The World of Might-Be

Have you ever met someone for the first time and thought that they are the most incredible person to be with, only later to find out that they have flaws that were unnoticeable before? It happens to us when we let our emotions get the better of us. When it occurs now and then to individuals it's not catastrophic, but when a society begins to think and react like this as a way of life, trouble will follow.

It is my contention that the world has now arrived, not into a world of what is, but into a world of what might be.

Actresses and Musicians dressed stylishly in the past to set a standard for expected dress code.  Based on this 1955 Academy awards photo of Grace Kelly, one could assume what might be worn in the future.

Here is an example of how that looks to be true in this 2012 photo.

This next picture shows how reality can disrupt what was expected.

At the 2010 MTV Music Awards Lady Gaga wore her meat dress next to Cher wearing more hair and boots than dress…totally not expected. What happened in the past may be unpredictable for the future. And it isn't just isolated to Hollywood.

In Science, a decade ago, there was an outcry for a push of embryonic stem cells as the solution to Parkinson’s disease. Adult stem cells were performing well, but the use of Embryonic stem cells was hyped up as the hope for tomorrow. In reality (setting aside the ethical dilemma) the overall results indicated that Adult stem cells far out performed embryonic ones. Link:  http://www.i-sis.org.uk/stemcells2.php

The Nobel Peace prize is usually awarded for certain achievements in history. People like Dr. Martin Luther King or Mother Teresa. In 2009 President Obama was awarded the prize, not for actually performing a great deed, but for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy….” In other words, what he might do in the future.  

The Reelection of Mr. Obama was in jeopardy due to the dismal unemployment numbers. But instead he was victorious on the anticipation U.S. jobs would roar back. (As of January 2013 the unemployment numbers ticked up).

Stock investors are not investing by taking in the past good performance of a company and projecting its future success, but rather what may occur based on possible future events. The latest example was when Apple’s quarterly profits proved greater than expected and yet investors sold, while Amazon produced heavy losses and investors bought…like crazy.

Is it crazy? Not in the might-be world. Let’s continue.  

Politicians are rushing to sign bills on what might be good for the country, and not on well-considered facts.  For example, after the Sandy Hook tragedy occurred, the New York SAFE Act was passed; it stated that all magazines hold no more than seven bullets and prohibited the carrying of guns on school grounds, in hopes that it might be safe for the children. However, the law failed to include any exemptions for law enforcement…and technically prohibited police from ever bring guns on school grounds. A redo is in the works.

The political condition isn't isolated to the U.S.  During the “Arab Spring,” there was chaos and upheaval in many near-east countries. News reporters promoted it as a righteous rebellion for democracy. Years later, Tunisia (the birthplace of the Arab spring) struggles to have any meaningful changes; Libya can be proud of the Benghazi debacle; Egypt, who elected Mohamed Mursi as president, now has huge demonstrations to overthrow him. Other countries like Iran and most notably Syria have ignored the demonstrations and clamped down hard on its citizens.

Protesting can be a good thing, but protesting on emotions can be a risky venture.

Some could argue that these are only unusual situations taking place outside the norm. Others may argue that there is just more information in a hyper-web world to report on. I believe both of these statements are true, but I also believe there is a threshold of emotive based decision making that the world in stepping into.

Awhile ago I finished a painting for my wife. It turned out as I hoped. But I didn't base it on my emotions at the time. I based it on the method I would accomplish the task. I kept telling myself to paint with my brain and look at it with my heart.  The result was as I planned. The key was not to let my emotions drive my actions.

We in society can easily let our emotions be the driver of the motivating factors in science, politics, work, health, etc.  What we should never forget is to let our brains guide us with thought- through facts to accomplish our goals, as I did with my painting. In doing so, our emotions will relish the satisfaction by seeing good results.