ADVICE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE FOR COMING ECONOMIC DISRUPTION
Disruption in our economic system is coming. The globalization period from WW 2 through now has been fabulously successful on a material basis. We live longer on the whole with a lot more food security. Now, it isn’t sustainable, it’s been hell for our ecosystems, the economic inequality is obscene, and it’s been a spiritual disaster. I’m going to offer a bit of advice first, and then back up with reasons why I think disruption is coming to our lives. This is particularly aimed at young people because I don’t know how quickly disruption is coming (no one does) and most of my life is behind me. But if you are under 40, hopefully most of your life is ahead of you. So there are a few things I think you should consider seriously.
Why am I writing about this? It isn’t particularly Jewish or Animist, at least not directly. But part of being part of the web of life is that there are seasons in our individual lives that come with different obligations to our species. And as an elder, it’s part of our obligations as elders to be able to step back and see a bigger picture than is possible when we were younger. Not good or bad, just different. Now, I’ve always been a big picture kind of guy, but I could not have written what I’m about to 15 years ago, for sure.
Economic disruption is coming. What are the implications for young people who are still figuring their way through the world? To be clear these comments focus on what Harley Swift Deer called your survival dance, not your sacred dance. But you can’t do your sacred dance if you can’t survive.
First, get the skills to make a living doing local things that are going to be necessary even in a depressed economy. I’ve always sucked at these things, but if you can do things like green retrofitting of buildings, solar panel installation, wind power maintenance, electricity, HVAC, carpentry—these are all skills that are going to be in demand in the next 30 years. If we de globalize and devolve to more local economies, these are the skills that are going to be needed.
Second, learn homestead skills. Food scarcity is going to be a thing if the global system is disrupted. So the more of your own food you can grow and preserve, the more secure you will be. You can start with container gardening if you live in a city, chickens for eggs if you live someplace that allows it. The more you can do basic repairs in your house the better. Start now, get better as you learn. Homestead skills also include small scale construction, sewing your own garments, hunting your own meat and many other things. Start with what calls to you. This is also part of my own spiritual path, not because I can’t afford to buy groceries from the store, but because gardening brings me in more alignment with the web of all life.
Third, get as healthy as you can. This is a really hard thing for young people who are biologically programmed to not be concerned about their health unless they aren’t healthy. Why get healthy? Because in this world, health care is going to be rationed because there won’t be enough health care professionals and older people with money are going to get first call on them. Also, climate disruption is going to mean bodily stress. Wildfires for instance are going to cause respiratory distress.
Fourth, learn about group process. Why? Because interdependence is a core feature of being human and it is going to take a more in person form if there is the kind of systemic disruption that I’m talking about. Working together is a skill. Some people find it naturally easier than others, and the better you are at understanding and working in groups, the more you are going to be able to cooperate with other people for everyone’s benefit. Listening skills fit in here.
Now why do I think there will be systematic economic disruption? I want to approach this through two different lenses. One is climate change and the other is Peter Zeihan’s work which isn’t green at all. That’s coming in future weeks.
