You will be remembered by what you leave behind

The caption that goes with this picture is “You will be remembered by what you leave behind”

I have just watched a documentary on the history of nuclear weapons (Imax – Trinity and Beyond – the Atomic Bomb Documentary) and feel bewildered. Every now and then in history there is a watershed moment where something happens or someone discovers something that changes the course of history (from what I’m not sure). It can be for good (penicillin or the Internet) or for bad (the atomic bomb or biological weapons). Perhaps these history-changing discoveries occur randomly and cannot be predicted, but one thing seems to be certain, they seem to be happening more frequently. I suppose this makes sense considering that the growth rate of change is cumulative in the sense that change creates more change, and more technology gives rise to even more advanced technology (a broad application of Moore’s Law to change). This is quite scary. I don’t think that most of us realise the degree of change and discovery that is happening all around us. What new medical breakthrough is being discovered in labs around the world? What new threats are being developed as we go about our everyday lives?

What will be the next discovery that revolutionises warfare? First it was the automation of weaponry and guns, then the nuclear weapon, then biological weapons…then what? This is quite a sobering thought.

What will our generation leave behind to be remembered by?