The Next Frontier in Human Thriving
In the rich countries of the world, this is a moment of pessimism and aimlessness. We are lost. We have it all, and we are letting it fall apart because we don’t believe in ourselves and don’t believe we deserve to thrive. We lack hope and a sense of agency. We are helpless, hopeless, and aimless. What can we do? How do we go forward?
There is so much good that could be done, so much progress that could be made. But we are just disconnected from a sense of hope and progress. We’ve lost that feeling.
The leader in sparking hope and helping people dream in the 21st century is Elon Musk. There is a pattern in what he’s done. He starts with a big, bold vision, then charts a decades-long course toward that vision with tangible products as milestones. He works in areas that are somewhat stagnant but universally recognized as important: cars and space, most famously. He ships products that are as universally liked as anything can be in the US in this era. A car that is environmentally friendly and cool and fast. Radically better launch vehicles for the space industry. These projects inspire people to pursue these areas with renewed vigor. Ultimately, these bold efforts light up dormant parts of the tech tree and increase civilizational hope.
So spaceflight and ground transportation are progressing nicely. These are symbolic areas that are important to the feeling of progress and excitement for the future. Ground vehicles empower us to get around the earth in more comfort and ease. Space vehicles extend our reach to the stars.
How else can we empower humanity? How can we make life much better for the average person? A previous generation of software billionaires famously turned their attention to spaceflight (Musk, Bezos). The current generation is investing heavily in health and longevity. There seems to be a lot of energy and excitement in this broad area. Bezos is also thought to have invested in the ambitious Altos Labs.
This is another area that is broadly recognized as important. It is a grand project that people can unite in pursuing. This very broad area is being attacked from many angles, from bottom-up to top-down.
There are not only the aforementioned well-funded startups but many grassroots, decentralized efforts in the area of health. There is F3, a decentralized set of free outdoor fitness groups. There are social health apps like Strava and newcomer Vital that help people track their bike rides, runs, and more, all with the support of an aligned group.
Obviously, these groups and apps are very different from longevity research. But these trends could connect. Data from iPhones and Apple Watches is already being used in studies. Increased funding of longevity research and increased availability of data from millions of people using smartphones and smartwatches could lead to interesting places.
We need grand, unifying projects. Radically increasing healthspan is a huge project that would be of tremendous value to humanity. It should be one of the great projects of humanity over the coming decades.