Let me be quite clear, I don’t have and am never likely to have many heroes in my life. My Dad is one, Steve Jobs was another and a new one has entered my life recently, but Elon Musk is someone I’ve always placed firmly in this category. He still is.
However…
I know from personal experience how it feels to possess superhuman powers. That’s not as ridiculous a statement as it may sound. I do this for a living. I explore the potential for new technology, to enhance and compliment our lives on this planet and beyond, then demonstrate that to a global audience.
This requires a level of theatrical entertainment to bring technology to life and my constantly evolving XR Immersion Suit is the ideal platform to show man and machine in perfect (or occasionally imperfect) harmony. From the full-body haptic Tesla Suit, my AR and VR helmets, exoskeleton and bionic shoes, to the fireballs shooting from my fingertips – this all demonstrates future potential, the art of collaboration and believing in your dreams.
And when it comes to dreams, Elon Musk is the master. Offering an extraordinary vision for the future and delivering on that time and time again. From electric vehicles to space travel to the Boring Company pushing our concept of time itself.
Today, I’m torn. I’m always going to encourage everyone to live a life of passion and adventure, make dreams a reality and go beyond expectations but Elon just launched his $500 FlameThrower and I feel like the world’s biggest hypocrite.
My immediate reaction, along with thousands of others was “I want this”. Why would I not? It fits perfectly into my world. I took a look at the site, took out my credit card, then took a breath.
This fits into my world because this is exactly what I do and how I live, for others, it fits into the world they’ve always dreamt of, for the rest it has no place at all, but, well… IT’S A FLAMETHROWER, how cool is that?
But this isn’t something that simulates the action of a flamethrower, like an AR lightsaber – it’s real. Real heat. Real fire. Real responsibility. In a country where handguns are available from Walmart, we’re now offered a device “Guaranteed to liven up any party”. This may be accompanied by the line “World’s safest flamethrower” but that means jack shit when in the wrong hands – like the world’s safest guns.
For all this, I’m not saying don’t buy one – because I still love the idea of it, but I’m not prepared to jump on stage and promote it when it can so easily end up in the wrong hands. I’ve never felt more like an adult in my life!
There’s an enormous burden of responsibility if you’re a hero. Some take on the weight of the world – more than most will ever know or care, others simply inspire with their actions. To be a true hero, words aren’t enough because actions speak far louder, but when you combine the two they are extraordinarily powerful.
To simply offer unrestricted access to the future is to invite issues into a world with more than its fair share of problems. Chaos runs through my veins, I’m just not sure ‘fire for everyone’ is going to end well.