Electric Mind
(continued 2/5)

Of all the frictional resistances, the one that most retards human movement is ignorance, what Buddha called "the greatest evil in the world." The friction which results from ignorance can be reduced only by the spread of knowledge and the unification of the heterogeneous elements of humanity. No effort could be better spent.

So the world will be made a better place by convergence?

A sense of connectedness of the various apparently widely different forces and phenomena we observe is taking possession of our minds, a sense of deeper understanding, which, though not yet quite clear and defined, is keen enough to inspire us with the confidence of vast realizations in the near future.

This same sense of connection could pay off with world peace, you insist, even if it takes a while to get there.

Universal peace as a result of cumulative effort through centuries past might come into existence quickly - not unlike a crystal that suddenly forms in a solution which has been slowly prepared.

Or maybe a liquid crystal display. Will an always-on global network mean the death of distance and the end of war?

The chief cause of war is the vast extent of this planet. The gradual annihilation of distance will put human beings in closer contact and harmonize their views and aspirations.

You once were quite close to Thomas Edison, your mentor, your foe, and another of the modern age's most prolific inventors. What was he like?

I was amazed at this wonderful man who without early advantage or scientific training had accomplished so much. But after working with him day in and day out, I became frustrated. If Edison needed to find a needle in a haystack, he would not stop to reason where the needle might be, but rather would examine every straw, straw after straw like a diligent bee until he found the object of his search. I was almost a sorry witness of his doings, knowing that just a little theory and calculation would have saved him 90 percent of his labor.

At one time you offered to redesign his system.

The manager promised me $50,000 on completion of this task. When I did, and tried to collect, Edison laughed and said it was a joke and that I didn't understand American humor.