Destabilization | Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.

In the twenty-first century we are witnessing the converging impact of all the following major trends:

Computers: Computers accomplish a multitude of tasks that were once done either manually or mechanically. Computers are able to do things faster and more accurately than people. Computers can store and process massive amounts of information. However, since the software that operates a computer is usually created by many different people over a period of many years, it is very difficult to identify exactly who wrote or who inserted specific lines of malicious code into a software program that allows the software to be controlled by unauthorized individuals. This lack of "accountability" makes it more difficult to prosecute someone who benefits from an abuse of the computer system.
Automation and Robotics: Many tasks that were once done by people have now been automated (electric hand drill instead of a manual hand drill). And machines have been placed on production lines that do the entire job that was once done by a person. This enhances the speed and quality of the work that is done and it enhances productivity and reduces cost because it eliminates problems with employee absenteeism, employee illness, and fringe benefits (medical benefits and retirement benefits).
Artificial Intelligence (AI): It is possible to classify artificial intelligence into three major categories;
- Summary AI: AI can review a lot of information and provide a brief summary of the major concepts that it discovers. AI can be programmed to look for specific key words so that it can provide summary information that corresponds to those key words, such as quality, price, or speed of delivery.
- Diagnosis AI: AI can compare a given set of criteria against a huge body of knowledge for the purpose of identifying the most likely causes and eliminating the least likely causes. An example would be medical software that compares a person's current symptoms against a medical data base to determine the most likely causes of the person's current medical condition and to suggest the most likely remedies for those medical problems.
- Predictive AI: AI can analyze a tremendous amount of information and isolate trends that are declining in occurrence and trends that are increasing in occurrence. The AI is able to do this if the AI has been programmed on synonyms and antonyms.
AI is gradually taking over the jobs of many people worldwide. Many companies are setting up "call centers" to monitor the calls of their customers. And they have a "real person" talk to their customers but the "real person" will not have any "real knowledge" of the company's products or services. Instead the "real person" will simply be reading the AI generated words that appear on their computer screen based on the AI's interpretation of what you say on the telephone.
AI is now as common as the personal computer. Most personal computers have one or more AI functions designed into the software that is used by the computer. No company or organization has a monopoly on AI. If you stop and think about this for a moment, then any digital currency that has its value linked to a company's ability to "mine data" has its value based on something that can be done by almost any company, and by any individual who is knowledgeable about AI. If this is true, then in your opinion, what is the true value of a digital currency whose value is based on "data mining?"
Product Complexity: Many new products now have more "features" than their predecessors. And many new products have had their performance "improved" through the addition of dedicated computer chips. Although this may result in the product appearing to be more "desirable" when it is "new," the increase in the complexity of the product almost always reduces the long-term reliability of the product. The reason is because the reliability of a product is based on the successful operation of every component that is in the product. If one component fails then this will have one of the following impacts on product performance:
- Isolated Failure: The product continues to function but one of its functions is no longer operational. For example, if one of the windows on a car stops working then that window can no longer be raised and lowered but the other windows may still work, and the car may still drive correctly.
- System Failure: A critical computer chip may stop working. For example, if a chip monitors the level of oil in a car's engine, and if the chip stops working even when the engine is full of oil, then the car will not start and you will not be able to go anywhere.
Recently manufactured automobiles and trucks have become "infected" with so many "computer chips and monitors" that many of these vehicles will sit for days (or weeks or months) in the dealer's repair shop waiting for the delivery of "one part" that is not in stock and the car will not work without that part. And the operating system of some cars has become so complex that many systems are dependent on many another systems. And this may prevent the mechanic from figuring out why the car won't work.
Therefore many people are buying older vehicles even though the person could easily afford a "new vehicle" because the most important issue to that person is having dependable transportation that can get them where they want to go, and having a vehicle that can be quickly repaired if something goes wrong with the vehicle. Many people are now carefully reviewing actual customer feedback on the "year and model" of any "used vehicle" that they are thinking about buying.
System Complexity: Many business systems are now interconnected in one way or another. The individual systems share information and data with the other systems in the network and they depend on the availability of that data in order for them to perform their specific functions. For example, order entry, billing, and shipping are all linked together. Accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, taxes, and many other functions are all linked together. Incoming shipments, inventory, manufacturing, finished goods, and shipping are all linked together. Almost every activity in the average business is linked to the other activities of that business. As already mentioned above, computer software is written and maintained by a variety of different people over a long period of time and it is usually not possible to protect all of the activities of a business from someone who wants to steal from the company or from someone who wants to disrupt the operations of the company.
Shorter Product Life Expectancies: It is sad but many products are now being "intentionally and deliberately" made with very short life expectancies compared to similar products that were made in the past. For example, my "trusted" appliance repairman told me that he could repair my 15 year old washing machine and the washing machine would probably continue to work for another 10 or 15 years. Or I could buy a new washing machine for almost the same amount of money that I would spend on the repair of the old machine, and the new machine would probably last somewhere between 4 to 6 years based on his personal experience with those new washing machines. I had my old washing machine repaired because I was very happy with the way it washed my laundry and I did not wish to be forced to buy a "new" washing machine every 4 to 6 years in the future.
