Before we started class today, Prof introduced us to a special guest from Abu Dhabi who specializes in Hospitality and hospital management. I think this is a really interesting combination as they both focus on relationships with people, except that they are of very different kinds. I think people relationships are complex but extremely fascinating. I wish I had a chance to ask him more about his work and his experiences!
Class started off with 2 presentations on the topic of Technology and the Human Development which led to a very interesting discussion on whether we should stop the advancement of technology as it seems to be hurting our civilization.
In my opinion, it is human's nature to be greedy and want power. Mankind are individualist who always places interest on themselves. It is our nature to be greedy and want power. This is an unfortunate fact which is difficult to change. Hence the way i see it, it is not really the technology that is hurting our civilization, but WE OURSELVES. For example, the surrogacy article that was presented in class reported that there are people who are making use of surrogacy to make money. This technology was initially beneficial to mankind whereby infertile couples could also have a family. However, it is people's selfishess and greed for money that led to such inhumane actions.
Hence should we stop all technology so that we can protect our civilization? I disagree. We need the technology to keep advancing and make improvements. Just like the Rising Star as discussed in the previous class, it is only through continuous improvements that we can develop and continue to survive. Technology is harmless, it is how we use it that is dangerous. Thus is it really up to individuals and their own code of moral values that is endangering our society.
The second part of our discussion was about sustainable development. Prof played a video "Story on Stuff" which talked about how people in US in particular are over consuming. The Americans has only 5 percent of the world's populations but uses up 30 percent of the world's resources. I finally understood what the speaker meant when she said "we are running a linear system on a finite planet". Humankind just keeps consuming but do not consider the consequences of our actions and the impacts on the future generations. This once again shows that it is the selfish trait of humankind that is hurting our planet Earth.
Another thing that caught my attention in class was when prof mentioned that President Obama has decided to abandon tougher air quality rules as he did not want to hurt the corporate environment. While I am aware that America is undergoing a major crisis with a 9 percent unemployment rate but what really puzzles me is "why is it that decisions made always focuses on the economic implications and the social and environmental impacts are cast aside?"
While the economy is the country's key survival, the social and environmental impacts are equally important. A country may come into power with a strong economy but is it powerful enough to handle the consequences of depleted natural resources and resist the impacts of the "dying Earth" (ie. freaky natural disasters)?
As if it was planned, one of our classmates, Samantha then presented on Masdar City also known as a "green" city. I was mesmerized by the existence of such a city and enjoyed her presentation thoroughly. This city will only use half of the amount of energy required in a normal city. They have specially designed buildings to make use of wind energy and a personal rapid transit system to travel around instead of cars. This is a truly innovative project and while questions on who will stay there and the cost of living in Masdar City may arise, I still applaud the government of Abu Dhabi on the initiative of sustainable development. Whether it is a success or not, I think it is a good step towards sustainability and hopefully the other countries will be able to learn from this project.
Finally, our last topic of discussion was on Innovation Management. We were introduced to the "Valley, Summit and Cloud Opportunities" Model for Technology and it reminded me of the "Rising Star Falling Star Model" we discussed last week. It once again shows that innovation (i.e. open mind and the need to keep learning, improving) is an important factor for the success of a company. Only a company that can continuously keep innovating new products and inculcate it into people's daily lives would do well as people's general attention span is very short.
There was also a discussion on whether Apple was more successful than 3M. While Apple seems to have a greater impact on society with its latest inventions of Iphone and Ipads, I think that 3M is the more successful company of the two. Mainly because it has managed to integrate its products into our daily lives so well that we hardly notice it. While its products may not be big and attractive like an Ipad but I could not imagine working without sticky notes, glue and scotch tape. Because they are small items that may not seem to have much of an impact in our lives but from my point of view, I think i can live without an Iphone and its apps but what will I use to stick or hang objects together?
All in all, while creativity is just the beginning of an innovation, it is the most important part of the whole process. Hopefully, Creative Thinking class will be able to help spur the creativeness in me!
I absolutely enjoyed this lesson as it has broadened my horizons with the many interesting topics discussed. It has also raised many thought provoking questions on mankind and what it takes for a more sustainable world. I would give this lesson a rating of 8.5 out of 10! :)
Can't wait for more!
Selene
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