There is a quiet revolution happening in the world. We can see the signs, and yet it isn't really being discussed. The speed at which technology is advancing is increasing day by day, and we have already reached the point that things like self driving cars are now a reality. This is the future folks, and it is here! Things are starting to advance as such a speed that within 10-15 years this world will be almost unrecognisable because of automation. In January, a study found that about 30% of tasks in 60% of occupations will be automated and last year, the Bank of England’s chief economist said that 80m US will be lost. Robots and AI are about to be unleashed and they will be taking over very many roles and jobs that us humans have been doing. According to Oxford university, 47% of Jobs Will Disappear in the next 25 Years in the UK! That is a huge figure, and that there is no debate happening about this! There is no control on the extent to which manual jobs will be replaced by automation because we live in a free market or capitalist world. Big business are poised to remove as many of their staff as they can in just about every sector in the drive to save money and provide customers with a better and faster service. Whilst we can sit and debate whether this is a good idea or not, it IS happening!
My view on automation is quite positive, but there are caveats that I will get to in a minute. I would like to start by saying that the reason I am so positive about automation is because the vast majority of the world are engaged in jobs that they pretty much hate, or at the very least put up with because people needs to pay the bills! It is a very sad reality in my mind that most people spend the majority of their lives working in jobs that are incredibly boring, and often so repetitive that it boggles the mind that they are able to keep doing it day in and day out, for their entire adult lives! Now, I can understand that it's not ALL bad in a way. I used to work in a supermarket as a kid, stocking the frozen food section. I had a great time, chatting with my colleagues and keeping the freezers tidy and full. I wasn't bored because I was BUSY doing my job, and the time sure did fly. So, there are many people who DO engage in repetitive work and are quite satisfied about it because its easy and they don't live under high pressure and tension all the time. The thing is, even these people are going to get a big surprise soon when their jobs are simply replaced by robots, or their shops are simply closed down because on-line shopping is continuing to eradicate even the largest high street retailers and companies at an astonishing rate. No stone is being left unturned from electrical shops, toy shops, and even high street banks are under threat. I opened up an on-line bank account last month in about 10 minutes. They give me way better options than my high street bank (including cryptocurrency purchases) with hardly ANY bank charges. The whole deal is SO good that after a lifetime of high street banking, I have no desire to keep using them. This phenomenon is happening everywhere, and is about to change the world as we know it.
Its worth noting that not all jobs are at risk. The good news here is that people involved in creative arts, music and the like are going to be getting great support like never before. This can only be a good thing because right now there is not much demand or support for artists, mental health workers, carers, dietitians, doctors, and spiritual leaders. I predict in the future that people involved in these worthy causes will be in very high demand and will be much more secure. Also, it has been said that in the future we’ll all have seven or eight jobs, with the average adult working for a number of companies simultaneously rather than working for one big corporation. That can only be good for our mental health and general job and life satisfaction!
So who is planning for the future then? Are there powerful people who are sitting in great lengthy debates deciding how they are going to protect you when you lose your job to some computer, robot or even website?! Are there any provisions being made for the new world that is being born? Well, it looks like not! There are some small debates happening here and there, but there is almost NO government that is ready to start giving their population free homes and support for when commerce turns its back on humans and discards their workforce into the trash in a heart beat. Commerce and capitalism is ruthless, and we have no safety net put up to help us .. and the more people that end up depending on it, the less everyone can get. So, what I want to share with you today is that it is up to US to protect ourselves! It is up to you and me to make the world as we would like to see it in the future. We can let ourselves become dependent and vulnerable by doing nothing, and then god only knows what is going to happen to you and your families!? Banks will happily take your home from you and cast you out to the street if you can't pay your mortgage. Lenders will turn up and just take your car if you can't keep up the repayments that you were able to make whilst you had a job. Old age homes cost a lot of money, and I'm pretty sure that they are not about to open their doors to millions of people to stay for free once you reach old age.
