I want my first post on this here HIVE thing to be about the defining moment of all our lives - the COVID-19 virus. While you guys have all been fighting with Justin Sun about this little digital corner of the universe we call home, the rest of the world has been going into panic and lockdown over this silent killer. I've also had my own personal issues to distract me from the world sliding into chaos, but nothing like forking an entire legacy blockchain in order to wrest control from a crypto billionaire. That's epic stuff.
Sadly, however, it doesn't even rank with what could happen here in the world in the next 2-3 weeks. A lot of people seem to have simultaneously realized this same point as you're seeing a whole raft of Saturday morning thought pieces like:
Financial Times, Yuval Noah Harari: the world after coronavirus, one of the best thinkers of our times tries to anticipate the impacts
Foreign Policy, How the World Will Look After the Coronavirus Pandemic The pandemic will change the world forever. We asked 12 leading global thinkers for their predictions.
Politico, Coronavirus Will Change the World Permanently. Here’s How. A crisis on this scale can reorder society in dramatic ways, for better or worse. Here are 34 big thinkers’ predictions for what’s to come.
That's where we're at this weekend. To give you just a hint of the level of thinking here, here is the intro graph from Harari's piece:
"Humankind is now facing a global crisis. Perhaps the biggest crisis of our generation. The decisions people and governments take in the next few weeks will probably shape the world for years to come. They will shape not just our healthcare systems but also our economy, politics and culture. We must act quickly and decisively. We should also take into account the long-term consequences of our actions. When choosing between alternatives, we should ask ourselves not only how to overcome the immediate threat, but also what kind of world we will inhabit once the storm passes. Yes, the storm will pass, humankind will survive, most of us will still be alive — but we will inhabit a different world."
We stand at the cusp of a new world. What happens in the next month will change the rest of our lives forever. Let's hope we choose, as a whole, to act in the best interests of society and not just do, as we've always tended to do, what's best for our own narrow set of self-interests. Only time will tell. At least whatever happens is going to happen pretty damn fast.
Before this HIVE blockchain even really has time to work out the kinks and settle in, a whole raft of important global issues are going to be determined.
- The US presidential elections. In a mind-numbing statistic, apparently 55% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling this situation. That can't possibly hold. But I don't put anything past the collective mental ability of America these days. A tidal wave of bad news is about to hit the US. For instance, within a day or two, the US will be the #1 country in terms of new cases announced everyday. Today, they were second only to Italy, an unmitigated disaster, 5986 to 5604 That's gotta be maddening for all Americans regardless of their political orientation. It certainly makes me mad.
- The future of the European Union. With Spain and Italy looking to be already decimated, Portugal starting to ramp up new cases and the Greek economy already in tatters, the PIGS will most definitely not make it into the second iteration of the EU, if there even is one. With Brexit and the corona suffering of the remaining 3 leading EU economies - Germany, France, Netherlands - the future of the eurozone is pretty bleak, which explains why permabear Ray Dalio has placed $15 billion worth of bets against Europe.
- The Flippening. Going into this disaster, by far the two most prepared economies in the world were ironically the ones that had just spent the past 18 months having a trade war. One of them will emerge as the top dog in the world, not only in terms of economy but also in terms of diplomacy. If the US does not significantly upgrade its response in the next few weeks, it is looking more and more likely that that country will be China. All great empires eventually fall. But America's 70+ year turn in the sun might end up being the most Icarian in the history of the world.
- Digital transformation of EVERYTHING. If you thought the pace of digital transformation and new technology was fast in the runup of this Everything Bubble, just wait till you see what's coming. Zoom stock has doubled in the past month. What happens now is every industry has to completely change. Or die. Education, food and bev, office spaces, transportation, the government itself.
It is with this point that I will conclude. In the midst of all this maelstrom, the HIVE blockchain has been launched. For better or for worse, it will be a part of this history. Definitely, it can be a force for the digital transformation of everything. Hopefully, it can help to alleviate some of the partisan problems we've had in the media and allow true value to seamlessly flow to the top, to give a voice to the small guy that is institutionally ignored, to let the Davids of this world compete effectively against the Justin Goliaths.
HIVE can do that. Or not.
It's up to you, the HIVE community.
Excellent and thought provoking article and I look forward to reading your other posts. I'm surprised I didn't discovered you earlier on Steem. Hive has opened my horizons.
I will follow up on the articles you referenced. I've covered some of these issues in my first post on Hive: https://peakd.com/coronavirus/@apshamilton/four-positive-things-about-the-corona-crisis