The Crossroads of History

A new era is arriving. And depending upon your outlook on life, you may look to the future with either hope and optimism, or an uneasy sense of foreboding. But however you see it, we live in the most dramatic period in the history of the human race - and you are bang right in the middle of it!

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

The pace and nature of world change can be both frightening and exciting, depending upon your point of view - the mental filter through which you view the world.

Maybe your point of view is influenced by a concern for environmental pollution, over-population, increasing violence, international terrorism, uncertainty of employment, breakdown of morals, world poverty and the like. Or maybe your point of view is influenced by a fascination with the information revolution, the internet, medical breakthroughs and biotechnology, the expansion of freedom or exploration of outer space. And depending upon what you're looking at and where you're looking from, it's possible to have very different interpretations of where the world is heading.

But one thing is certain. One thing is constant. Things are changing. No matter what your point of view, the world you grew up in is disappearing fast. Like it or not, the world is changing forever - and the most important thing you must do is to find out how you can best survive and prosper in these changing times. You see, all is not bad - and all is not good, so the intelligent thing to do is be prepared. And to do that you need to be informed and equipped.

Beyond Future Shock

In what is perhaps one of the most significant books published during the last few years - The Sovereign Individual, by James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg - the authors make a compelling case for the transformation of society which is already underway, and the need to be informed and to have one's affairs organised accordingly. They are historians, and as such use history as an object lesson and a tool to make educated predictions as to what is likely to happen in the world from now into the very near future.

Their observations include such things as:

• The nation state is in terminal decline and citizenship is becoming obsolete.
• The way the world has been organised for so long, as nation states, is already in the process of disintegration. This is being accelerated by the growth of the internet which, according to Davidson and Rees-Mogg, is not only destined to become the world's biggest economy, but is forging new alliances and relationships.
• Businesses will increasingly incorporate offshore - as they establish themselves as true cyber-corporations.
• People will increasingly put their money wherever it gains the greatest return - regardless of what country they live in.
• People will no longer have "jobs", but will take on contracts and piece work.
• Alternative citizenships will become more common and people will go shopping for the least-taxed country to which to belong.
• The welfare state will collapse worldwide and we will witness the death of politics.
• Areas of opportunity and security will shift.
• The balance of power will shift, as the military structure and hardware of large nation states proves no match for the tactics and methods of new breeds of "warriors" [terrorists?].

As you can see - their observations are both enlightening and potentially disturbing - depending on your world-view, and your capacity to adapt.

The End of the World as You Know it

The authors' conclusion is that the current system and focus of power is definitely ending. They also observe that even talking about the end of the system is taboo. You won't read about it in the papers or hear about it on radio or TV. In fact, unless you make it your business to find out what's going on, you'll be left in the dark - until it's too late! What's their advice? To position yourself as an "international" citizen - to arrange your affairs so as not to be beholden to any one nation or territory - to internationalise your personal and business affairs. To become a Sovereign Individual.

Is This For You?

Well, that really depends on your answers to the following 5 Questions