Thankfully we DO have options! Technology is amazing, and there are many ways that we can use it today to help us to secure our future and protect our families for the coming times. It used to be that living off-grid meant being very isolated, living with very few comforts, barely any power, and basically living extremely simply. Now, whilst that is still an option today it doesn't have to be this way! There is a growing movement of people who are living off-grid and totally self sufficiently, but have all the very same luxury's and comforts that others do in a conventional 'centralized' home. The big difference though is that the people who have figured out how live self sufficiently are not dependent on state supplied services such as water, power, sewage, waste disposal etc etc. These state run 'services' are the most inefficient and worst ways of proving these amenities, and when something goes wrong, everyone is affected. We take for granted that the power is always on, and we have unlimited clean water... but what happens when we suddenly lose our jobs and cannot pay the bills to keep them going, or when the 'system' simply breaks down and they turn your power or water supply off? Suddenly, in a blink of an eye you can be thrown back to the stone age with only a roof over your head and little more!
If there is one thing I would urge you all to start thinking about it is living in communities that are self sufficient and off the grid. There are so many communities and groups of people that are right now figuring out how to work together to build a future for themselves. Do you really want to 'wait and see' what happens when your job disappears? Do you have a plan to protect yourself and your children for their future? Would you like to live with the freedom to choose what you want to do each day, rather than be forced to take on work that you don't even enjoy for 70% of your waking life! These days eco building is getting easier and cheaper to do, and if you work with the right people you could be living and breathing an off-grid lifestyle within no time, just a few months! This is something that I urge people to do in groups, because building and living by yourself is not an easy or fun experience for most people. We are social beings, and we do need to share our lives with others. So, why not see what your friends think about this the next time you are having a chat in a cafe! Instead of complaining about how terrible things are in the world, why not start the discussion about how to improve things?! You might be surprised how quickly and easily this can happen, especially once a few of your friends and family are on board. People who live in Europe have an incredible choice of land and countries to live in, and it is possible to buy land in many beautiful parts of Europe for very little money, and when that is split between some friends, it only gets cheaper and easier!
The writing is on the wall as far as I'm concerned, and great change is sorely needed. Our cities are toxic, unhealthy and FULL! There is a serious housing crisis, and no one is building even close to the number of new homes that we need to accommodate our future generation. It is literally up to us to make the change that we need, and there is no time like today to start thinking and planning for these changes. If you need any more convincing, let me give you some amazing reasons to live off-grid!
1. You will save tons of money and can have a debt free life.
Establishing a home on your own land without without incurring debts can help one to live a debt free life. Taking too many loans will put you in debt for your whole life. Other payments such as tax, health, and insurance may also contribute to a vicious cycle of debts.
2. There is no need to work all day in order to pay water and waste collection bills.
Working just to scrape to pay the bills and afford food is no way to live, especially if you are sacrificing your time in a job that you don't enjoy. There is just NO need to be doing this if you start living without bills or loans.
3. If something goes wrong you will be fine.
Imagine if something happens and the water no longer runs, or the electric grid goes out. You will still have all the conveniences you need, while others will be helpless.
4. Kids living off the grid will learn very important life skills that others in their generation won’t have.
Learning the basic life skills such as cooking, growing food, carpentry, arts and crafts can bring so much job and great self confidence. These are things that kids need to learn!
5. Location, location, location!
Being free from the electric grid means that you can position your house in the best or most beautiful place on your land no matter how far it is from the electric lines. By living off the grid, you get to have fun and lots of adventure by living and traveling in remote areas that are less populated. It simply lets you get first hand experience of different places.
6. Living as producers instead of consumers
Learning how to grow, harvest and preserve our food feels incredible. We can learn that there is great abundance in the world, and it doesn't have to cost anything. Making our furniture, and homes is SO much more rewarding and fun than spending fortunes on them.
7. You get to own a wonderful and affordable home.
Going off-grid is a great idea because it will ensure you have own a wonderful home at an affordable price. Instead of saving for a life-time to own a house in the urban area, you can get a wonderful and affordable home by making a decision to live off the grid.
