Variety is the spice of life?

Do you ever wonder at the ridiculous variety of personalities and character traits that exist in the world today? I do...fairly often actually. It amazes me that people can be so different, and while sometimes it can be frustrating, other times it is exactly what is needed. Pretty much every analysis of team building exercises (from corporations to baseball teams) will tell you that having three people with different ideas, values and thought processes is better than having five people who are exactly the same. Solutions that one person missed will be caught by another, the different roles in the group will be filled by those who best fit them; the directors, the organizers and so on.

On the other hand I am pretty much positive that no one can look back on their life and say that they don't wish that in some situations everyone thought like them. The wish for that unity under one thought is common to everyone in the world. Ever had an idea that was obviously the best solution to a problem and had someone argue against it because they thought theirs was the best? The time it takes to list all the pros and cons of each idea and then compare them results in a time inefficiency that often makes the goal difficult or impossible to achieve. In that moment I know I wish that everyone had my insight into that particular subject.

But how do two people, at the simplest level, decide on one idea over another? The problem of inefficiency boils down to one of communication. Both sides need to argue-not necessarily in the conventional sense but in the philosophical sense, merely stating points that lead to a conclusion, the more solid the line of reasoning the better the argument-their points and try to convince the other person of the merit of their idea. Without emotions this process might go quicker, but the time it takes would still be fairly high, and with emotions, with attachment and personal connection to ideas, the whole thing can drag out indefinitely.

What would happen if we were all connected? Not in the way some people, such as myself, believe we already are, but in the sense that all ideas, all thoughts were instantly conveyed to everyone else. In this pretend little world when you walked out the door in the morning you could flick and switch in your head and get connected to the world. How much greater would our efficiency be? I don't refer to this as a hive mind idea, rather it would be more like you having a question about something and then getting responses from all the experts in the world, and everyone in your workplace or even the world if we wish to expand the illustration, knew what you were doing and what you were planning on doing so before you started typing that memo to your boss, your secretary would notify you that it had already been done and when you were on your way to deliver a letter to a friend they would meet you halfway for coffee, knowing that you were coming the whole time. Obviously the personal and more secret details would not be broadcast but my question is what would this do for/to us?

My guess is that many people would learn many things, corporations would function more smoothly and war? I don't know about war. On the one hand my example was a willing network, one you could disconnect from, implying that people who didn't agree with the status quo could drop out. On the other hand the system in my mind implies complete transfer of ideas instantly, would this be enough to change the mind of a terrorist? The thoughts of the innocent and the logic of the vast majority of the world? What could you do against a couple billion people unanimously agreeing that murder is wrong? I think it could change some ideals for the good.

On the other other hand, we don't have anything close to this system. We have words and body language to communicate our ideas and our reasons for them. The diversity of our planet results in some lovely clashing, but because we don't know everything teaming up with people who think differently than you is still the best way to get the best solution.

Variety is the spice of life, and if it's a little hot for you, well it's just the price you gotta pay for good food.