It is no secret that we presently reside in the Age of Scarcity. Our entire economic model is based upon scarce resources. We exploit the planet to gain control of these resources in an unequal manner. For the past 100 years, oil is at the core of this economic model.
That is rapidly changing. We are starting to move into the Age of Abundance. As much as that excites many people, it scares a great deal more.
One of the factors that is difficult for people to deal with is that the present structures that profit from the scarcity are going to be eliminated. Of course, this is not something they are going to do without a fight. We are seeing every mechanism used to delay/eliminate the threat. Of course, it is useless, just like the destroying of machines did not hinder the Industrial Revolution from taking place.
The exponential technologies we see created are penetrating at an incredible rate. This will only increase as time goes by especially when AI is added to the mix. The new economy is based upon software, not physical items. The largest transportation company in the world owns no cars; the biggest lodger has no rooms; the biggest bank has no branches (cryptocurrency).
What we are witnessing is the resistance to the new economy. Too many are invested in the old model. Hence we see tribalism and protectionism everywhere we look. Trump wants to build a wall and eliminate trade agreements. Brexit is taking place. Car dealers want Tesla banned from selling cars direct. The banksters want Bitcoin made illegal.
We are going to look at these measures with the same amount of humor as we do the Luddites destroying machines more than a century ago. It will be just as fruitless.
The challenge we are having is that too many people simply are not able to take part in economy in transition. For those who are able, they are so accustomed to the scarcity economy that they operate under the same constraints. We are moving into the sharing economy yet when resources get scarce, sharing gets tossed aside.
Industries such as oil, banking, and communications are worth trillions of dollars. All of these are ripe for disruption since they depend upon scarcity. Oil is being replaced by renewables; banking by cryptocurrency; communications with digital transmissions (and soon brain to brain). In essence, decentralization is starting to enter the picture.
This means that our resources will be allocated more efficiently. What is not in digital form will be produced closer to the end user. AI, along with blockchain, will play a big part in using our physical resources with greater efficiency. Excess energy production, as an example, will be routed to the areas that need it instead of going to waste. This is just one of the untold ways our future will operate.
Nevertheless, the battle is going to rage on. The starting point is with each individual. Most of us operated under the scarcity model for decades. We worked in it, tried to provide for our families, and suffered greatly under this model. Yet so many still are defending it.
Cryptocurrencies are just the first wave of abundance that we will see. Being on STEEM means that one is not going to want for money in as little as 5 years. How can I make this statement? Simply because STEEM is a decentralized blockchain with unlimited potential. There is no cap on what can take place on here.
Here is a question I want you to answer...
When SMTs come out, what is the maximum number of tokens that can be created with it?
The answer is unlimited.
Taking it one step further, how many airdrops of tokens given to STEEM holders can take place?
Again, unlimited.
What is the maximum price that STEEM can hit?
Unlimited.
What is the maximum number of applications that can be on this blockchain?
There is no maximum.
I bring this up as an example of what happens when one steps into the Age of Abundance. Each day people have more information than they could read in 10 lifetimes. Yet, 30 years ago, this was not the case.
Of course, having so much information means that our attention is scarce. Hence, we are moving towards the attention economy. Entities that want to gain our focus are going to have to provide for that privilege. This is something they are accustomed to do but we are not. Google, Facebook and broadcasters know what our attention is worth yet we do not have a clue.
It is time we all started to think differently. Being on STEEM means that we have a basic understanding of the shift that is taking place. Nevertheless, it is easy to pay lip service to the idea of abundance and uplifting humanity. It is another to truly believe that.
I will close with this....
Centralization is about controlling others; decentralization is about controlling oneself.
Are you in Abundance or Scarcity? We are starting to have a choice.
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