#i see this mostly on the doomed app referred to as tiktok | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

porkipie · 4 years

Text

2020

Been a while since I have written- a blog at least or a diary. I was early on blogging having written on a now defunct site in the early 2000s. But with all going on in 2020 and mostly for my own sanity have decided to try my keyboard at it again. As in the history above I don’t expect anyone to actually be reading what I put down here. If you do good luck and be safe and sane (ok just safe).

I strongly believe that Neil Howe has captured the current global narrative (fuck I hate that word) in his 4th Turning and suspect that we are at the very start of a decade of change and turmoil. Change that none of us (or very few) are actually ready for; less know what the changes will be. I do believe that the world as we knew it has changed. SIgnificantly. Here now in 2020 we are all still in the somewhat honeymoon period. The period where things are changing we still can blame Covid and the changes and look through rose coloured glasses and hope and believe that the future will not be bleak or that it will return to what was normal before.

As I sit here in Victoria and on the verge of going into Stage 4, I find myself considering a strategy consultant advising myself and other small businesses last year and earlier this year. When I and some saw things happening in Wuhan and CHina I cautioned that we should be careful as had never ever seen something like this before and we should prepare. I was poo poo’d. OK. Move forward to May and was told I need to step up as with others and look to expand aggessively that it is over and the time is now not to fall behind. I was insensed. I was and constinue to be stongly of the view that it was incumbent upon businesses to be conservative and prudent. Retaining cash and looking to support existing business and clients and staff as best we might. That one could not determine the future week by week let alone month by month or half year or year ahead. I feel for all that followed her advice squandering resources that will be needed now during lockdown and following it. It stressed to me personally that even so professed experts do not have a crystal ball and “gurus” are great when there is a bull market. Now is the time for taking it slow being careful.

That said, I do believe that fortunes will be made and lost this decade. THis is not the same as going out and pumping your micro business and using ones limited cash resources. It is carefully considering potential avenues. Saving resources and if need pivoting or changing altogether. Now is the time to consider to watch to keep eyes and ears open. To think, to ponder.

There is soo much data too much information. Most of it is misinformation - fake? who knows what is or isn’t. I do know that the overload is turning most way from trying to inform themselves. Reading is limited. Viral videos the norm. Makes me think of the anarchists and the coffee houses in London (which incientally gave rise tot he propaganda what tea is British). Resulting more people being uninformed or misinformed than arguably at any other time in history. Ignorance is at pandemic proportions. Conspiracy theories rule. Sadly Ponzi schemes will follow, and subsequently unwind.

I do believe that the world map will look markedly different for my children (2 1/2 and 5) when they grow up. I believe that the next several years (and likely decade)will strongly inform their generation. Some good. Some bad. But it is what it is. We all make the best.

What the map will look like I have no idea. I hope it has democracy, I fear it will have more totalitarianism. I fear they will live in a world which looks more like 1984 BigBrother than we feared. I fear for my children.

Yes I have grave concerns about the individual and issues such as increasing deprivation of liberty, covid apps, lockdowns etc. However; I believe that so long as people are aware these are of lesser concern than the social media titans - the Google, Tiktok FaceBook and others that we have enmasse handed over our lives and data to. The Amazon and Alibaba’s of this world. These are the real threat. We fight facemasks when there is a real need and hand over our lives in return, both figuratively (to the FANGS)and literally to the virus. Few think!

I suspect that the current financial system will need to implode or close - where how what happens I do not know. I do believe the levels of debt and negative interest rates are absurd. Will it be gold or some other exit? I do not know - if I did I would be a rich man. I do suspect that Erik Townshend is correct in thinking it will be an Orwellian digitial currency of some sort. Not BTC. I increasingly believe that BTC might have been an experiment by a [US] govt organisation or quasi-governmental. or at the very least they have been a major holder since at least the takedown of Silk Road. Am I right - who knows.

There will be increasing unrest and revolutionary activity around the globe. For eg, the BLM protests have little to do with Floyd and more to do with the increasing sense people are feeling that the system is broken and cannot be fixed. In the US the black pop is amongst the most economically disadvantaged - I am not going into reasons or why.

For a long time I have seen analogies between prior to WW1 (incidentally I often refer to WW1 and WW2 as being part and parcel of the same conflict - much as one refers to the 30 year war. Many might argue against this) and increasingly I see analogies to the pre-French revolution and similar. People feeling disenfranchised, the haves in their own disconnect getting wealthier at expense of the working class. This will get worse until it breaks.

As I am fond of saying of late - wait until the protestors realize what they are, in fact, protesting - then the fun will really begin.

Thus it is not only the economics that is due to change it is politics as well. Wil Democracy survive? I don’t know. Those that know me, know that for a decade or more I have been of the view that sometime in the future people will look back and say: Democracy was a nice experiment. Pity it didn’t work. I dont think human nature and democracy work well together. Sadly the ructions seem to be proving me - sadly! Very sadly!

I just didn’t think it would happen in my lifetime!!

Now I realise (and yes I am switching between UK and US english and often misusing caps). how presumptious of me that was. THings change and not have major change in my life was probably the abnormal rather than the normal. Oh what a wonderful life I have lived.

I am a dreamer, unfortunately of late (and prior to Covid) my dreams have often been nightmares. People think of me as a dr doom. Unfortunately, that is, I believe, incorrect. Rather, I do not believe we can benefit or deal with the future - which is happening now - without trying to understand it and prepare and deal with it, with understanding. Not jumping in and drowning. Unfortunately, few wish to think. Now more so than ever. Those that do will do well. Many will sink.

As history tells, it is in the interests of the few to keep the masses uninformed or misinformed. This remains. Our schools have failed abysmally and society is reaping what it has (not) sowed. As Whitney sang - the children are our future. Well if we had focused on history, reading, science, biology, geography and maths above shit like “psychological preparedness” and “pc” bull shit we might have had a better informed youth that might be better placed to understand the issues. They might even have bought into the political process and helped change the system. We will have revolutions and beware of the outcomes. Trump will look sane.

Enough for today me thinks

0 notes