0296 – Me, Myself, My Box… and My Computer

I had a good conversation with two other employees in the Green Initiatives team at Infosys yesterday. It turns out that there are other people who also feel trapped in this  “system” that renders so many of us outside-the-box dreamers hushed. You know, I sometimes find it ironic that I am working on sustainability at an IT company, because the technological revolution hasn’t been exactly the most environmentally friendly change in our society. We ended up talking about how sustainability really hasn’t gotten into the minds of many people yet. I feel this at my college too; These days, too many us are about me, myself, my box… and my computer.

Both in Thailand and India (in Asia in general really), there’s a way that we’re so used to operating – emulating the US and the Western world. We all know that there’s something wrong with that, because, liberty and all, the one cannot claim that the US is advancing in the most sustainable way. Yet, many in Asia still view US as the model, and put themselves in the same “box” that has led us to our perils today.

Then comes the age of the computer. The IT industry is booming hard. And there’s no sign of stopping. Arguably, it’s one of the causes of the apparent disconnect between human beings with one another, and with nature. Computers have largely moved us indoors, and made us stationary–most likely at a small cubicle with tall walls so you can’t see the guy opposite you. This feels ironic since I am using a computer to complain about computers, but the issue is huge. We’re at a computer all. the. time, especially in IT offices. The office life ain’t the most fun I’ve had. That’s too bad, because it should be.

Long gone are the days when we roam freely. Long gone are the days when we live in harmony with nature, when  the artificial doesn’t displace the natural.

Our challenges today are so tough not only because we live in a box, but also because we’re content in it with the computer. To get everyone out would require an extraordinary coalition of passionate, charismatic and forward-thinking change agents that have “A Healthy Disregard For The Impossible.” Shoutout to LeaderShape for nurturing these change agents.