The Fallen Man | Blinded with Open Eyes
In Utrecht - 3rd largest city in Holland - just 35km to the south east of - the largest city of my little country - Amsterdam, was in hefty discussions last couple of weeks. Right in the middle of the city centre, they started to build a new monument with the title 'The Fallen Man'.
Signs in Arabic. Africans slowly moving through the construction site. Chinese sitting in the construction shack, selling small replica's of the statue being build.
Local retailers are not happy at all: no space for their street terraces. Local citizens are - even so - not amused: the wooden panels fencing the construction site are right in front of their doors and windows.
scale model "The Fallen Man" | copyright DUIC | source
And then - some - people start to realise the statue will never be build. The Africans, the Chinese are all actors. The construction site is not a construction site at all, it symbolises the end of the Western hegemony. What one thinks at first: a kinda weird construction site, is in fact a monument.
Two recent and random news items:
- From 2013 to 2016, the robot density in the Netherlands increased from 93 robots per ten thousand employees to 153. Only in China the increase was larger.
- The Chinese smartphone maker 'Xiaomi' opens his first European store in Paris. They also have plans to open stores in Spain and Italy. We read it almost daily: China is doing well on technology level.
construction / monument site | copyright DUIC | source
Nobody can deny China is doing well last couple of decades. Their power is increasing again. Not for long - only up to the industrial revolution about 150/200 years ago - China flourished for centuries. The industrialisation supported - mostly - the Western world, with the United States becoming dominant. The pessimist says: This supremacy of the Western world is now turned around into decline; We are to conservative and too focused on our self.
The Fallen Man monument touches sensitive topics:
- Is the Western world indeed in decline?
- Do we not sufficiently embrace new initiatives?
- Do we need to get the most robots per ten thousand employees in the world?
poster "The Fallen Man" statue | copyright DUIC | source
The Answers?
YES, YES and YES
OR?
The artwork confronts us with the fact we cannot continue to live our comfortable life's as decadent, self-satisfied individuals. And when we do? We will be wiped out.
You asked very good questions which I believe European decision makers think about asap.
What was the triggering motivation of the western hegemony?
What should be done to take part in the future of technology?
What is the main drive behind the Chinese policy in general?
I think we all have seen the capitalism would end in China's great impact onto us so what kept us in creating a new path during last decades?
I believe what makes the hegemony smoothly slide to Asia is the lack of intellectual production in western world, namely Europe. Being stuck in useless daily politics and easy to grab victories and reluctant in creating new horizons for the public ended up current situation.
We have to say something new, cherish humanity and praise goodwill for starters.
Have a nice day :)
I do agree with you: We in Europe are blinded by what we have, short term focus; Not seeing the world is always changing and one need to adapt to stay relevant in a future world.
Thanks for the reply, it's a great chance to have the opportunity to dicsuss these kind of issues with others.
Western system has created the game and set the rules and China plays it fair and square. I don't see a long term chance for keeping status quo by the effects of other players in the game even if it is pushed by means of military threats in addition to economic struggles.
We have to generate a new way life instead of consumption; somehow leash the wild capitalism to make it possible for all of us to breathe...
And for that we need intellectuals to change the climate
Regards
I can't agree more! It shall be our goal to recognise the future in eg 30 to 50 years time need a conplete different economic model, throughout the world. It would be great if nine of us have the suffer too much while we are in transition. However, our politicians and even the mass are having more a NOW focus, and are somehow blind for what is coning to us with the extreme automation technology will bring us. Universal Basic Income is probably a must to implement. Projects to test with such model in small scale are however either not started or abondoned.
I agree, additionally it'd be great to create an awareness in sinking vital soırrces, clean water supplies namely, because of the mass consumption.
Without sharing sources and ignoring poverty the wealth'd only bring catastrophe to everyone no matter where they live...
After all, techology is made for humans for better conditions not for spending lives on the planet, isn't it?
Next to such vital resources, we shall create open source AI, since such technology shall not be in the hands of a couple of corporates, whether they are bog or small. We are not there yet, maybe quite far off, but we have a couple of decades to adjust things. Energy shall become (almost) for free; Solar technology has that potential. With water + energy one can grow food, even in the sahara without greenhouses, various projects shows this, simply use sea water + generated wind from turbines and all. I thin kin addition we need to sea floating vertical grow farms to be able to feed everybody. But it all starts with awareness, something we need to work on; With awareness comes (eventually) realisation by the mass; And then our societies are ready to start thinking of solutions.
Exactly... it all starts with awareness
Wow!! This is a shocking monument.
"I see," said the blind man to his deaf son.
What?
:)
It is a Chinese proverb. My statement is:
"If China doesn't care about the West then does the West even exist?"
Good one! :)
Interesting piece of performance art, but yes, over the next century (barring war or disaster) there is a shift in power balance slowly happening. Although, I'm curious if the opening up of space exploration might produce unexpected changes in the game..
You touched a very interesting topic, Space is a complete open playing field and the cards are still in shuffling phase. China is going strong wrt Space as well. And maybe, it'll be private companies 'winning' the space battle, instead of nations.
This post is so deep, my friend. Thanks a lot for it! Regards from Venezuela ❤️
Thanks for reading and your comment.
Excuse me, I'm curious... Where are you from?
The Netherlands, I thought it would be clear mentioning Amsterdam :)
Well, sometimes the body is in a place and the mind is in another ❤️
:) BTW, you like Salsa? I'm preparing a post bringing forward a Dutch girl who decided she is better suited to live in Columbia due to her taste in music. She plays the trumpet! Super creations! Music has the habit to move mind far far away from the body, at least with me :)
Wooow I can't wait to see that post because I love salsa, I'm a latina girl with the the spice in the veins. Do you like the latin culture?