8. Stopping being a social recluse. Living off the grid will mean you can stay away from the hustle and bustle of city living. However, it does not mean that you’ll cut off all social ties. In fact, you’ll maintain connections even more with families and friends by occasional visits to town. Living off the grid will also help you acquire unique stories to tell and also share your experiences, and might inspire those living in the city to come and feel a taste of your rustic life.
9. You become environmentally responsible. Considering our current city or urban lifestyles, most of us neglect being part of environmentally responsible people. We use our cars more than needed and engage in a lot of wastage. By living off the grid, it teaches you how to become environmentally responsible by gaining practical knowledge through working on the land, growing vegetables, rearing animals, making useful things with your hands, conserving and recycling materials, and the use of alternate fuels.
10. Connect with nature and live happily. Living off the grid ensures you are always in touch with nature and it guarantees one of the most fulfilling and happy lifestyles. Besides, connecting with the natural world promises a profound and satisfying rural life without noise or pollution.
I hope this post has given you food for thought. I hope you do talk about this with friends, because you might be surprised how ready you all are to start making the CHANGE!
sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/26/jobs-future-automation-robots-skills-creative-health
http://bigthink.com/philip-perry/47-of-jobs-in-the-next-25-years-will-disappear-according-to-oxford-university
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/terrific-reasons-living-off-grid-and-live-your-dream-life.php
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I Agree 100% and I actually think about this quite often. I’ve already witnesssed many people around me lose jobs in the retail sector and it’s just begun. I’m investing in ai and Blockchain in preparation and have bought several acres of land. I’m ready !
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Wow yonny, good for u! I hope to buy some land soon too! What a milestone!!! Very best of luck to u!
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Great article for lots of comments and discussion. I can’t possibly address all of the points that I thought about while reading it, but I will mention a few. First, the disruption we are seeing with tech is not new in the sense that technological innovation has always led to efficiency gains and has always displaced workers. The problem now is that the pace of disruption is growing and many of the workers being displaced cannot shift into the jobs newly created by the disruptions. Factory workers who lost high paying jobs in the US for example, have often found themselves working in much lower paying retail jobs. They (and possibly their children) are unlikely to recover from this. I like to think about each person as posessing a set of skills—lots of different skills at different levels. Now think of the distribution of people for each skill. Each skill curve probably resembles a bell curve with few very bad at that skill and few very good. My hypothesis is that recent innovation is requiring one or more skills at the upper end of the bell curve. As more jobs are displaced, good jobs require even higher levels of skill. The trouble is that few people have either the inate ability to move up that curve, or the money or time to move up (for trainable skills). As a result, more and more will be left behind.
My second point is with respect to becoming self-sustaining. I certainly would like to be more off the grid, but remember that all of our technology progress (progress that has lifted many out of poverty) came about because of specialization and the resulting economies of scale. So we must be sure to find some kind of balance between doing everything ourselves vs. specializing and trading or buying what we need from others.
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Thanks for your comment todd, you make some good points!
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We'll see what we can do once all of this fiat currency dies and "buying" starts making less sense. I agree that we need each other to survive, but in order to rely on each other, we have to be on the same page about what's true and important in life. I have friends that know this, but are stuck working jobs to do anything skillful.
Once more people see what's truly important, such as agriculture and making sure we can all still eat, maybe we'll be able to bring down the barriers of economic progress.
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Well, THANK YOU for speaking it, @eco-alex! :-) These are awesome tips. #6 is my fave. And #8 reminded me of something cool I have noticed the more time I spend alone... and that is that, when I DO join with others, the QUALITY of our shared time seems so much higher. When grounded, (versus scattered), everything just satisfies more deeply. These days, I often drop spontaneous tears of joy and gratitude. Saline praise, lol
I'm not off-grid, but I live very simply, and enjoy the sweet fruit of tranquility. Reading about it as I did here, reinforces its virtues in my mind/me. I thoroughly enjoyed this train-ride :-)
I also loooove that TSU logo! Is it okay for all members to use? And if it prompts questions from a reader, what's the best reply to give?
