In light of the 2012 movie that’s out right now about the unavoidable demise of the world as predicted by the Mayans, my sister Beryl and I were having a most uplifting and necessary discussion about exactly how our world will end in less than three years.
The movie 2012 suggests we will be hit by a slew of natural disasters like ferocious typhoons and volcanic eruptions, so our discussion naturally began with possible ways the planet could physically implode.
But then Beryl said she recalled a particularly stealthy computer virus several years ago that had affected countries around the world on the very day that 16th century seer Nostradamus had predicted a worldwide disaster would occur. Coincidence?
Anyway, that got me thinking. What if the disaster to strike us in 2012 will be a modern-day disaster, the kind of event we consider disastrous in the current digital age? Perhaps a sort of Y2K or cyber attack that will bring our entire digital world to a screeching halt?
Whatever our doom may be, digital or natural, what’s evident is that putting things in the context of current technology will always produce a very different perspective.
As a case in point, this past summer candidates in Japan’s national election were banned by law from blogging and tweeting while campaigning. The election law, formed 59 years ago, places restrictions on the use of literature and images in campaigns. The idea is to prevent voters from being inundated by party messages and candidates with deep pockets from securing more air time on TV, radio and other communication channels. That antiquated law has also been understood to include social networks. So candidates took to campaigning the old-fashioned way–on the streets. Clearly some old laws need a bit of updating.
So whether it’s figuring out how the world will meet with disaster in 2012, trying to win an election in Japan, or just running a successful enterprise, it's clear that keeping up with the current digital age will certainly alter perspectives and open up new possibilities not previously considered.
