It is fairly common for people to speak highly of a future where all countries are unified such as the European Union. But what of the adage of not keeping all your eggs in one basket? What if everyone thought the same,
went to the same schools, aspired to the same professions, and watched the same movies? Not only would this be boring, it would also dangerous and hopeless. It would be boring because of the monotony, but dangerous because any systemic weakness or shock would affect the entire system and hopeless because... how many winners can there be in a playing field of 7 billion?
Some friends and I rode mountain bikes and, once a year, participated in a 24-hour relay race. (This is great fun if you enjoy exhausting yourself with four or five one hour bursts of hard riding separated by four hours of rest.) However, because it is a popular race with thousands of contestants, we would finish in the middle of the pack. Someone suggested that we form a Clydesdale division (average weight over 200 lbs) and suddenly we won (our
division) three years in a row. Similarly, how many writers, artists, musicians, or brand names could rise to the top if there is only one unified top?
went to the same schools, aspired to the same professions, and watched the same movies? Not only would this be boring, it would also dangerous and hopeless. It would be boring because of the monotony, but dangerous because any systemic weakness or shock would affect the entire system and hopeless because... how many winners can there be in a playing field of 7 billion?
Some friends and I rode mountain bikes and, once a year, participated in a 24-hour relay race. (This is great fun if you enjoy exhausting yourself with four or five one hour bursts of hard riding separated by four hours of rest.) However, because it is a popular race with thousands of contestants, we would finish in the middle of the pack. Someone suggested that we form a Clydesdale division (average weight over 200 lbs) and suddenly we won (our
division) three years in a row. Similarly, how many writers, artists, musicians, or brand names could rise to the top if there is only one unified top?
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