Remember when you used to play in the sandbox as a child? Your parents would put you in the sandbox and watch you play there for hours and hours. They clapped as you enjoyed playing in the sandbox. For them, it was convenient and comfortable. They could watch you in peace.
Eventually you got older and then you wanted absolutely nothing to do with the sandbox. You found that the sandbox was too limited for you and you needed more. You screamed and complained and then your parents let you do more. You graduated to the jungle gym and then maybe to playing sports or dancing. You enjoyed the challenge of doing more.
Now you might be older, but I have some bad news for you: you’re still playing in the sandbox.
Society has told us that we should want a convenient and comfortable life. Maybe you want a nice house. A bigger raise. More time for leisure. More experiences.
And that’s understandable. In fact, you were rewarded for wanting what society said was good, every step of the way. You got gold stars for doing well in school, then for going to university and graduating with a degree. You got gold stars for getting a job, for finding your spouse, and getting married. You even got gold stars for having children and repeating the cycle.
However, you’re not encouraged to do much else outside of this box. The people in charge of society want you to stay there. It’s easier for them to handle.
And it all stems from a simple belief that society and the media reinforce daily: You can’t make a better system. That you have no personal power to make a better system.
People will tell you it’ll take too long. Or it’ll be too difficult. Or it’ll take too much effort. Or that it’s not safe to change their system.
But what if you changed that belief? What if you believed that you could create and design your own system? What would you do differently? How would you live?
Would you still play in the sandbox?
A New Source Code 