Relieving the Industrial Strain

The industrial revolution tide began around 1900 where workers were needed in plants and factories. Prior to this revolution, self employment was the order of the day . People owned  little businesses, trades and farms of their own. 

But with the industrial revolution, people flocked to white collar jobs ignoring their personal skills and passions. The belief that work is nothing more than a way to earn money hampered our vocational development.

With each passing decade, fewer people exercised the option to build something of our own. The stunning effect was that only few people believed it was possible to work independently. Most people became dependent on others, looking outside self for support and validation. We learn how to impress interviewers by telling them what they want to hear rather than what we truly think. We expect to be taken care of by an employer, or union or government.

The consequences of that thinking are the economic hardship and civil unrest such as the declaration of strikes that have become top stories on the news.  Today, nine out of ten people work labor in someone else’s fields.  While there’s a general consensus that change is needed, widespread solutions have been in short supply.

The global economic recession that started in March 2008, has made it clear that a commercial setting is not the only place to work. A quiet revolution began that signaled to the world that industrial big business is no longer where the action is. This quiet revolution that is bringing us to a small is better culture is making itself felt in the lives of millions of people who are thoughtfully questioning how they can earn their living. As Richard Branson said, “The world is a massively more hospitable place for entrepreneurs than it was twenty years ago.“

Becoming an entrepreneur can make a profound difference. It is not dependent on any political backing, nor does it require that society fix itself at once. Its an option that is available whether the economy improves or not. You can exercise this option without enormous capital, although it would require you to take up the challenge of freedom, discipline, action and responsibility.  You already have the equipment you need to start  up. The only question remaining is this: Do you have the desire?