Our future, and our hope for a better world, rests with our kids. But with this economy going down the drain and with all the wild machinations in the commodities markets and the likelihood of a default on US Treasury bills, you have to wonder if there will be a future left to for our children to hope for! There is some good news out there though.
It is no secret that watching TV stunts mental growth and prevents people from reaching their full potential. In the serious wealth creation game, television is the pacifier that placates the masses, feeding them the false drivel that the real financial movers and shakers want you to believe. The good news is this: Our kids might be getting bored with watching TV. That’s good news!
According to some intellectuals in the offshore investing groups, there is a new theory going around the financial circles that is gaining in popularity: It a theory called: Cognitive Surplus. Cognitive means related to thinking; surplus means extra. Get to the point, you are saying. Well, here’s the idea…
Following the Second World War, America had something truly new – millions of people with free time on their hands. In other words, masses of people with idling brains: A cognitive surplus.
What do you think your average joe did with his newfound free time? They watched TV… for many hours, nearly every day of their lives. Collectively, Americans watch 200 billion hours of television per year.
A revision is starting to happen. There are a number of reasons to think that this theory may be right, here is an example:
I was having dinner with a group of friends about a month ago, and one of them was talking about sitting with his four-year-old daughter watching a DVD. And in the middle of the movie, apropos nothing, she jumps up off the couch and runs around behind the screen. That seems like a cute moment. Maybe she’s going back there to see if Dora is really back there or whatever. I think her original purpose was not what I expected. She started rooting around in the cables. And her dad said, “What you doing?" Annoyed at the question she droned, "Trying to close the window.”
Most children comprehend that an advertisment that doesn't even include them isn't worth their time.
If this theory is right, and if people do finally pull themselves away from their flashing images, the consequences could be staggering. Those 200 billion hours of TV watching are equal to the creation of 2,000 Wikipedias, every year. Think about that for a moment. This cognitive surplus is huge, even if only one quarter of us cut back on our TV-watching and do something half productive.
How will this little girl spend her time as she grows up? What if she spends half of her cognitive surplus doing something productive with that mouse, rather than sitting like a zombie in front of a TV? And what if her peers do the same? There are going to be some big changes happening. Very positive changes.
Doing something is almost always better than doing nothing. On the other hand, if you do nothing, you are – and remain – a zero, a non-event. Investing overseas doesn't just happen.
Do you think the economies reaction would be positive or negative from this extra brain energy? How can you as an individual harness this power, either for investment purposes or in your life? There is no way to know without actually putting these ideas to the test. The financial worlds only hope is that we find the answers very soon, or our security and wealth will be in jeopardy. The real secret to creating wealth is using your cognitive surplus to your advantage!
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