Objectivity
Copyright © March 7, 2025 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.
Introduction
Objectivity is the ability to understand something without being optimistic or pessimistic in your appraisal.
In March of the year 2025 the overwhelming majority of people all over the world are becoming more objective in their appraisals of their governments, their civic leaders, their business leaders, the medical profession, the academic profession, the news media, and religion.
This article will not discuss the above things. The reason is because most people already have enough information to make their own decisions about the above issues.
The purpose of this article is to focus on what may happen in the next few months, and in the next few years, as a result of the above worldwide "awakening."
Discussion
In most of my articles when I attempt to talk about the future I usually begin with the following statement:
- Things may get worse.
- Things may remain the same.
- Thins may get better.
Nobody, except for God, knows exactly how the future will unfold.
Therefore, please consider the following comments to be nothing more than an "educated guess" at what may happen in the future.
In the very near future things will not be done the way things have historically been done for many, many years. There will probably be some significant changes in all of the following areas:
- Government Leaders: In countries with truly "free" elections where the people are not forced to chose between two or three equally corrupt people, then many of these countries will be able to elect new leaders. However, after a person is elected that person may or may not be able to fix things in their country. A lot depends on the personal integrity of the individual who is elected, and on the number of corrupt individuals and corrupt institutions that oppose the changes recommended by that individual. In some countries the beneficial changes may happen very, very slowly.
- Manufacturing Objectives: People worldwide are fed up with products that do not work correctly, or that only work for a few months (or for 1 or 2 years) and then the product stops working. The companies that make these types of products are losing their current market share and their reputations. Most people worldwide are now reading the "most recent customer reviews" of people who have previously purchased a product before buying the product. Eventually manufacturing companies are going to realize that their long-term survival is going to depend on their ability to make reliable products that do exactly what the product is supposed to do, and those products will last a long time, and the products will not be intentionally designed to fail after only 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 years. As an engineer I know that it is possible to design products that can last for decades if the management of the company will listen to their engineering, quality, and manufacturing professionals.
- Automation: Robots can do things consistently with very little variation. Robots do not get sick, robots do not need time off, robots do not need fringe benefits (vacation days and medical benefits and a retirement plan), and robots do not tell management how to run their company. However, industrial robots are usually designed to do a specific task and it is very difficult to modify the robot to do an entirely different task. Therefore, many companies will realize that they still need people to do some jobs because a person can start doing an entirely different task almost immediately.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): Computers have been replacing people since the early 1980s. Computers do most of the accounting and inventory management functions at most businesses. AI is really good at analyzing historical data and estimating future trends. However, AI does have limitations. Therefore, many companies will realize that they still need real people to make decisions on the recommendations made by AI. However, the number of those real people will be proportionally less in the future.
- Repairs: At the current time it is usually cheaper to buy a new product instead of trying to fix an existing product that is not working correctly. This is usually the case for most products that cost less than $100. However, for products that cost more than $1,000 then it is sometimes more cost effective to repair the product if the appropriate replacement parts are available. Therefore, in my opinion, repair technicians will be in demand in the future. This includes automobile mechanics, home improvement tradesmen (such as roofing contractors), and home appliance repairmen (heating and air conditioning systems). If this happens then the enrollment at trade schools will increase and the enrollment at business schools will decrease.
- International Trade: International trade has existed for thousands of years. According to the Holy Bible, King Solomon imported and exported products from nations that were a thousand miles away. In the future international trade will continue to exist. However, the nations and the businesses that benefit from that trade will gradually change. During this change process it will not be usual for some products, and for some replacement parts, to become unavailable for many months. It is not possible to accurately predict what machines will need to be repaired, or to accurately predict exactly what part will be needed to repair the machine. Therefore, a family should have some reasonable contingency plans on how their family can survive if they are forced to do some things the way their ancestors did things (such as how to efficiently wash clothes by hand).
- War: War has been a part of our existence for thousands of years. Wars are intentionally started in various areas around the world because some people, and some organizations, make a lot of money by selling things to countries that need that stuff to fight a war. When a war has completely demolished an area, and nothing remains in the area to pilferage, then that particular war comes to an end. But then a new war begins somewhere else and the same sequence of death and destruction repeats itself. Therefore an intelligent person should make a few reasonable contingency plans on how their family can survive if a war should impact the area in which they live. For example, a bomb could destroy a major power generation (or distribution) facility and a family may have to either relocate to another area that still has electricity, or the family would have to be able to survive without electricity (or with a minimal amount of electricity). According to the Holy Bible, "wars and rumors of war" will continue until God permanently casts the devil into the eternal lake of fire. When that happens then the devil will only be another prisoner in hell and the devil will not be the ruler of hell.
- Inflection Point or Tipping Point: This is the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back." Systems usually continue to grow and expand until they reach a point at which they are no longer self-sustainable. When that happens then the entire system collapses under its own weight. (However, occasionally one or more outside forces intervene to facilitate the collapse.) The reason I mention this is because it usually doesn't do any good to try to figure out why some type of system collapsed. The best use of our time would be to simply accept the fact that something no longer exists (or no longer works), and then make a decision on what we need to do to minimize any adverse impact the problem may have on the lives of our own family.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the entire world is going to experience some significant changes in the next few months and in the next few years. Although the long-term impact of many of these changes may be positive, the short-term impact of some of these changes may adversely affect the lives of many people worldwide.
In my opinion, it will not be possible to accurately predict what these changes will be, or when these changes will occur. However, an intelligent person should not be surprised when one or more of these changes happens. And the person should have made some basic contingency plans on how their family will survive during the transition period until things stabilize at some time in the future.
Respectfully,
Grandpappy.
Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com