I arrived home from work this evening to find my new issue of Wired waiting, and I immediately devoured it in one sitting. Whenever there is a new issue of something I am interested in, or a new posting on one of the blogs I read, I morph into something resembling my dogs who wolf down their treats as though someone will come racing around the corner and snatch them away at any moment. Anyway, there was an interesting article on the dominance of right-brainers in the coming Age, and it got me to thinking….
Since the article isn’t on the website to link to yet, I’ll try and sum up as briefly as I can. The author basically asserts that the Information Age and the abundance that came with it was/is ruled by left-brained thinking, logical and analytical. Now he makes a case for what he calls the Conceptual Age, in which the right-brained will prosper. Those who see the Big Picture and not simply the mechanics of it. Those who feel more and can see and bring more beauty and meaning along with new concepts. Idea people, basically.
The value of the dollar goes down, white collar wages in other countries like India continue to rise, but are still far below what a US worker expects/needs. Any job that relies solely on sets of rules is at risk to other people who will do the same job at a much cheaper rate, or machines. Hell, even programming in many cases is handed over to the computers themselves. Having skills in the logic, the analytics, or the mechanics of a thing won’t be going away. In fact, it will remain a necessity. It’s just that in not-too-distant future, these skills alone won’t be nearly enough by themselves to prosper.
In the name of all that is holy, what does this have to do with Poker? I’ll try to explain it coherently, and if I fail miserably, you have my many apologies as it is late and I am writing in that sleep deprived “copy of a copy” state.
While poker is certainly booming, and shows nary a sign of slowing, the fact is that sooner or later it will. Whether we like it or not, this is America, and the trend will certainly decline from it’s current fever pitch. Many of the fish will move onto the next big thing, like Hidden Limit Kilted Pachinko Tournaments, Stuffed Animal Wargames, or vigorous matches of ‘I can take a Bigger Dump than You’. As folks who actually take the time to write our thoughts on the game (and incidentally, anything else that comes to mind), I think that the serious bloggers will maintain an edge, however small it may or may not be.
The deeper thoughts and ruminations on this game that someone writes about day after day may be just the thing that keeps the game fueled when it would normally be fading back into oblivion. I am definitely beginning to become more and more convinced that we will be the ones continuing to prosper as poker marches inevitably into it’s own Conceptual Age. Degenerate Monks, if you will. Many of us see not only the mechanics of the game (knowledge of which will always remain a necessity), but we also see the beauty and deeper meaning contained within it. There is empathy for another’s daily struggle with the game. We are neither left-brained or right-brained, we are both. I believe that it is this propensity that will allow us to prosper regardless of the twists or turns poker may take.
Then again, maybe the fish really will never stop coming and I simply have diarrhea of the brain. I need to get some damn sleep.
For those of you who feel their time was egregiously wasted by the above rambling, I offer this token that someone posted on 2+2 (can’t remember who, and yeah, what a weird place to find it). I couldn’t decide whether to laugh or be horrified. A bit of both, I guess.
Keep Thinking Big, everyone. My lack of sleep and head remain, as always, Much Bigger.
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