what happened to the future?

 

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When I was in college I had an economics teacher named Bill. He talked a lot about the future and now that I'm here I'd like to know what happened to the computer generation. In this paperless society most of us are working from home and we all work half days. The amount of free time this gives us allows us more recreation, creation and family time. We are rested and happy together. So here I an working 40 hours a week wishing for more time off and being told retirement has been pushed back by two years. So what happened? 

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Fairy tales!

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Comments

Was the dream crushed by outsourcing?

dwfan9's picture

I think the dream was crushed by greed and an ego driven atmosphere that we are each more important than the next guy rather than the truth. But what do I know.... "I'm just a space baby walking through time." (I quote the late great Dave Noel)

I am here. I am now.

The promise of technology giving us an easier life was twisted by the bourgeoisie. They saw a chance to capitalize on it and use it as a tool to make people dependent - essentially subjugating them. What idealy could grant us more freedom does the opposite.

The further from the control of the bourgeoisie, the more freedom a person has.

Those promises and the people who made them were either liars or had these great blinders on and really thought that genius would see the light of day. Unfortunately as long as capitalism exists, all true genius that leads toward the promises in the blog post will be quashed.

dwfan9's picture

Don't forget the only way to be happy is to buy more. The only way to buy more is to earn more. The only way to earn more is to work more. Working more enslaves us making us unhappy. Therefore the only way to be happy is to be unhappy. That's marketing for you.

I am here. I am now.

What caused the need for two incomes and the "keeping up with the Joneses" culture? Did that impact the dream?

The reality is that the dream is possible, but so much has to change, like labour laws. There's so little need to work more than 32 hours a week while receiving a livable wage. Perhaps we've just lost respect for people in our little heteronomy?

dwfan9's picture

During world War two a lot of women had joined the work force to help keep up the war machine. Work is good for us on so many levels from social, physical, psychological and financial. We meet people, do things, learn and are challenged, grow, and become wealthier. The more wealth the nation households had the better off they were, since a great deal of the households now had double incomes disposable income meant more spending on luxuries. Compare yourself to your grandparents as to your beliefs about what constitutes a necessity and a luxury. The technological revolution has brought the world literally into the palms of our hands. Do we long for a simpler time? Possibly but trust me, we would long for more complicated time if we did go back. I don't think that really answers your question. The dream hasn't died, it's just changed to include different levels of expression, desire and accessible knowledge

I am here. I am now.

Kersus's picture