Decline in Moral Values: For thousands of years moral values have been cyclical. Phase 1 is where moral values reach a high plateau where most people can be trusted. Phase 2 is when some people realize they can take advantage of other people and moral values begin to gradually but systematically decline. Phase 3 occurs when moral values reach a bottom and almost nobody will trust someone they do not personally know and this makes it difficult for criminals to survive. Phase 4 begins when moral values gradually but systematically begin to improve and this continues until phase 1 is reached. All of these phases occur due to the responses of the people in a society to the living conditions in their society. In your option, which phase do you think your area of the world is currently in?
Increase in Criminal Activities: Murder, rape, theft, kidnapping, and bribed judges have existed for thousands of years. However, when moral values are high in phase 1, then these activities are relatively rare on a per-capita basis. However, when moral values are in phase 3, then these activities flourish because the common people do not have the authority to stop them, and the common people are punished if they do try to stop them. And during phase 3 the legal system not only tolerates these activities but the legal system gets rich off of these activities. In your opinion, are these types of "criminal activities" common in your area at the current time?
Increase in Home Insurance Premiums: Home insurance premiums are increasing significantly due to the increasing number of claims that have been filed as a result of fires, hurricanes, and tornados.
Increase in Automobile Insurance Premiums: Car insurance premiums are increasing because a lot of people do not have any car insurance and when they hit someone else then the insured person's insurance has to pay to have the insured person's car repaired. This means the insured person is now having to pay for his own insurance and he is also having to pay indirectly for the insurance of people who are driving illegally without car insurance. Auto insurance premiums are also increasing significantly due to the number of lawsuits that are being filed by all types of people for all types of reasons. In your opinion, should the federal government set a limit on how much money a person can be awarded as a result of an auto accident? And should the attorney fee also have a specific limit, such as 5% of the total claim amount?
Widening Generation Communications Gap: The government and the educational system are both responsible for intentionally increasing the communication gap between children, parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. By changing the way that basic math is taught to children every five or ten years, it has become extremely difficult for an older person to help a younger person learn how to do basic math. Therefore younger people are losing their respect for older people because those older people do not understand things in the same way that the younger people understand these same things. By changing the definition of what is socially acceptable sexual behavior, and by instructing children in elementary school and in middle school on how to have sex in a variety of different ways and with a variety of different sex partners, our younger people are being taught to ignore the sexual guidelines that their parents are trying to teach them. In your opinion, what do you think will happen to any society when the average family in that society begins to drift intellectually and emotionally apart?
Loss of Intellectual and Technical Skills: Very gradually over a long period of time, the educational system in the USA has reduced the academic standards at every grade level in the public school system in order to allow the least intelligent person in the USA to obtain a college degree. I know this is true from my own personal experience. I was born in 1949 and during the 1950s and the 1960s some students failed some of their classes. For example, I personally failed my second semester of French in High School. Therefore I switched to Spanish and I then passed two years of Spanish in High School. I have a college engineering degree, and an MBA degree, and a Professional Engineering (PE) license. I taught college courses at a major state university from 1984 to 2021. During the 37 years that I taught college I had to very gradually make very small adjustments to the exams in my classes because the exams I used in 1984 very gradually became too difficult for too many students. Therefore I very gradually made those exams just a little bit easier in order to avoid failing too many students. In the year 2021 there were some students in all of my classes that could have easily received a grade of 100 on an exam that I had first used in the year 1984. But approximately half of the students in my classes in the year 2021 would have failed an exam that I had originally given in one of my classes in 1984. This is not a criticism of the intellectual abilities of those students. It is a criticism of the educational system that prepared those students to take college courses. For example, some of my students could not answer the question "How much is 2 multiplied by 12?" unless the student had access to a handheld calculator. Some of my students could not estimate the approximate size of an angle by just looking at an angle because they did not understand the concept of a protractor, and that there are 360 degrees in a circle, and there are 180 degrees in a half circle. However, almost every student was an expert in how to use a cell phone in lots and lots of different ways. But there is a difference between basic intellectual and technical skills and the use of a cell phone. In your opinion, will the loss of these types of skills be important in the way that your society will be managed as the older people in your society gradually retire? (Note: Anyone who is familiar with a normal magnetic compass probably understands the importance of knowing that there are 360 degrees in a circle. This type of knowledge could help the person travel in the right direction if they had a compass and a good map of the area in which they were currently in.)
Long Distance Theft: In the 21st century it is no longer necessary to break into a bank vault in order to steal money. Nor it is necessary to actually walk into a bank lobby with a firearm and demand that the bank employees give you some money. In the 21st century it is possible to steal extremely large amounts of money using the internet if you have the knowledge on how to illegally gain access to a company's financial system and if you know how to electronically transfer digital money to a "safe banking account" in some other country where the money cannot be traced, and the other country cannot be forced to confirm the existence of the stolen money, and the other country cannot be forced to return the stolen money to its rightful owners.
