen, all major religions are susceptible to these wrong ways of thinking .  What all this leads to is paradigms that are often blatantly wrong, but are supported to protect the beliefs that we have learned to depend upon.  What's more, those who would dare challenge these paradigms are mocked, belittled, shunned  and even attacked.  It is clear that many of our current paradigms are as wrong as ones we have replaced in the past, they have already been proven so, just people aren't ready to let go.  Unfortunately, if we hold on to them too long, they may be our collective undoing.

How long does it take for a paradigm to change?  In my experience, I would suggest approximately twenty years.  The reason being, new paradigms are introduced in our youth.  Any new idea doesn't entirely take with adults.  Even if they are considered or believed by an adult, a person's heart is usually more swayed but what they learned in their youth.  And as stated above, most people don't change their beliefs after childhood.  Although there are multiple sources of new memes that could become the new paradigm, I think the most common is colleges and universities.  They are typically more willing to consider new evidence and challenge the old paradigms.  Also, teachers come from these schools, and thus they are the source for new information trickling down into high schools and elementary schools.  Until the new memes are being presented to the youth, the old paradigms will hold.  My generation will most likely not deny the reality of global warming, just as I expect the current youth would consider discrimination based on sexual orientation to be unacceptable.  This does not mean that other people wouldn't also change their beliefs on old paradigms, but a paradigm is the widely accepted belief.

A paradigm never entirely takes over, it will never be 100%.  This is not bad though, ideas should always have dissenters, they should always be questioned.  But unfortunately some antiquated ideas still persist.  Some people actually believe the world is flat, although not a significant group, it does show that most ideas will not totally go away.  Some old memes such as racism can be very destructive and require a civilizations constant diligence to keep them in check.  But don't forget, the denial of evolution and global warming are not without harm also.  Evolution is necessary to understand where we are and where we've been.  It is necessary in medicine to understand why our bodies function the way they do, and even why we think the way we do.  It also is a reminder that our place on this planet is not a given.  With the denial of global warming, we actually are threatening our future existence.  Luckily, the trends are leading to greater social and environmental responsibility.

 If we can survive the tumultuous time that we are currently living in, I believe we are on the cusp of one of the brightest times in human history.  A world that we protect for future generations and other species.  We are seeing the advancement of amazing technology.  Within the next ten years I hope to see a huge move to solar power and electric cars.  Both are becoming cheaper and much more dependable.  As I type this, BMW and Volkswagen are planning to built electric car charging stations up both US coasts capable of charging a car to 80% in twenty minutes.  With the advancement of electronic media, we will also create less waste.  With things such as streaming video and audio, (common examples include Netflix, Pandora and iTunes) people are cutting down on the need for things such as dvds, cds, books and magazines.   Medical technology is making amazing strides.  Within the next 10-20 years, I think we will see the curing of most chronic and genetic diseases.  Also, governments are starting to see the importance of college education to a larger percentage of the population, offering this education to its citizens free of charge.  Germany has already done this, and the US has discussed offering this starting at the community college level.  I believe this development, along with the greater connection offered by the internet, could lead to much faster advancement of new paradigms.

We must face the future with bravery, and not be afraid to question our beliefs.  Only through diligent consideration can we lead the way to a brighter future.  It will be on us to verify the ethics of new developments too, just because we can doesn't mean we should.  We must be careful with the power that is increasingly at our fingertips.  That said, we must also not be afraid to move forward.  What is sure, we can't continue as we are.  For us and the world to survive, we must be willing to change the paradigm.  If we do, we still have a chance to create a more ethical, renewable and dynamic world.  It could be an exciting world to live in.

It is up to us.