500-year-old monasteries outperform at digital transformation (U. of Zurich)
phys.org25 points by indynz 2 days ago
25 points by indynz 2 days ago
The monks likely have the time to think about implementation, and feeling like they’re part of an institution that transcends them and that they value for its own sake, they likely have an incentive to invest effort into maintaining and improving it.
Both of these are unlike, say, corporate environments, where the core work uses up almost all available time and where most people are looking mostly to extract something from the organization.
Whats is always interesting about monestic life and its emergence (minus light sabers) is that society across cultures has created spaces for people who dont fit. This need has been recognized and supported for thousands of years.
And there hasn’t really been a replacement for that in modern times. This is a problem.
There are still plenty of religious cults out there if that is your thing, probably more than have ever been. Otherwise the "misfits" are nowdays also organizing themself to indeed fit somewhere and don't just accept to be outcasts.
Sorry, but the whole concept of "place for people who don't fit" - is really not appropriate for monasteries in general. Because they have been very strict about who can fit. Only those who are fine with this special lifestyle and fixed rituals (and fixed hierachy and dogma). And most monks had to adopt to accept, whether they liked it or not, as the alternative was starving.
Religion is one of the best at marketing and fund-raising since millenias. Why is it surprising that they adapt to new tech? They have done it for printing press before that.
Well, AI is the New Messiah, and very VC backed at this point, so no surprise.
In my country most monasteries are becoming luxury hotels so yes, they are adapting remarkably well to these times.
That is not a new phenomenon, per se. The hospitality industry was shaped by monasteries, based on the Rule of St. Benedict.
Religion was behind the spread of printed books, at least here in Europe, so this seems in line.
It was also behind unspeakable acts of massive cultural destruction, so there's that.
Source? Proofs?
Do communism and secular humanism count as "religions" here?