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thanks erika! glad you like #6 because that is the most fun part of offgrid living! growing food and making stuff is too much fun and satisfying!
and im happy you like the logo! you can grab it and use it for sure.. and also check out the #tsu-logos-and-banners channel on our discord group where you can see more and use!
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im not sure what you mean on that last part where you say:
"And if it prompts questions from a reader, what's the best reply to give?"
do you mean if people ask about TSU?
Maybe i should link the banner to something.. !? ahh i know the eight pillars post!
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Yes, that's what I meant :-) I anticipate people being intrigued, and wondering how/wanting to also become a proud member of TSU. I think linking to the 8 pillars post is brilliant. I'll do the same! And thanks again for the gift of the banner. It's gorgeous, and really speaks to me.
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Your 10 points... Spot on!
We are just entering year four after the leap! Debt free, Monthly bill free.
In the doing of this we have watched so many false needs melt away. We are enjoying the discovery of the new needs surfacing and the freedom we have for creatively meeting them.
I personally suggest looking at life holistically and creating a management plan from this perspective.
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congrats! very happy for you.. i dont think there are many people who go offgrid and then backtrack.. finally you can start living! <3x
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My experience here in the Ozarks has sadly shown me otherwise... Perhaps because it is such a desirable situation here that folks make leaps they aren't prepared for. I have a great desire to help lead them to the questions and help them craft the answers that lead to success. Financially, mentally, spiritually, physically. I have seen folks fail and quit based on all these reasons. And here in the Ozarks there are systems designed to take advantage of this situation.
This year for me is about gathering info and organizing it as to better help folks prepare for what going off grid will entail and stir up. I have just begun writing on the topic hoping to stir up discussions and experiences.
I see holes and try to bring tools and support to those needing to fill them.
Hugs.
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As jobs are going away, the basic income comes in. Survival is no longer a problem in this age, but more, the meaning of one's life. A very well written post btw, indeed, off-grid homestead is the future :).
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oooh .. yeah.. interesting comment thank you.. indeed.. the meaning of life is really going to take a front seat ever more as we move toward free unlimited everything.
thanks for stopping by !
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automation is a good thing, its only capitlamism that mkaes the loss of jobs (expliotation) negative
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This is great and I love that you are seeing the best of technology and automation and the potential to integrate with nature. There is a real potential to create this future now - it reminds me of the thoughts of Buckminster Fuller.
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Another Zinger! Can't say I disagreed with anything you said. Also the insta-podcast feature is amazing. Keep it up good sir, you never know what fields you're planting, seed by seed. :)
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Thanks for sharing..........The Unspoken Revolution
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Great post @eco-alex and one that resonates with me on lots of levels.
1st of is that I too have been studying the topic of automation and I agree it is going in the direction it should. We should be getting rid of all manual labour, if possible. This should leave us in a state where goods are very cheap, due to low over-heads and massively increased production. The cost of living should be much lower and this next generation of automation should lower it even more. But just like when the silicone chip came about, the spoils were not shared equally and while producion and profit multiplied ridiculously, they just decided to cut us out of the gift and the 1st gen of electronics led to multi bazzillionairres, mass job losses and social decline. This next AI generation of automation is going to finish us off if they cut us out again. With that considered, I am with you 100%! We need to get outta here!
If you haven't seen this video already, you will probably find this quite freaky, I know I did.
https://archive.org/details/nowthechipsaredown/nowthechipsaredownreel2.mov
Unfortunately the full version has been removed from youtube in the UK. There is 30minute debate missing from the end of this documentary. This was because this was a special edition of Horizon due to the impact they new the silicone chip would have. If you can find the full version it is worth a listen as you can see how those with the responsibility of this technology knew full well what it meant to society. It is no coincidence that the overpopulation agenda came in at about the same time.
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Very happy you see the truth here.. as i do.. and indeed.. WILL the savings of the next step up be passed on to us... not likely.. at ALL! today i heard the the amazon boss earns over 100 mill per DAY! whilst they pay their staff minimum wages!!! ughhh
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That is obscene! And folk don't think that poverty is a controlled state. I'm heading your way mate, just hope my daughter will follow me. God knows what is to come.
