The Economic Revolution - How To Survive Into The Next Mille
Obviously, I mean THIS Millennium now, but what follows is an
article I first had published in a magazine in July 1996. So, why
am I writing this introduction and re-publishing now?
May 2000: The other day, I was reading an article on MAY
PLANETARY ALIGNMENT By Dorene A. Carrel mailto:bf220@scn.org a
Seattle-area astrologer who provides consultations for natal,
relationship and relocation charts. In her article, Dorene cites
astrological reasons, due to these current planetary alignments,
for changes in our banking and monetary systems and goes on to
say that perhaps bartering may become the wave of the future.
I was stunned by the *coincidence* with the information I had
researched some years before for one of my teeth-cutting articles
in my new career as a journalist after spending 20 odd years in
management accountancy and business administration.
We are seeing this all happening now, every day on the WWW, even
though I didn't know I meant the Internet when I wrote the
original article. We barter daily for freebies, reciprocal links
and more in order to promote our online businesses. There are
many of us trying to eke a living in this way against a backdrop
of rising unemployment and a lack of other support systems. And
it ain't always easy!
Read on, I know it will sound like doom, gloom and bleakness.
It isn't: I hope that in fact it will give you motivation,
inspiration and confidence in what you are doing. I think the
Internet is the *right* place to be. Follow all the advice you'll
read to keep persevering in your efforts and don't falter when
the going gets tough. The only way you can fail is to give up.
__________
In much the same way as we are headed for enormous environmental
changes, so we are headed for economic changes on a scale that
none of us has witnessed before or will again.
Since the mid 16th century, the world's economies have suffered
regular depressions and it is now recognised that there is a 60
year debt cycle. It doesn't take much to realise that since the
last, The Great Depression, fell in the 1930's, that we in the
'90's are therefore slap-bang in another.
However, there is also another cycle that is even more impacting.
That is a 500 year cycle, which we are due to undergo around the
year 2000. No-one has yet discovered any scientific reason for
this cycle, but it certainly exists. In fact, it is already
underway and it is the combination of these two economic cycles
that is why there will be such an enormous revolution in
the world economic structure as we know it.
We only have to look back into history to see what happened at
previous 500 year intervals, to see the proof and measure the
likely impact of what we will witness. History does repeat
itself. It was between 50 BC and 50 AD that the Christian
religion began and the Roman Republic was replaced by an
Empire. Around 500 AD, the Roman Empire collapsed. At 1000 AD,
the Dark Ages ended to begin the Middle Ages.
In 1500 AD the Modern Age really began when great changes were
brought about by the invention of the printing press in around
1450. Imagine that impact of having been able to teach masses of
people to read, write and communicate for the very first time.
In much the same way, the revolution that is underway now is also
to do with the spread of information. The 'culprit' now of
course being the computer chip, or more precisely the personal
computer. Once, all the information and power was in the hands
of governments and large institutions. Now everyone has it.
This will impact in major ways on economic structures, on
working methods and on social structures.
We already know that the world's economies are in crisis and that
whole countries are virtually broke. Powerful countries like the
US are so heavily in debt that by 1995, 57% of tax revenue was
needed just to pay the interest on its loans. The UK, Germany
and Canada are also in serious trouble and they are not alone.
Japan is more heavily in debt even than the US and will
contribute to the other's worsening situation when it tries to
off-load its interests.
What happens when you and I can't pay our debts is that we don't
get any more credit and go bankrupt. When it is a major
government, they have the option of printing money (yes, don't we
all wish). That leads to inflation, rising interest rates and
the then value of the money becomes totally worthless.
Part of the result that will affect the ordinary person will be
the collapse of infrastructures such as the welfare state. We
can already see how the UK National Health system is in serious
decline, underlined by the recent reports of the child that died,
kept alive for 18 months by private donations after the National
Health had decreed that it wasn't worth it to give her any
further treatment. Fundamental health decisions will continue
to be made on such economic basis. For the same reasons and
because of people's greater life expectancy, governments will not
be able to fulfil pension obligations. These sorts of basic aid
will end up going only to the most needy.
After the technological revolution, the only way to survive this
economic revolution will be to return to old ways with a twist.
Cottage industry (albeit hi-tech), self-sufficiency and
bartering. This revolution will inevitably bring about much
social unrest so those of us that live in relatively safer areas
will also be at an early advantage. The technology at least
means we can work anywhere. Those that will survive best will be
those with skills that they can adapt to making their own living.
I do not feel that it is any coincidence that many of the 'new'
ways of living will also be better for the planet's environment.
I believe that these cycles are intrinsically linked. Think of
how many people you know that survive doing 'a bit of this and a
bit of that'. If anyone is, we ought to be in a good position to
survive into the next millennium.
About the Author
Pamela Heywood is webmistress of http://www.tucats-design.com
- Building Your Online Business Instinctively. Subscribe to the
weekly TuCats Mewsletter (sic) mailto:subscribe@tucats-design.com
and get regular FREE hints, tips, articles and resources.
_________________________________________________