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The Tyranny of Outcome - Coggle Diagram
The Tyranny of Outcome
Childhood
Focus on play, curiosity, and exploration.
Effortless entry into "flow state".
Activities lack utility or specific outcomes, done purely for joy and discovery. Examples include: Christmas mornings, building with Lincoln Logs, playing Smash Up Derby, and racing toy cars on "Total Control Racing". :
Transition to Adulthood
Loss or misplacement of the innate ability to easily enter the flow state.
Gradual shift from process-oriented play to outcome-oriented work and goals.
Introduction of external expectations and responsibilities (school, career, family, finances).
Development of goals driven by autonomy, mastery, and purpose, often tied to wealth and status.
The simple joy of the present moment is abandoned, in favor of future planning and achievement.
Society reinforces this shift, rewarding achievement and creating an "unending ladder of effort and advancement.”
Adulthood - The Tyranny of Outcome
Individuals become "part of the machine," relentlessly pursuing goals and achievements.
Successes provide only fleeting satisfaction; new goals quickly replace achieved ones.
A sense of being "not enough" drives the pursuit of external validation.
Disconnection from "source energy," the core self, and the natural order.
Unconscious development of a "complex soup of thoughts and expectations." The present moment is sacrificed for future aspirations.
The tension between focusing on goals (the future) versus living in the present emerges.
The pursuit of material gains, fame, and recognition, as exemplified by Jim Carrey's ironic view of award seeking.
Rediscovering Process
Realisation that outward success does not equate to inner peace and fulfillment.
An awareness of end-of-life regrets for those who worked too much and didn't spend enough time connecting with loved ones, or pursuing personal passions.
Re-evaluating the value of "time spent" vs "time saved." Moving towards a life of presence, curiosity, and being, over planning, responsibility, and doing.
The importance of playful living, and "playing with" a hobby/passion, rather than working towards a goal.
Understanding that "achieving a goal" is often a side-effect of process and "play", not the goal itself.
Returning to a childlike curiosity about the world and re-discovering how to enjoy and immerse ourselves in the moment, just as we did when we were children.
The AI Revolution
Rapid advancement in Artificial Intelligence and automation.
AI encroaches on jobs that were previously considered uniquely human, across many sectors.
The potential for mass unemployment as robots take over tasks that focus on efficiency and utility.
An opportunity to re-evaluate work and to pursue activities for their own sake, rather than solely for productivity or income.
A potential shift towards prioritising human creativity, emotional intelligence, connection, and "the real relation", in a work setting.
The possibility that human beings may predominantly be engaged in process-oriented jobs, the outputs of which are intangible such as wellbeing, connection, health, fairness, learning, guidance, and enjoyment.
The potential for shorter work weeks, and more leisure time.
A call for early adopters to embrace this shift with gratitude, to embrace the "hidden gateways to transcendence".
A Possible Future
A world of abundance is created by automated production.
Humans are liberated from the need to work, and will be freed to pursue interests, and "boldly go" into self-discovery.
The "tyranny of outcome" is overcome by embracing connection, self-knowledge, and flow, and perhaps most importantly; learning to play again.
An emphasis on human artistry, connection, and experience, in the place of material and productive output.
An embrace of a world akin to the Star Trek universe, where curiosity and discovery are prioritised.