Here’s Why I Believe Humanity is Destined for More

Inspired by the book I’m currently reading, “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari, I’ve come to the realisation that there is a common misconception that humanity sits at the top of the food chain due to our opposable thumbs. After all, they are the reason we could use tools and hunt for food. However, as Yuval points out, the reality is something completely different. Humanity sits at the top of the food chain for one reason only — our brain’s ability to conjure fiction.

Pause and think about it for a moment. The very definition of fiction is “something invented or untrue.” Without fiction, our brain’s could never have conceived the idea of creating tools, advanced communication techniques (languages) or forming ideologies that form the basis of human society. In Yuval’s own words:

Fictional Thinking’s Impact on Humanities Lifestyle

In layman’s terms, fictional thinking allows us to create ideas that bind groups of humans together. Nations are the perfect example in modern society. For example, I live in England and identify as “English”, as do the vast majority of the other humans living on this island. However, I’ve never met 99.9% of them, yet we have a shared belief in the fictional idea of England and what it means to be English, which creates an instant connection between us whenever we meet. Without this shared belief, why would I put any trust in the strangers I meet, work with and coexist with?

It is clear then, that fiction has allowed us to evolve society into its current state. But, is that a good thing? Sure, for the most part we function well as a species — we’ve created technology to make our lives easier, cure disease and increase life expectancy. One could assume though, that with the understanding that we can create fictional ideas to form a society, we could also use these ideas to manipulate others into a certain way of living and thinking.

If you’ve read some of my previous entries, you may note that one common theme is my belief that time is our most valuable form of currency. It is the one commodity that we cannot create more of, no matter the technology we dream up and create. Therefore, it probably comes as no surprise that I fundamentally believe that we were not meant to work 9–5, 5 days a week, for the better part of 40 years. In fact, until the early 1900s, the working week was 6 days long, with Sunday’s reserved as a holy day. Should we therefore be thankful that the industry leaders of the early 20th century decided to give us an extra day of rest, so that we were even more productive for them during the working days of the week, or should we instead question why we ever bought into the idea in the first place? Surely then, if we can create the concept, belief and mass adoption of the 9–5, 5 day working week, we can create a more flexible, enjoyable approach to the working life that gives us the luxury of spending our most valuable currency more freely?

Humanities Destiny for a More Meaningful Life

So then, is humanity destined for more?

One of my idols, Naval Ravikant, discussed how one day, humans will live in a society where we’ve outsourced all non-creative jobs to AI, with humanity channeling our energy and focus into creativity — the very thing that put us at the top of the food chain in the first place. This imagined, fictional future is essentially the nirvana state for humanity. No longer would we be faced with the prospect of performing mundane tasks. But, in all likelihood, that future is still a number of decades away. Must we suffer in the meantime or is there a better way?

In short, yes, of course there is. Never before have we been in a more capable position to take back control of our time. If there is any positive to take from the COVID pandemic, it is the ease with which we transitioned to a more remote, more flexible way of working. We have proved that, in most cases, it is the quality not quantity of our work that matters. Who really cares if you take that meeting from the office, the beach or whilst walking through the park? Technology has enabled more collaboration, more flexibility and better ways of working — we must take advantage and break away from the fictional idea that is our current working habits.

To conclude, it is inevitable that humanity is destined for more. In a matter of decades, AI will be performing the mundane tasks and free up humanity to focus on creativity and spending our time on living a more fulfilling life. However, in the meantime, we must focus on how we could live and work, break old habits and create a better idea of “the working life”.