Turning Points: Important events change how we think
While we experience of accelerating change when a lot of events happen one after another, there is a second type of change that also affects how we feel. This is the huge event that in one moment changes how everyone thinks. Sometimes this is called a ‘turning point.’
Examples of these big events from past would of course include the attacks of 9/11. Following 9/11 millions of Americans were sad and even depressed for many months, and the social and political dialog around the world continues to refer to 9/11 as a landmark event that permanently changed our perceptions of reality.
Another big event was for example, the day of the first atomic bomb was exploded. And what about the first human steps on the moon, or assassinations of well-known public figures? These have all had profound and lasting impacts on our values, beliefs, and attitudes.
We know these things have occurred in the past, and they have been, for most part, unpredicted and unpredictable. As we think about the future of society, it's worthwhile to imagine turning points in the future, consider what sort of reaction there would be to them.
What would happen in the US if there was another large terrorist attack like 9/11? Or what if it happened in Europe?
What would happen if the governments of the world instituted environmental regulations to halt global warming, and the new rules changed how everyone lived and did business?
What if there was a massive Global Economic Recession on the scale of 1929 - 1935?
What if the food supply is poisoned? This in is happenign right now in China, as thousands of young children are hospitalized because their milk powder was poisined with industrial chemicals. Once the immediate crisis is over, you can be sure that there will be a large investigation, a big trial, and perhaps also a lingering trauma across Chinese society. Something similar happened in the US in 2007, when 800 metric tons of poisoned wheat was smuggled into the US from China and used in pet food. More than 4000 pets died.