as a child i remember Concorde flying over my house. It was an amazing creation and with the ability to halve the travel time across the Atlantic. admittedly this was only available to a select few businessmen and celebrities (in the days when celebrity meant that the person had an achievement or talent to be celebrated, not the modern day use of the word to describe a lifestyle desired by those with no ability or desire to work for a living). these were times when the average person could only dream of seeing New York where in recent times a weekend break has been within the reach of many.
back to the point.... for hundreds of years, each technological advance made by mankind has been replaced by something bigger or better or more efficient.
when Concorde was grounded, there was nothing - it was a return to the longer slower flight times the rest of use had expect, and no bigger better faster new development.
for me, this seemed to mark a turning point for human kind. the life we have know of constant growth and improvement may be coming to an end.
i have felt for a long time that the constant desire for more is unsustainable, and ultimately empty. do we really need a faster car, bigger TV, more computer games etc.? Does that make us happy or leave us wanting even more?
similarly for companies and nations - is growth in economic and financial wealth really the best most desirable option? it certainly is not sustainable. things can't continue to grow forever and at some time will start to go backwards as more people and less resources will not allow it to continue. then what? who knows...
so, that's the thinking behind those titles... just my own thoughts and ponderings
jon.
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