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There's gonna be a beautiful outcome but perhaps an ugly transition. They'll have to do UBI, and loads of people will head off the grid, decentralize, and get into small communities. All good news, but so many will fall through the cracks. I think we will see terrible rashes of suicide and disease. Then those of us who know how to live on nothing will be superheroes.
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Well said supermama, well said!
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Thank you. Takes a bow
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I've been planning for this since I was seventeen, and we are still in the beginning stages in taking our place offgrid. Each small step builds upon the next.
Thanks to my mom and grandparents, I've been a producer all along, and since I'm into perennial vegetables, fruits and nuts, that will continue to grow, as will my skills.
I've been cooking and canning since I was a kid, have been doing hand crafts for just as long, can knit, crochet and tat, am good at woodworking, and am an artist, writer and musician.
I've also been saving heirloom seeds for years. I don't think we'll have any issues finding something to barter, if it comes to that.
I've also been environmentally conscious for pretty much my whole life, and though I'm not perfect by any means, I keep my footprint as small as I can. We recycle everything we can and create very little actual waste.
Next step is to build a small cabin of reclaimed materials, mostly bottles, and place it well enough that it fits in well with its surroundings, while being comfortable and inviting. We will use it ourselves, and rent it out on occasion, which will give us additional funding for future improvements, such as wells and additional plantings.
We are hoping that this will be the first of perhaps six or eight small cabins, which will enable us to host spiritual and artistic gatherings in the future, while providing capital for our place to become self-sustaining financially as well.
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This post has been featured in the @offgrid-online Weekly Curation. We don't usually curate an author twice in a row, but this post really spoke to us. Thank you for sharing your knowledge of the importance of self-sustainability.
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This is very much my direction of travel ... towards self-reliance and offgrid living.
There is some way to go on the journey, but we have our water supply and sewage system, grow much of our own food (and getting better each year), and part of our heating comes from our own wood supply.
My big goal is to generate our own electricity through solar and micro-hydro. Generating the initial investment for that was the primary reason for my joining steemit.
Gradually I am reaching that goal...
Host of The Alternative Lifestyle Show on MSP Waves Radio.
Editor of the Weekly Schedule of Steem Radio Shows.
Founder of the A Dollar A Day charitable giving project.
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congrats! it sounds like you are well on your way! Water, and food are the top two necessities of life!
Solar is awesome, and so easy to install. if you have the right appliances you can be more than Ok with it.. and it sounds like you got some streams nearby which is a total blessing for endless hydro yes..
xx nice to see you to see you!...
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Yes, the potential is there...
Must catch up with an interview for The Alternative Lifestyle Show soon.
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i must be brave! yes!
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Cool, I will drop you a DM and we can fix something up.
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It is true that automation is going to replace many humans -- even creative professions, such as musicians and engineers are facing this. But this isn't all doom and gloom. The key is to understand the time line and the flow of humanity.
Yes, the number of human taxi drivers will be reduced, but this is going to take 5-10 years. The number of human musicians/composers will be reduced, but this will take 10-15 years. During my lifetime I will see the number of engineers reduced. It is unlikely that I will be eliminated, but it is more probable that I may be engaged in the training of AI replacements and will work with them, using them as tools.
It also is likely that the rate of hiring to replace humans that leave the field will be reduced. The flow of humanity will naturally be away from the automated jobs to new ones. When I retire, I will not likely be replaced by a single person, but a fraction of a person. That one person, using the automation tools, will be more efficient that 2-3 of us that are currently in the field. Engineers used to have access to a secretary and other staff, but now, due to software automation, there are three staff members that service my entire department of 40. They are more efficient than their predecessors due to the automation tools that they have, such as scheduling software and word processors.
I don't know what the new jobs will be, but certainly there will be work. Even if we don't hire new taxi drivers as they retire, or leave for other work, there will be some work for the next generation.
Humanity is amazingly robust. Do not despair.
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thanks for your inputs.. lots of great points you make..
i will not despair!
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