Limitless Possibilities

           Confusing, Volatile, Hateful, Loss, Changing, Compassionate, Loving, Opportunity, Joy

Negotiating Volatility

Though retired, I keep one foot in the museum world. This February’s American Alliance of Museum magazine was about navigating the future during a volatile time. Trendswatch, a center forecasting the future for museums, supplied data for the article. Since insights are as pertinent for ordinary people as they are for museums, I decided to share them.

The magazine begins by summarizing data that affects us all. I was surprised to read that one hundred sixty educators have been fired for political reasons since 2022, and the increase in global carbon emissions since 1970 is 90%.  By 2090, with the adoption of generative AI, they project job loss to be as high as 30%. The number translates into 300 million current jobs being eliminated globally. Last year, 53 % percent of hiring managers reported that their company eliminated the requirement for a bachelor’s degree in some or all roles.

I knew that book banning was a problem but was horrified to learn that over 2,571 book titles have been challenged or banned in U.S. public libraries and school libraries between 2020 and 2022; so much for freedom of expression, with so many people becoming morality censors.  I’m not surprised that the segment of U.S. adults who reported feeling lonely a lot of the time yesterday is 17% of the population (44 million American adults).

The speed of change is increasing exponentially. Google’s director of engineering predicts that a year’s worth of change that occurs today will only take three months to do by 2041. ChatGPT, launched in November 2022, had over a million active users by January 2023. It and other AI platforms are changing the landscape for thousands of writers, illustrators, and journalists. Rapid change is unpredictable and can be terrifying for those unprepared.  AI is a record-breaker. It processes data and completes tasks faster than humans. Plus machines, don’t need bathroom and lunch breaks.

Frey and Osborn, who accurately predicted job loss over the past twenty years, predict that the following jobs are at immediate risk. 

• Transportation and material moving (nearly 12 million jobs)
• Sales and sales-related roles (3.8 million jobs)
• Production (2.8 million jobs)
• Office and administrative support (14.4 million jobs)
• Food preparation and service (4.4 million jobs)
• Business and financial operations (700,000 jobs)
• Other, which include:
  • Art, design, entertainment, sports, and media (14,000 jobs)
  • Building, grounds cleaning, and maintenance (3.8 million jobs)
  • Legal occupations (414,000 jobs)
  • Personal care and service operations (179,000 jobs)
  • Protective service operations (91,000 jobs)                               These predictions are causing people to rethink career paths.

What does this mean to you and me? The future will be frightening and challenging for anyone set in their ways. There will be exciting possibilities for individuals with a broad outlook who are not afraid of technology and can adapt. Those who survive unscathed will set a course that helps them adapt without becoming overly stressed.

They will–

• Pay attention to hot-button topics likely to set people off, realizing that verbiage matters. They won’t use words designed to hurt or likely escalate emotions.
• Find purpose through meaningful social interactions with people who support their beliefs. It will be a mechanism for developing friendships and close family relationships. It can start with discussions around the dinner table, getting children used to analyzing the risks and benefits of their positions. It will mean joining friendship groups to get help with employment opportunities.  
• Learn to deal with angry, aggressive people and find ways to engage them in a more productive dialogue. They will do this by participating in discussion groups that include people with differing backgrounds and beliefs. They will take into account the perspectives of others, respecting their viewpoints even when they disagree with them.  
• Participate in neighborhood watch, become friendly with neighbors, and are willing to help and be helped in an emergency. They will discuss ways to deal with extreme weather situations and will stock up on supplies so they are prepared for natural disasters predicted in their area.
• Monitor local legislative and legal decisions to ensure that water, utilities, and land use aren’t areas for corporate exploitation. They will take a stand on issues that concern them—knowing that everyone loses when cultural and educational institutions are held hostage by partisan politics. These institutions are among the few that can be trusted to deliver non-partisan information.

Navigating the future will be difficult and not for the light-hearted. We are headed for a time of extreme poverty, displaced people due to climate change, and increased mental illness due to stress. Maintaining a democratic society will be difficult, but it can be done. We can’t give up hope.

While working through confusion, we’ll have to roll with the times and find enjoyment where we can. We can love and be loved and expand our love to include those less fortunate than ourselves. Compassion can get us through bad times and stir up peace. Valentine’s Day is an excellent time to start expanding love. 

I look forward to your comments about the volatility of your life. Do you find change stressful? How do you deal with it? Please share at www.eichingerfineart.com/blog

Art is always for sale. Limitless Possibilities is a 24″ x 18 “acrylic painting on canvas. Available for $595. Free shipping within the continental U.S. To purchase, contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com or go to the abstract work category on my website at www.Eichingerfineart.com

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