I was at a conference a while ago and the keynote speaker had a really good point about how the US used to be innovators, we used to be known for pushing the envelope and being on the forefront of technology. Whether or not that was accurate, I can agree with the idea that we don't ask as many questions as we used to. We don't innovate, we don't explore, etc. Obviously working in education the whole point was to inspire educators to help students become those innovators again. Your post made me think of that speech.
I see that as a whole, the world has become less innovative, because there are less explorers amongst us. In the past, all of us had to innovate by necessity, now it is only expected from corporations. I think that at that level, the innovation is only driven by what makes money, which isn't necessarily what solves the human problems we need solved. It is all like innovation in pharmaceuticals to manage illness, not sure it.
Very true!