“In the future you will own nothing, and you will be happy.” Klaus Schwab’s famous words. Most people I know, when reading or hearing this, respond with a creepy shiver. Why would anyone be happy owning nothing? That seems like common sense. But Schwab was correct to assume than many people, possibly the majority, would at least shrug their shoulders and say, “Why not?” While many would actually nod their head, smile, and say, “Great!” The idea really isn’t a new one. We have for years been indoctrinated with the convenience of “not owning” and “renting.” Even though in a “lay away” plan we do end up owning after we “pay it off,” it was probably one of the first “rental instead of buy” concepts introduced to our culture. You rented for a while (paying it off) then you got to own it.
As you so rightly point out, we are already living in a time, where for many, this saying is true--you will own nothing and you will be happy. Especially through the economic devastation of the these last two/three years. Many own nothing, and rent everything, but are they really happy or are they medicated and entertained? It would be a longer and less catchy saying-- you will own nothing but you will be heavily medicated and entertained which will make your miserable life more tolerable. Your cell phone, your xanax, your alcohol, your social media posts, your marijuana, will keep you distracted from the fact that you feel trapped with too many bills, too little time away from work, too few friends (if any), just bogged down in a worn out body. I think that besides land and other assets the real ownership is ownership over your self. That is what has been at stake-- whose body is it? If it is my body then its my responsibility to make decisions for what I consume, not the state's. It is my responsibility to take care of myself when I am sick, and to decide what medicines to take-- not the state's.
Excellently stated...I cringe when I have clients that are living just the life you describe...
"Your cell phone, your xanax, your alcohol, your social media posts, your marijuana, will keep you distracted from the fact that you feel trapped with too many bills, too little time away from work, too few friends (if any), just bogged down in a worn out body. "
Everyone was so happy when pot was legalized in Canada...I do not believe that pot should be illegal, but I also knew that half the population would now be stoned half of the time. Of course I think about "Brave New World" with its "Soma" and meaningless lives, as well as "Fahrenheit 451"....we can't stop these things by criminalizing them, they have to be stopped at a more fundamental level...but I doubt if that is going to be something we see in the next 300 years or so...
I agree that we can't stop these things- the prevalence of these addictive products, without it being stopped at a fundamental level. That level I think is within the individual. I think all of our problems, especially the totalitarianism that has been unleashed, stems from too many individuals thinking that it doesn't matter what they do. They feel that they have no or very little intrinsic power. Which is wrong. I discovered my power during our Covid restrictions here in the US, when I started to refuse to comply with wearing a mask. It was scary but I discovered my inner strength. I think that it is possible that more and more people realize that they have the power to decide what they want and more importantly to start to do something about it.
So many things to dissect on this Todd. I so appreciate people who can get the gears in my brain turning.
I've often thought of that phrase of Schwab's "You will own nothing and you will be happy". We can all see the first part coming true. It inches closer each day. But the second part? Do they mean we will be happy like our parents used to say "you are going to eat everything on your plate and you are going to like it!". Or does he mean that once the people with functioning brains are all cleared away, the rest of them will see the word happy on their screens, or, hell, placed into their brains directly, and they will smile and nod and agree?
One area I thought would be a major problem for them is the bond of the family. They have done their best to erode that bond over the past several decades, but it does still exist with some families. And the overriding goal for any parent is to give their children the opportunities to do as well or better than they did. But if this gets taken away with this great reset, then that could get to be a huge stumbling block for them. Which is why, in my mind, they are trying to shame parents into getting their kids vaccinated. That would really put some major holes in that barrier.
Many people say we are living in the "Twilight Zone" now. I think that the show Black Mirror is closer to reality. There was an episode about how your social media rating affects your world that was so bang on. Here is the link to a summary of it - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosedive_(Black_Mirror)
I often find myself wondering why I continue to resist. The cards are pretty much entirely stacked against me. But time and again, I always come away with the realisation that I would never survive in that world. It goes against every fiber in my being. I will leave you with the lyrics of yet another Rush song that I think best describes my thinking with all this:
Freewill
There are those who think that life has nothing left to chance
A host of holy horrors to direct our aimless dance
A planet of playthings, we dance on the strings of powers we cannot perceive
The stars aren't aligned or the Gods are malign, blame is better to give than receive
You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear, I will choose Freewill
There are those who think that they were dealt a losing hand
The cards were stacked against them they weren't born in Lotus Land
All preordained, a prisoner in chains, a victim of venomous fate
Kicked in the face, you can pray for a place, in heaven's unearthly estate
You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear, I will choose Freewill
Each of us, a cell of awareness, imperfect and incomplete
Genetic blends with uncertain ends on a fortune hunt that's far too fleet
You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear, I will choose Freewill
First of all, you will always resist until they have beaten the life out of you, both spiritually and physically. Unfortunately there IS a breaking point. Right now, we are far from it. I think once they reach it we will just be then in the line to the gas chamber. That may come for many of us considering the possibility of a conscious depopulation. But until then, we can continue to fight.
Regarding your first question about the "be happy" comment. I think it is the latter, ala "A Brave New World"... but they won't accomplish this completely. Maybe a very large percentage will fall into that "mindless forced euphoria" but many will not...Look at "Fahrenheit 451" or "1984", the human spirit will always attempt to break through and survive...same issue with the family, instinctively, and archetypally, it will be a very difficult thing to completely destroy, but you are right, there is a very conscious and intentional effort to break it.
