"Tales from the Stone Age"

[grepper]

I have had the exact same thoughts Mr. Mark.  The technological change over such a short period of time is more than remarkable.  It’s stunning.
 
Including Mr. EOU’s question, I observe that mankind’s connection to as well as appreciation and stewardship of our beautiful, precious and amazing beyond all imagination earth, its flora, fauna, oceans and even the air is decreasing and vanishing inversely proportionally with the rate of technological growth.
 
Only two generations ago, most people grew food, dug in the soil and held the earth reverently.  Now that connection to our roots and physical reality has been cut asunder, resulting in the first generation of lost soul humans almost completely unaware of even our most basic connection to physical reality and that which unites humanity.  After all, potatoes are born in a bag of plastic mesh and tomatoes are birthed in Styrofoam and cellophane. 
 
This loss of common connection, the loss of being awe inspired when gazing at the stars, the loss of being overwhelmed with tender caring, love, a great feeling of responsibility, wonder and respect at the sight of a gentle salamander disappearing under a decaying log, seems to have created a world of disconnected “individuals”.  Is it any wonder why people feel empty, isolated, frustrated and longing for something more?
 
Mr. Thomas said, “I can make my own tools, I can make up fire, I can hunt and take care of the meat, build me a home and live in it also during the winter. Today we are not so many people that can do this.”
 
So very true.  In many cases “reality” for many of today’s youth, at least her in the US, is only and strictly limited to what exists in the 5” screen.  Life is Facebook and Facebook is life.  Tools, fire, stone knives and bearskins have been replaced with something hollow, empty and without real substance rather than feeding the chickens, collecting eggs, shoveling out the stalls and connecting with the earth and living things.
 
The cost of our technological growth and stagnate moral and ethical development is the destruction of our planet.  Our oceans are filled micro techno plastic partials with a half life of forever.  Without viable life supporting oceans we’re all screwed.  How many rivers would you take a drink from?  Rain forests, responsible for global climate are being felled at an alarming rate.  Humans are directly responsible for species extinction increasing at the same rate as technological growth.  This loss of the diversity of the earth’s amazing creatures is almost too sad for me to comprehend.  These creatures are unique in the universe and once lost will never again exist.  Remove enough bricks and the whole house will collapse. Unless things change quite drastically and rapidly, the outlook for the creatures of the earth is grim.

I know you must be thinking I'm just a wild optimist, but I always like to look at the glass as half full rather than half empty.
 
We can land a rover on Mars, but can’t care for the earth and its creatures.  We can build a Large Hadron Collider but can’t feed the people of the earth.  We could make the earth an Eden but instead expend our blood and treasure on war.  Go figure.  Just imagine if all of the resources humans have ever spent on war had been spent on beautifying the earth and providing for all of her creatures.  Just imagine that!
 
I think Mr. EOU nailed it when he stated, “Now we just have to figure out Mark if things are better now or back then.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43468066

[Ken S]

At the risk of sounding like an optimist, I believe the key to surviving and prospering, then and now,is cooperation and interdependence.

As an example, look at the belt grinder conversions described on this exchange. From a cursory reading of the topic, one might inaccurately conclude that it has been my project. I did write most of the posts and have done several conversions. However, to award me the Nobel Prize for Belt Grinder Conversions would be a mistake. 

Steve inspired my first Viel purchase with his Sharpening School DVD. I was basically happy with the unmodified Viel until I watched Max' you tube on scissors sharpening. Max' you tube convinced me of the value of variable speed. Rupert, our Godfather of Conversions, has advised me in many ways. He and his son, Henry, sent me my first Gen III mounting plate and smaller drive pulley. Don gave me expert motor advice, which helped me lower the minimum motor speed and inspired me to add a reversing switch. Grepper and Mike made up drawings far above my limited ability. Mike made up world class mounting plates which, with Steve's pulley modification with Viel, transformed the conversion from a machine shop project to one capable of being completed in a home shop.

With the Kallie, Rupert was invaluable and several of us gave me good advice. Mark's platen is world class. I hope to give the same description of Grepper's knife jig when it arrives (hint, hint). 

This group effort is far superior to whatever I could have done by myself. 

In the big picture, I hope that our societal wisdom will someday catch up with our technology.

Ken

[Mark Reich]

Hm. That's a very good question, Mike. Several scenarios come to mind.

The only thing I can say with certainty, albeit somewhat selfishly, is that it's worked out well for me and my tribe.

The land that once supported few now supports many, which is probably good, since there are a lot more people now.

I'm producing better knives, and way more ammunition...