Skip to main content

Futureproofing: Navigating The Ruins



Let's be clear on one thing: this is not the world your parents meant for you to inherit.

The world they had in mind was a much safer, more stable world. Sure, there were surprises no one saw coming, but this is true in day-to-day life just as it is in the bigger picture. The end of the Cold War caught us all by surprise, as did 9/11, to name two examples. The wholesale outsourcing of jobs to cheap labor markets was not something your parents anticipated, although the precedent had been set decades before. One would do well to remember that American industrial jobs moved to the South to escape unionized labor and seek favorable tax policies; that those jobs have continued to move in search of greater profits, lower wages and regulations can be seen as the logical conclusion of policy. Besides, in your parents time, if you left one job, you could always find another. Times have changed, indeed.

Your parents couldn't foresee a time when savers would be punished for saving, but this is where we find ourselves. In the early days of my work life, a savings account meant your frugality would earn 4%, more if you purchased a Certificate of Deposit (note I avoided "CD", which most people remember as a music disk). Today, a savings account earns a fraction of one percent. Such is the cost of risk aversion in the age of zero interest rates, but should one have to turn to the stock markets as the only source of potential profit on savings, to say nothing of the potential for loss?

Your parents likely failed to foresee cybercrime, social media, live streaming of beheadings, global economic crises, jobless recoveries, and rank amateurs elevated to the highest office in the free world thanks to a catchy slogan and bright red hat. You can't fault them for this, as these are truly momentous times. As such, we would do well to pay careful attention and navigate accordingly.

In order to navigate, one must have an up to date map. Read, stay informed, but more importantly, do so critically. Read outside your comfort zone, ie. if you're a loyal reader of Huffington Post, drop in on Fox News for a (very) different perspective.

Successful navigation requires a compass. Without one, you're no longer navigating, you are drifting. Acquiring a compass isn't easy. It demands constant review of your morals, ethics, actions, biases. The trick is to avoid mistaking something you read and agree with for original thought. The review process is ongoing and arduous, but it is the only way to find your authentic self. Proceed and grow.

A word of warning: burnout is real and to be avoided. Between keeping up to date and processing the info into something you can call a mindset, you're very likely to become overwhelmed. Take regular breaks, enjoy your downtime. Remember, the purpose of futureproofing is to avoid the stresses of a rapidly changing world.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Regarding Keeslyn

In January 2020, a young lady named Keeslyn Roberts disappeared from a fuel station near my home. The case remains unsolved. This post will examine the actions, and lack thereof, of those in authority, and how this contributes to the case remaining unsolved. But first, a little backstory. As a teen, I lived in the same neighborhood as the Roberts family. Keeslyn's father, Eric, is older than I, and I don't recall the two of us having much interaction. His sister, on the other hand, is the same age and we've been friends for over 40 years. It was she who told me about Keeslyn's disappearance and the family's frustrations with the lack of police action. To learn more of the specifics of the case, numerous podcasts and news stories are available online. To my understanding, the police reaction to the disappearance has thus far been little to no reaction. After no word from his daughter for several days, Eric went to the fuel station where her car was parked. He th...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Willowdale Bridge

During my childhood, when I-75 was a divided four lane and Highway 41 was still the main road through town and smaller roads snaked over and between the hills, the Willowdale bridge crossed Mill Creek along one of those side streets. That is, until The Day The Truck Tried To Cross. On that day in the late 70s, a truck driver tried to drive too large a truck over too small a bridge, causing a collapse and putting the truck in the creek below. My dad insisted we go have a look, so into the car and on the way we went.  It was quite a sight for my young eyes and the memory still feels fresh. My wife, who lived nearby, remembers the event well, as I suppose all who saw it did.  Willowdale is also the site of a train derailment many years ago. Here's the story as told by Norman Blake: The bridge was decommissioned long ago and has fallen into disrepair. A walking trail has replaced the road, but the remains of the bridge still stand.
Post a Comment
Read more

Progress!

In a previous post, I mentioned I have resumed writing. It's good therapy and a fine creative release. Here's an update on my efforts: I've completed one story and submitted it to the William Faulkner Literary Competition. It's a short piece and I don't expect anything to come of it, but I'm pleased with the story and submission. A new short story has been started, a ghost story set in the South. This is quite natural, as I'm a Southerner who loves a good ghost story. It's set in a nearby town with Civil War history. What began as a short story is now looking more like a novel. The idea is simple but as I was making notes, it dawned on me that this is much more than a short story. I plan to finish the aforementioned story before jumping into the longer piece. Lastly, I'm taking notes furiously as ideas come. I'm very much enjoying the return to writing. Unlike during previous attempts to write, I...
Post a Comment
Read more