Legal Tender (Money): A brief summary of the history of "money" is as follows:
- Precious Metals: For thousands of years people used precious metals (bronze, copper, silver, and gold) to pay for the things they wished to buy. Minted coins were not used and the precious metal was weighed on a scale to determine its total weight and therefore its value.
- Legal Tender: The Constitution of the USA says that the government should mint and certify silver and gold coins (specie) and those coins should be used as "legal tender" for the payment of all types of debt.
- Fiat Money: Fiat money includes paper money, coins made from scrap metal, bank checks, and money orders.
- Digital Money: In the 21st century fiat money also includes all forms of digital money.
During and immediately after most wars, most people would only accept precious metals for the things they had for sale. After World War II the paper money of every nation that "lost" the war immediately became worthless. However, the silver and gold coins minted by those defeated nations still retained their full value based on the weight of the precious metal in the coins. Gold jewelry and sterling silver tableware also retained some of their value but they were traded at a reduced price because it was not possible to "accurately" verify the purity of the metal in those items.
If something drastic were to happen in your area, and the things that people need to survive were in limited supply, then what do you think the people who owned those items would accept in payment for those items? Would they cash a check that you wrote on your bank account? Would they accept your paper money at its face value? Would they accept silver or gold coins that were minted by a major government, such as the USA, or Mexico, or Canada, or the United Kingdom, or Australia?
In your opinion, what might happen to the people who will be relying on their paper money, or on their bank accounts, or on their digital money, or on the contents of their bank safety deposit box, to buy the things they will need during (or after) a major disaster?
Increase in Natural Disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, floods, volcanic eruptions): For thousands of years natural disasters have occurred at random times everywhere in the world. However, in the 21st century the frequency and the severity of these types of natural disasters has increased. In your opinion, if a natural disaster were to seriously impact the area where you live, and your home was not destroyed, then what do you believe would happen to the average living conditions in your area? If your home was destroyed, then what would you do? Most people believe that the chance of something like this actually happening to them is extremely unlikely because God is in control of these types of things. But the Holy Bible tells us that God allows the "sun" to shine on the righteous and the wicked. And God allows the "rain" to fall on the righteous and the wicked.
Increase in Wars and Rumors of War: In June of the year 2025 there are lots of people in different areas of the world that are fighting a war of some type. And the number of nations that have decided to actively participate in one of these wars is increasing. In your opinion, could World War III begin sometime in the near future?
Increase in Pestilence and Disease: The USA is considered to be a nation with extremely good medical care. However, since the beginning of the year 2025 there have been measles epidemics in several different geographical areas. And measles is one of those diseases that was considered to be eliminated in the USA. In your opinion, could one or more other diseases (such as smallpox or the bubonic plague) make a comeback in the USA and across the entire world?
Biblical Prophecy: The Holy Bible says that in the "last days" there will be a "great tribulation" that will impact the entire world. Some of the signs of the "beginning" of that "great tribulation" will be an increase in the number of wars and in rumors of wars. There will also be an increase in disease and pestilence. And there will be an increase in earthquakes, hail storms, and in other natural disasters in lots of different areas. The Bible also says that there will be a worldwide famine after the wars and the diseases and the natural disasters have seriously weakened many nations.
The Bible also says that the people in every nation on the face of the earth will be able to hear the good news about Jesus Christ. At the current time, if a person anywhere in the world has access to a radio, or a television, or a cell phone, or has access to WiFi, then that person could listen to the Gospel message in their own language.
According to the Holy Bible, the only thing that has not happened is that the antichrist has not yet set up an image in a "rebuilt Jewish temple" in Jerusalem in the "middle of the great tribulation." This event has not happened yet because there is no "rebuilt Jewish temple" in Jerusalem. The Jews lost control of Jerusalem from 70 A.D. until 1967 A.D. But in 1967 A.D. the Jews once again took possession of the city of Jerusalem. But the Jews have not yet built a temple in Jerusalem as of June 2, 2025. In your opinion, if the Jews begin the construction of a temple in Jerusalem during your lifetime, then what do you think might happen next?

Most people are aware of all of the above issues. But most people only consider one issue at a time. Very few people take the time to consider what the combined impact of all of the above issues might be if they all converged together.

In your opinion, what impact would all of the above issues have on your life if all of the above issues converged together at approximately the same time?

Conclusion
In the 21st century many people worldwide believe in the "big bang" theory of how the universe came into existence.

The concept that there is only one God and that He created the entire universe (and everything in that universe) is not feasible to those people because that is not what they were taught in school. In your opinion, is this another example of the failure of our government and our educational system to properly educate our young people in the USA? In your opinion, could this have been done intentionally to undermine a young person's faith in God Almighty?

In closing, please allow me to mention that in the 1950s and the early 1960s the public schools in the USA taught the "golden rule." And the principal of the school said a prayer over the school intercom at the beginning of each school day.

If you would like to read a poem that I wrote several years ago then please click here.

May God Bless,
Grandpappy.

Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com