Wealth In Perspective: Realize What Is Really Happening
Many feel that John Rockefeller was the richest man ever in the United States. At one time he had a net worth that was 1/65th of the entire U.S. economy. That would be close to $400 billion today.
There is no doubt that Rockefeller lived a life of luxury. There was nothing of the day that was not within his price range. Yet, he was severely lacking.
He passed away at the age of 98. He lived during an era where things did not change a great deal, at least in comparison to today.
Consider this: when Rockefeller died, there were no pictures of his childhood. He had never seen a show or film in color. A trip for New York to Chicago took a day to complete. His underwear did not even have elastic. In fact, when brushing his teeth, he didn't even have a small tube of toothpaste to dispense it.
It is easy for us to forget how things are. However, JD died in 1937, not even 100 years ago. Consider how far things came in the last century.
Let us look at the smartphone. Anyone who has one, no matter where in the world, has access to more information than President Reagan did when he ran the United States. That was less than 40 years ago.
In my lifetime, I still remember when cars did not have air conditioning as a standard feature. The same is said for cruise control, no anti lock brakes, and power windows/locks. Today, nobody would think about making a car without those features and many more.
The truth is that people in developed countries have access to a ton more than even the wealthiest among us a number of decades ago. We advanced so much in the last few decades that we often overlook how far we came.
Notice how none of this deals with computation and the advancements in that realm. However, we must internalize how much of an impact it had upon our lives. Think about an old television show or movie from the 1950s. Notice how all that is in the house or apartment is similar to what we have today except none of it has processors in them. It was all mechanical and electrical.
One of the reasons Star Trek strikes such a chord with people is the innovation that the series put forth. Of course, at that time, it was all science fiction. Yet, isn't it amazing how much came to life.
Think about the Star Trek Communicator which arrived on the scene, in reality, within 3 deades.
In the late 1960s, this concept was completely absurd to people. The idea that we would be able to walk around with phones that did not have chords tied to them was beyond comprehension. It literally was science fiction.
Fast forward to today. The idea of the Star Trek Replicator is outrageous to most. However, it is no more far-fetched than a mobile phone was in the late 1960s.
Yet when we start to delve into Atomically Precise Manufacturing, we see how this could start unfolding over the next few decades. By 2050 or 2060, this could be a major part of our manufacturing and construction process.
In another few decades, the average person will have access to things that Bill Gates or Carl Icahn only dreamed about in the early 1990s. Even though they were billionaires, they were limited due to the technological advancements of the era.
Technology always makes us "wealthier" as a society. This is a vital point to remember. What was once the realm of the elite is now in most homes.
In 30 years time, people will be a lot "richer" than they are today in comparison to what was available now. The average person will have things Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk still can't put their hands on.
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