“Predictive protection” is another of Rohit Bhargava’s perceived trends for 2018: ‘services and features that can proactively protect our safety, health and environment by anticipating our actions or needs’.*

These appear to be developing around areas of our lives where things have already gone wrong – there’s even an extreme vending machine available that will recognise who you are and won’t serve unhealthy snacks ‘based on your age, mood, build or health records’.*

Technologies that help us avoid unwise choices or behaviours can only be good, but to rely on them to the avoidance of developing the inner Self with its disciplines – both protective and expansive – is not.

There are ancient paths to explore which still function when the smart phone battery is dead or the latest version of the app has not uploaded properly: ways of nobility, honour and enlightenment.

To know ourselves in humility – who we are and what we can do; to be grateful for what we have and do not have to own – to know we are rich and blessed; and, to faithfully find expression for these each day – especially in the small things we do for others.  These are places to begin.

(*From Rohit Bhargava’s Non Obvious 2018.)