"I HAVE A DREAM"

"I have a dream" (Martin Luther King, 28th of August, 1963): a quote with a "colored" past, recently came true with the inauguraton of President Barack Obama.

Are we closing a black page in history? Are we even heading for a brighter future? 

Injustice, predominance and disrespect were the main charateristics of slavery. Just imagine if we would proclaim again: "I have a dream", but now, with the people in mind that are the victims of power games of the financial markets, the industry and the old boys network in general? What if dreams of the working class and middle management  would come true, what would the future be like than?

The credit crunch reveils so many misdeeds of people in power that you wonder: "How much longer will the people in the street accept to have to foot the bill again? At least in some countries in Europe, politicians have a hard time fulfilling the demands of the silent majority -of the past-, will the captains of industry be the next to be held accountable for their deeds?

Let's go back to the dream - of course - we all want to be rich, with a nice house, a big car and a loving family, but unfortunately happiness and money are like drinking and driving: a consideration that would help economists to have a more realistic view on economic thinking in general. People don't always are in need of more, have to consume more or sell more! In a world of abundance there comes a moment when enough is enough! It seems we have reached that moment.

Why to produce more when you can buy the same at ebay, why to buy a new car when the technology is still from the past and why to buy a new computer when you still haven't figured out how your old one works?

TO BE CONTINUED

FREEDOM OF CREATION

The beauty of today is that we can almost create everything we want - even with limited skills and resources -. Children and creative people have always been following their dreams often portrayed in real life. Thanks to modern technology we have computers, digital camera's and most importantly the internet, that have provided the freedom of creation to a wider audience. The more people that are discovering their ability to go of the beaten track, opening new roads to fulfillment in life, in their work, in relationships, the farther we will stand from neo-conservatism, old-fashioned dogma and fear. Will this ultimately lead us to a better world?

UNIVERSAL THINKING

Why are we so restricted in our thinking. Why aren't we taught to also have a helicopter view besides our personal competency? Why do we stick to comparing the growth of national and global economies to one year ago instead of five or even ten... because let's get real - at least in the Western world - what crisis? Okay, it's sad people are loosing their jobs, but there is still enough money to support them as long as necessary...

Shouldn't we change our views of never ending growth and try to think in terms that the bucket might be full? -At least nature tries to tell us that we have reached a few limits.- Isn't it time for a universal view on life, on economics, on politics? The euro is a success, maybe we should get serious about the "global" currency? Why...? What will be the answer: on a micro level "normal" people, workers they seem to have answers, unfortunately on a macro level the power game is still ruling. Obviously there is still a long way to go to a better understanding of our universal problems.

LET'S DO SOMETHING NEW IN 2009

HAVE A FANTASTIC, INSPIRING AND INNOVATIVE NEW YEAR!!!

TAKING THE FUTURE SERIOUS

We have almost entered the second decennium of the twenty-first century, however our mind and consciousness is still very connected to "the century that changed everything": two world wars, dealing with a lot of old dogma and prosperity for more and more people. 

After hundred years of activity, one is tended to sit back, thinking that the speed of life will shift to a lower gear. However, these times never come when we have planned them, instead we are now confronted with a credit crunch that hasn't shown it's real face yet.

Professionals and experts proclaim: "... uh no, we hadn't foreseen this, or yes, we have almost reached the highest point."

What is happening? Progress and development can't be stopped and will always have huge changes as a result, especially considering the inspiration we found in last centuries achievements. For instance mobile communication and the virtual world have changed our daily environment completely. So, it is very likely that the integration of technological innovation will continue at an even faster speed than we have experienced until now. The question is if our twentieth century minds are ready to except developments - already feasible - like: transforming a human into a cyborg, to collect energy with a space solar panel and beam it to earth, even sperm becoming superfluous in our reproduction. Climate change that can't be stopped anymore by mainly CO2 reduction and what to think of the food crisis, obviously caused by the environmental problems, however also influenced by the vanishing of large population of bees and the growing amount of chemicals in the food chain. Nature lost it's balance and it seems society - with the financial sector in the vanguard - acted accordingly.

The credit crunch has become a metaphor for improvidence and superficiality, portrait in unbridled greed initiated by slyboots unable to manage their "trics"

This is also the core of the matter: if you don't understand what you are doing, nor are able to define changes in society, how can you manage them? Contemporary politicians and managers often don't know what they manage, which only gets worst because they think and act according twentieth century parameters, inadequate to manage todays demands.

We have to start taking the future serious: new technique's and new social circumstances require a modern approach and methodology.

It is a fact that we entered a new millennium where distance between mankind and machine will diminish, chaos will take over from rationalism and discoveries done in the last two hundred years will be dismantled.

NEW ENERGY

(http://www.csem.ch/corporate/Report2007/strategy2007.htm)

Energy had been the solution for the great depression, will energy again help us to overcome the current financial problems? Why not? Prices of solar energy had dropped with a factor ten since the last oil crisis in the 1970-ies, we have been able to optimize the absorption of solar energy by using nano-coatings on solar panels that need a very small surface to collect sufficiently to provide the entire world. And if collecting solar energy in space will be affordable in due time oil and nuclear power will be history forever.
We need mental energy to generate and establish creative thinking in a modern society. Energy-lobbies soon will find competition from individuals that will invest in solar or wind energy in the surroundings of their houses. In difficult economic times people have always been surching for new business possibilities, the interesting aspect in modern times is that we can think big and small!

ISN'T IT TIME TO ENTER THE NEW WORLD?

(Hugh MacLeod - http://www.gapingvoid.com)

Why does the world still thinks and lives in the past? 

We are almost entering the second decade of the 21th century and still we stick to old mechanisms: we stimulate the economy with some incentives here and there, we invest in clean energy only when we can afford it and we help the industries that have been responsible for the mess we are in... 

We don't have the guts to take drastic measures, because we are scared and we lack vision.

We should open up to possibilities that new technological development give us like having your new chair printed with a 3D printer rather than buying it at IKEA, believing in the possibility of owning a 100% electric car within 2 years - or rather demanding from the industry that they provide you an electric car within 2 years - or wanting to be in charge of your own food supply while living in the city.

We are living in the 21st century, the technology of improvement is there: let's claim it, let's use it and let's stop allowing people in power to slow down progress for their own good.