Information vs. Resources: A Key Economic Conflict

Think about a building. If you don’t build the first floor so that it’s sufficiently stable, you can’t build the second floor and expect it not to crash. There is an order to the development that is based on a limit of the physical world. That limit is called gravity. It forces us to build from the bottom up, making sure that the bottom levels are sufficiently strong to support the levels that are above them. In fact, holding by this physical law is what has made the Egyptian pyramids so durable over time.

Just as there is a certain order of steps that need to be followed in order to construct a stable structure, there is also an order to the development of all life. And in the coming years, one part of that order, one stage in life’s natural development, will be one of the key sources of our intensifying economic conflicts. It is the stage when we transition from the resources that nourish us to the experiences that teach us.

My favorite example is that of a flower. When the seed of a flower is nourished with resources, it grows roots that interact with the outside world (and later become the foundation for being able to rise above ground into the light of day). Without sufficient nourishment to grow its roots, the seed’s world will be limited to a small area, which might be so limiting that the seed can’t even extend its roots enough to survive and express itself to the world above ground.

And this is the same basic process that we go through as humans. We learn through our experiences – through interacting and responding to our world. So how then are we able to connect with our world? We do so through communication. We communicate with our outside world by way of transportation and communication technologies. These two methods of connecting allow us to exchange information, both verbally and nonverbally. Then, we communicate with our inner world by way of thinking, which connects together different ideas and also connects our outward experience to our inner experience. Realize that thinking stimulates transportation and communication within you (the transportation of cells and materials through the blood vessels and the communication that takes place through your nervous system).

So through the activities of transportation, communication, and thinking, you are able to connect with more of life, which means you can experience more of life, which means you can learn about more of life, which means you can then understand more about life. All of this activity increases your learning and expands your thinking, and it all depends on having the resources to fuel it.

If we don’t have the resources (of land, food, water, raw materials, and energy), then we won’t be able to build, rebuild, and fuel our physical bodies, cars, planes, computers, phones, etc. And these are the foundation for our transportation, communication, and thinking. Keep in mind our “building” example: the first floor must be stable before the second floor is built; the first two floors must be stable before the third floor is built, and so on. Resources come before information exchange, just as feeding the seed comes before the seed growing roots – in fact, in our “building” example, resources represent the floor that is right below our methods of exchanging information. They support information exchange. And if we are not stable in our resources, our ability to exchange information will not be stable either.

This is simply natural law. Resources fuel life, which, when fueled, can then connect with the world and learn more about that world so that it can then use its resources even more efficiently and so that it can also expand into the next stages of life – like firming up those roots (which in more social terms means building a home, or even a sense of home). That is why we call our home and community, our “roots.”

So how do these ideas relate to our times? Well, resources and information have different qualities to them. Right now, resources have more limits to them than ideas do. If I gave you a piece of food, you could only share it with a certain number of people. On the other hand, if I gave you an idea, you could share it with the entire world (and do so with a much lower cost of time, money, and effort). This is why there has been such a strong trend toward free information. But the problem is in how to support those that are giving this free information.

This problem is one of the many that is at the heart of our growing economic crisis, and it has the very significant potential to drastically affect the way we do things at both small and large levels. First, let’s start with someone who is working on a smaller scale – me. Right now, I am giving you information at a small cost to myself. If you value my information, you will want to continue to receive it, especially as it progresses. But if I were at the place where I couldn’t afford the basic resources of life to nourish me, then my ability to exchange information in this manner would have to halt. Now, be sure that I bring this up, not as a personal issue, but because, by receiving this blog, you are experiencing the very thing that we are talking about.

On a larger level, just think about three of the top global companies from an exposure and perceived worth viewpoint: Google, Facebook, and Myspace. All three of these companies can provide free ways of exchanging information because they get most of their money (i.e., resources) through advertising revenue. But if business starts to contract and the advertising well starts to run dry, the free model won’t work as well, especially for companies that are in debt. Then, there are also the millions, if not billions, of content providers who would also begin to disappear from the scene because they needed to “make ends meet.” So what is it that we can learn from observing the life that exists all around us?

Free information cannot survive unless it is supported by free energy (and here, I will simply state that free energy is definitely possible). So three things will have to occur if we want to continue to progress as we have in the realm of information and even in building the next “floor” on top of that realm, which is the realm of community building (or developing stable roots):

First, we must diligently pursue realistic sources of free energy (or at least close to free energy). Second, we must continue supporting the community of information providers with life’s basic resource needs because, while people can definitely make money through information, when there is a contraction of business, information providers are in a much less stable position than resource providers. Because we don’t all “own” land that grows food, gives us energy for transportation and communication, has gives us shelter for a foundation and protection, we depend on others who do own those things. The people who depend on others for the basic needs of living are at the whims of the owners of those basic needs. So there must be some sort of agreement between those who own the basic resources and those who provide information, which leads to third thing that will have to occur for us to continue our progress:

We must resolve the larger, overall conflict between information providers and resource providers by realizing that, although resources come first in the stages of development, the two must work together. Information might depend on resources to survive and thrive, but when we fuel that information with resources, it can then help us make the most of our resources. And that is certainly food for thought…

To learn more about our economic and global trends,

and how they relate to both your life and your society,

you can purchase Thriving at the Brink of Disaster at:

www.inspiringrevolutions.com/thriving.php

To learn more about the leadership we need in

our new world and how it relates to this election,

you can purchase The Makings of a President at:

www.inspiringrevolutions.com/presidentbook.php

To begin applying the ideas in this article to your own life, answer the questions below:

- What are the resources that you currently have as an individual (i.e., basic human abilities, your unique talents, money, possessions, etc.)?

- What are the resources that you need to survive as an individual? And what are the resources that you need to thrive and progress as an individual?

- How are transportation, communication, and information all a part in what you need to survive, thrive, and progress?

- How do they help you to experience more of the world? Do you use that experience to learn more about the world? Do you then apply that learning to your life?

- Do you use that learning to “earn” more resources? Do you reward the people who helped you learn so that they can survive, thrive, and progress too?

- If not, do you believe it is ethical to expect to earn from what you give while not rewarding those who give to you? Could you keep giving if you were never rewarded for the value you give?

- If you are an information provider, do you have a way of earning based on the value you give? Does your way limit how many people can actually benefit from your information?

- In your opinion, what are some win-win solutions to the information-resource economic conflict that could very well intensify if our economic conditions continue to wither? Are you willing to give up the wonders of the information revolution, or are you committed to seeking a solution?