BOOM! 💥You knocked it out of the ballpark! Thank you for giving credence to how I think and feel. I was born in 1963, and I see now, that so much I was told is a lie-a straight up lie! I was fortunate to have had an extremely traumatic car accident two decades ago. My life was changed inwardly. Because I adore God and something “supernatural” beyond myself, I have no irrational fear. THAT has gotten me through the last few fear mongering years. Thank you for your keen understanding of reality. God bless you-you get it!
As you so rightly point out, we are already living in a time, where for many, this saying is true--you will own nothing and you will be happy. Especially through the economic devastation of the these last two/three years. Many own nothing, and rent everything, but are they really happy or are they medicated and entertained? It would be a longer and less catchy saying-- you will own nothing but you will be heavily medicated and entertained which will make your miserable life more tolerable. Your cell phone, your xanax, your alcohol, your social media posts, your marijuana, will keep you distracted from the fact that you feel trapped with too many bills, too little time away from work, too few friends (if any), just bogged down in a worn out body. I think that besides land and other assets the real ownership is ownership over your self. That is what has been at stake-- whose body is it? If it is my body then its my responsibility to make decisions for what I consume, not the state's. It is my responsibility to take care of myself when I am sick, and to decide what medicines to take-- not the state's.
Excellently stated...I cringe when I have clients that are living just the life you describe...
"Your cell phone, your xanax, your alcohol, your social media posts, your marijuana, will keep you distracted from the fact that you feel trapped with too many bills, too little time away from work, too few friends (if any), just bogged down in a worn out body. "
Everyone was so happy when pot was legalized in Canada...I do not believe that pot should be illegal, but I also knew that half the population would now be stoned half of the time. Of course I think about "Brave New World" with its "Soma" and meaningless lives, as well as "Fahrenheit 451"....we can't stop these things by criminalizing them, they have to be stopped at a more fundamental level...but I doubt if that is going to be something we see in the next 300 years or so...
I agree that we can't stop these things- the prevalence of these addictive products, without it being stopped at a fundamental level. That level I think is within the individual. I think all of our problems, especially the totalitarianism that has been unleashed, stems from too many individuals thinking that it doesn't matter what they do. They feel that they have no or very little intrinsic power. Which is wrong. I discovered my power during our Covid restrictions here in the US, when I started to refuse to comply with wearing a mask. It was scary but I discovered my inner strength. I think that it is possible that more and more people realize that they have the power to decide what they want and more importantly to start to do something about it.
So many things to dissect on this Todd. I so appreciate people who can get the gears in my brain turning.
I've often thought of that phrase of Schwab's "You will own nothing and you will be happy". We can all see the first part coming true. It inches closer each day. But the second part? Do they mean we will be happy like our parents used to say "you are going to eat everything on your plate and you are going to like it!". Or does he mean that once the people with functioning brains are all cleared away, the rest of them will see the word happy on their screens, or, hell, placed into their brains directly, and they will smile and nod and agree?
One area I thought would be a major problem for them is the bond of the family. They have done their best to erode that bond over the past several decades, but it does still exist with some families. And the overriding goal for any parent is to give their children the opportunities to do as well or better than they did. But if this gets taken away with this great reset, then that could get to be a huge stumbling block for them. Which is why, in my mind, they are trying to shame parents into getting their kids vaccinated. That would really put some major holes in that barrier.
Many people say we are living in the "Twilight Zone" now. I think that the show Black Mirror is closer to reality. There was an episode about how your social media rating affects your world that was so bang on. Here is the link to a summary of it - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosedive_(Black_Mirror)
I often find myself wondering why I continue to resist. The cards are pretty much entirely stacked against me. But time and again, I always come away with the realisation that I would never survive in that world. It goes against every fiber in my being. I will leave you with the lyrics of yet another Rush song that I think best describes my thinking with all this:
Freewill
There are those who think that life has nothing left to chance
A host of holy horrors to direct our aimless dance
A planet of playthings, we dance on the strings of powers we cannot perceive
The stars aren't aligned or the Gods are malign, blame is better to give than receive
You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear, I will choose Freewill
There are those who think that they were dealt a losing hand
The cards were stacked against them they weren't born in Lotus Land
All preordained, a prisoner in chains, a victim of venomous fate
Kicked in the face, you can pray for a place, in heaven's unearthly estate
You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear, I will choose Freewill
Each of us, a cell of awareness, imperfect and incomplete
Genetic blends with uncertain ends on a fortune hunt that's far too fleet
You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear, I will choose Freewill
First of all, you will always resist until they have beaten the life out of you, both spiritually and physically. Unfortunately there IS a breaking point. Right now, we are far from it. I think once they reach it we will just be then in the line to the gas chamber. That may come for many of us considering the possibility of a conscious depopulation. But until then, we can continue to fight.
Regarding your first question about the "be happy" comment. I think it is the latter, ala "A Brave New World"... but they won't accomplish this completely. Maybe a very large percentage will fall into that "mindless forced euphoria" but many will not...Look at "Fahrenheit 451" or "1984", the human spirit will always attempt to break through and survive...same issue with the family, instinctively, and archetypally, it will be a very difficult thing to completely destroy, but you are right, there is a very conscious and intentional effort to break it.
Thank you!
BOOM! 💥You knocked it out of the ballpark! Thank you for giving credence to how I think and feel. I was born in 1963, and I see now, that so much I was told is a lie-a straight up lie! I was fortunate to have had an extremely traumatic car accident two decades ago. My life was changed inwardly. Because I adore God and something “supernatural” beyond myself, I have no irrational fear. THAT has gotten me through the last few fear mongering years. Thank you for your keen understanding of reality. God bless you-you get it!
You are so kind! Thank you! I cannot tell you how meaningful for me that you say this!