Given all the bad news these days is creating a Protopian future even possible?
As the saying goes those who say something is impossible are often displaced by those who are doing the impossible.
So many of the activities and products we now take for granted did not even exist 50 years ago including the personal computer, the Internet, cell phones, electric cars and bikes and hundreds of other things too numerous to list.
The point is creating a positive (Protopian) future is absolutely possible if we can give the time and resources needed to bring it into being. According to Marcus Wong, “
But of that which we seek, in our Protopian state, we’re seeking the better self-betterment rather than self-improvement. We loathe perfection to a point where the word ‘perfect’ is abused and misplaced instead of ‘good’ or a simple positive notion.
In every opportunity that we have, there is a desire for better. It’s an endless chase that will outlive us all. It will never see completion in our generation or even our lifetime. That’s a harsh reality that we as a global community must face.”
In an interview with Edge.org the creator of the term Protopian by Kevin Kelly,
I am Protopian, not Utopian. I believe in progress, that things are getting better by a little bit. I don’t believe that we can eliminate problems without introducing new ones..”
I believe in progress in an incremental way where every year it’s better than the year before but not by very much—just a micro amount. I don’t believe in utopia where there’s any kind of a world without problems brought on by technology.”
In other words, Protopia is the umbrella word that can help us keep faith and hope in mankind. It made sense to spread it as much as possible so others might not only gain solace in it but also use it as a fuel to keep going when things get dark.