New Times, New Thinking
December 29, 2008 by paulsmerry
Filed under Articles, Uncategorized
New times require new thinking. New ways of doing things. New ways of looking at problems. We are living through changing times and our old belief systems are starting to crumble. Let’s be honest, the world we believed in has disappeared bit by bit over the last thirty years. We joined the workforce with a set of beliefs that have being undermined by changing social conditions and increasing technological advances that have made the world smaller.
Does anybody in their fifties believe they will be looked after by the state when they reach retirement age? I don’t. What is there to look forward to twenty or thirty years of trying to survive on a state pension that will barely cover living expenses. The whole idea of retirement is now being questioned. The sixty-five year old cut off date, when you are supposed to become idle after a lifetime of working is looming towards many people like a dreaded tsunami.
They view it with horror. What is retirement anyway but enforced inactivity. I know many people look forward to leaving the daily grind and travelling the world, of taking life easy and that’s fair enough if that’s what they want, good luck to them. We have to appreciate though that many people want to keep working for as long as they can. Many wont have any choice but to continue working because their pensions have disappeared. Destroyed by the corruption in the system we live in.
The recession we are heading into is looking worse every week. The predictions from the “experts” are becoming more dour with every utterance. Remember, it was only six months ago that our leaders were consoling us with the lies that Britain is better placed than any other country to whether the recession. Now, in six short months we are now told that we are in the worse position than any other country to whether it.
Who knows where we are heading. One thing is for sure though. We can’t trust the same politicians and business leaders to get us out of this mess. It was after all them who got us into it. Their short-term planning looking for the quick profit or fast vote regardless of the long-term impact on society their policies would have, have led us to the brink of economic meltdown.
We have to take care of ourselves. It’s up to us to make plans for our future. It’s up to us to take action to protect our livelihoods. As businesses start to shed many of their long-serving middle-aged workers, self-employment will be our only option if we want to stay active and secure our financial future. It will need a new way of thinking, jettisoning old beliefs that are no longer relevant. No more blind trust in the state, bankers or business leaders. They should be made more accountable. Change is coming and we need to prepare for it.
