In my lifetime

Leila pinged me about this notion of 3 things I'd like to see happen in my lifetime. Her list is pretty impressive... real big-picture kind of stuff... so I'm having a hard time thinking of many different things. Here I go, though:



(1) Humanity and peace trumping politics and economics.


Some of you who know me also know my parents are from Sri Lanka. If you really know me, you might've heard my rant about giving both sides 30 days to come to a peaceful agreement or simply nuking the island out of existence. Harsh? Sure. Rant? Yeah, it is. I'm not sure I'm that serious, but it's a horrible shame to see people at war, for so long... and of course in a civil war, neither side wins. Ever. Go watch Hotel Rwanda... if you leave not feeling ashamed to be a citizen of the western world, you missed the point.



(2) I'd like to see Canada build a real technology economy.


Yeah, it's pretty small relative to (1), but it's one of those things drives me nuts... Canada (especially Toronto) has some of the most amazing minds in the world, and yet we haven't got nearly the innovation economy that we should. Why? I've got a few thoughts. Most of 'em center around a lack of early stage funding and mentoring, and few success stories to inspire those just getting up and running. I think Canada's got the potential to really show the world how you build a thriving economy, a booming tech sector, and all in a country that has really set the stage for what an accepting, multicultural society should be.


(3) Real democracy and education for all.


It's all about education, isn't it? The antiquated education system in North America is putting us at a disadvantage here... the lack of one puts people in less-than-democratic countries all over the world at a disadvantage there. For someone who ran through school as fast as he could, it perhaps sounds a bit odd, but there really can't be anything more important than solving this... people who're well educated don't start race wars or holy wars, they don't let dictatorships take power (often), they don't abuse people, animals or the environment for near-term gain or morbid satisfaction. Hmm... maybe I should make this #1?

In the spirit of passing this on, I'm going to pick David, Mike, and Rob to tag next. :-)