Not trend-projections, which make things cataclysmic, but the knowledge we have now. [Applause]
But this isn't just a fanciful notion of, say "Oh, we can have more free time"; there's
also a social imperative here. It's a very critical thing to point out, that historically
speaking, the more that we have moved to automation, or what's called "mechanization", in any industry,
the greater the productivity. In fact, productivity is now inverse to employment in many sectors
studied, which means it is socially irresponsible not to automate as much as possible, for it
allows for greater abundance and efficiency. Here's a chart of the G7 advanced industrialized
countries, showing how employment in manufacturing has been dropping, while manufacturing output
has risen substantially. And this particular trend is happening across the board, and why
wouldn't it? These machines don't need to take lunch breaks, they don't need vacations,
they don't need insurance. It makes perfect sense. And as a very quick point, what you're
gonna tend to find is that the inexpense of machines- machines are becoming so inexpensive
now, technology is exponentially growing at such a rate. In your cell phone you have a
little microchip that's more powerful than the greatest super-computer that existed 50
years ago. And it's really cheap now; the first great super-computer costed millions
and millions of dollars. People aren't gonna be affordable anymore to most corporations.
They are gonna automate because they can't figure out a way to reconcile keeping human
labor anymore, except for ideological things, of course. And fifth, we have to move from
a system of materialism and property to a system of universal access. Now, before this
point is dismissed as communist propaganda, let's consider the train of thought. In a
resource-based economy, where production is streamlined to maximize quality and minimize
waste and duplication, the idea of property becomes obsolete and, in fact, detrimental.
People do not need to hoard and protect anything. They simply need access to what they need
at the time they need it. The best example is the automobile. We've been finding in science
now, there have been tests done of cars that can drive themselves. It's been tested- satellite-driven
automobiles that can navigate very well. And Jacque talked about this years ago as well,
using Doppler radar, so cars simply cannot hit another car. These things are coming to
fruition. So in the future if you need to go somewhere, you call up the car that you
need, it comes to you, you utilize it, and then, when you are at your location, it goes
back and helps somebody else. As opposed to sitting in some parking lot, wasting time
and space for likely 80% of the automobile's life. This is what we do. We waste so much
space and resources... [Applause] We waste so much space and resources with this primitive
concept of personal ownership. It is environmentally detrimental and socially inefficient. And
by the way, property isn't an American or capitalist idea. It's really a primitive mental
perspective generated from generations of scarcity. People claimed legal ownership because
it was simply a form of protection. It's also controlled restriction, in fact. You know,
no longer would someone need to live in one place. One could travel the world constantly,
getting what they need, as they move along. Anything needed is obtained without restriction.
There's no reason to even "steal" something, and this is an extremely important point.
How could you steal something that no one owns? You certainly couldn't resell it 'cause
there's no money. Right there, you have 95% of all crime gone. [Applause] In conclusion,
as paradoxical as it may seem, the more efficient and conservative we become, the more streamlined
we become, the higher the level of abundance we can generate for all of us. Today around
the world many people often say, "I wish we could live like Americans." I know you've
heard this before. Well... no. The contrived, ostentatious orientation and conspicious consumption
patterns of the American culture should be despised by all other countries on this planet.
We have 5% of the population... [Applause] We have 5% of the population and we consume
30% of the world's resources. It's insane. In a resource-based economy where we base
our production distribution on physical referents starting with the carrying capacity of the
Earth; where we streamline our labor expression towards things that have a long-term social
return; where we get rid of the cancer known as the financial system and start to share
our resources in a diligent way, working together, avoiding the false values of materialism and
consumption pushed upon our culture, we find that we can provide a high quality of life
for everyone on this planet, while eliminating all of the central reasons for war, poverty,
destitution, violence, criminal behavior, neurosis. It would be the dawn of a world
we could actually label a civilization. And if that isn't a goal worth working towards,
I don't know what is. Thank you.