Bill pondered this sudden invitation. Where to start? Yes, start at the beginning of all things -evolution.
For a university paper Bill had studied and wrote about the history of the industrial revolution. He studied the cultural explosion due to the discovery and invention of mass production. The conclusion of the study revealed an uncertain direction for the future. Industrial growth had been exponential, but nowhere in nature does anything grow forever. If growth doesn’t find a balance between opposites a collapse becomes inevitable, and death can be sudden! Bill’s first concern was a question of balance between social-industrial opposites. How could a balance be achieved?
A second question of evolution that has always troubled Bill was the evolution of science. Couldn’t science evolve beyond the obvious purpose of manufacturing new faster more complicated gadgets to a higher level of achievement for an evolving society?
The third question was the future of religion, which had failed to solve social problems. Religious wars, hate, and dissension were the plague of societies through the ages. Where does religion belong in an evolving society? Which of the religions will become the true religion? What is the purpose of religion for the well-balanced citizen? Is there a God? If there is a God what is his purpose in our lives? What is the purpose of prayer?
The fourth question concerned physical and mental health. Is there prevention against physical sickness? Why is human behavior so difficult to understand? Why is psychology considered to be a soft science? What is instinct? What is the difference between nature and nurture? What is the purpose of life?
The fifth question concerned mathematics. Is mathematics an invention or a discovery?
Another question would be, will society be in healthy harmony with nature or will we continue to drain nature’s resources?
The final question concerned life style. What would freedom and standard of living be like? What form of government could we expect? Would there be an end to wars, crime, and poverty? What developments could we expect from science, technology, and manufacturing in housing, transportation, communication, health, energy, and education? Can a future society afford the financial expense and operation of all of these mega projects?
Economies are going bankrupt and economists are in confusion and in conflict with one another. How can such impossible problems be resolved? Why do war economies bring prosperity and peace brings unemployment and economic depression?
Bill McLean was 73 years of age. The questions he had asked had plagued him for as long as he could remember. They were so important he could recite them without pause but could never find satisfactory answers. He read intensively and only found confusion and disagreement. Historians tell us that we must study history in order not to repeat our mistakes. Bill had studied history but nowhere did he find an economy similar to the present.
He eventually realized that unique societies have only unique solutions. Could this strong person who now sat beside him waiting patiently for his questions be gifted with all the answers to all his questions? Bill was determined to find the “Holy Grail” to decipher the hidden constructive information from all the biased special interest information that dominates our attention.