Entries in the 'Economy' Category

The Collaborative Consumption Economy

Laitman_506_5In the News (inosmi.ru): “Lending, borrowing, sharing – they are the common denominator of the collaborative consumption economy. You can share working hours with someone, if you do not use them fully. This applies to almost anything – from one square meter in the office to work equipment.

“Intermediary firms establish contact between the buyer and the seller, for which, as a rule, receive the payment of a few percent.

“The joint consumption economy is now at the initial stage of development, but it is clear that more and more services will soon be available in this form. Already there are features such as a digital platform for dog lovers to communicate, various applications of performing services, homemade lunches, and other minor services.

“Another example of implementing the idea of the collaborative consumption economy – is at home [Sweden] in Lund 2019. The tenants of the property get access to the fund of electric vehicles, bicycles, and a guest apartment. In this case they are called to share things with each other.

“Why is the collaborative consumer economy causing so much interest? Thanks to it, you get to know people who would otherwise never have met. It is built on mutual trust, it teaches people to rely on each other. It increases the efficiency of resource use. In addition, it promotes new and innovative solutions to everyday problems and strengthens the private sector of the economy. …

“But, first and foremost, it teaches people to help and trust each other.”

My Comment: If we advance with this without correcting our egoism, from this wonderful venture all that will remain is a business, taxes, and advertising that choke everything. What happened with the European Union will happen. Without first educating people about good relations between them to earn the maximum compensation—the feeling of belonging to eternity—people will not behave responsibly, which is imperative for good relationships, because the ego will not allow it!
[190532]

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“Italy: Banking Crisis Or Euro Crisis?”

laitman_220In the News (Social Europe): “Italy is once again in the spotlight. As its banking system undergoes a slow-motion implosion – the country’s banks are weighed down by €360 billion of bad loans, of which €200bn are deemed insolvent …a last-minute quick fix that would temporarily appease market tensions but would do very little to address the underlying cause of the banking sector’s systemic stress: the unprecedented collapse that the Italian economy has suffered over the past 5-6 years. …

“The crisis is ‘the consequence of the longest and deepest recession in Italy’s history’, as the governor of the Italian central bank, Ignazio Visco, recently stated. As financial journalist Matthew Lynn writes: ‘Italy doesn’t have a banking crisis; it has a euro crisis’.

In macroeconomic terms, Italy has been the hardest hit country in the eurozone after Greece. … around 20 per cent of Italy’s industrial capacity has now been destroyed. …

“This is not just an Italian problem: the ECB’s recent stress tests have revealed that the banks with the largest capital shortfalls are all located in periphery countries. According to a recent study, for the EU as a whole, non-performing loans (NPLs) stood at over 9 per cent of GDP at the end of 2014 – equivalent to €1.2 trillion, more than double the level in 2009.

“Now, after years of muddling through, the situation has finally exploded in the Italian government’s face. The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back was the British referendum, which caused Italian bank stocks, which had been sliding for quite some time, to collapse to their lowest level in years. …

“The European Commission and core countries – most notably Germany and the Netherlands – insist that Rome must stick by the rules and enforce a bail-in of junior creditors before resorting to a bailout. The government categorically refuses to do so and has insisted on being allowed to bail out the banks – a position backed by the ECB – while engaging in a wider battle against the current set-up of the banking union. Mr Visco, for example, has recently stated that that the current bail-in rules are exacerbating the Italian banking crisis rather than alleviating it. …

“Now, it would be easy to classify this as a classic example of Italian dodginess… . And one would be justified for doing so. But this doesn’t change the fact that the bail-in rule is making things worse for the weaker banking sectors of the union – and for Italy’s banking sector in particular. And that is because enforcing the bail-in rule across the board, making it mandatory, as the banking union does – regardless of the nature of the banks’ problems, of the wider macroeconomic context of a country, etc. – clearly penalises the weaker capitals of the union (the ones located in the periphery) vis-à-vis the stronger ones (the ones located in the core countries), potentially leading to a foreign takeover of the former by the latter, thus exacerbating, rather than reducing, the core-periphery imbalances.”

My Comment: It is basically impossible to integrate something partially! Because every integral system (an interconnected unit) is totally interdependent. And if it is partly dependent, in conditions of the development of the world and society toward complete integration according to the laws of nature, partial dependency will only continually initiate more and more problems in communication in order to reveal its partial connection.

But it is dangerous to destroy this partial connection, because even the destruction of bad ties will unbalance the system and disrupt its partial operation, and so in the long run, the problem will be resolved either by accepting the right method of connection and unity (on the level of re-education of the participants) or by a world war.
[194099]

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A Stipend For People Who Are Replaced By Robots

laitman_552_03In the News (Smithsonian.com): “There’s nothing new about worrying that machines will take our jobs. …

“According to a Pew Internet Survey released last week, more than two-thirds of Americans think that within 50 years, most jobs will be done by robots or computers—although the vast majority conveniently thought that won’t happen with their own jobs.

“No matter how this plays out, it’s pretty clear that machines will be handling more and more work, particularly now that increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence is enabling them to take on mental task too. And that is raising a big question: When machines dominate the work world, what are all the people they replace going to do for money?

“Remarkably, one idea starting to gain traction is known as universal basic income (UBI). It’s a simple, if somewhat radical concept—each citizen of a country would receive a monthly check from the government, no matter how much money you make and without any strings attached. …

“The truth is that no one knows how people will respond.”

My Comment: I believe that without general education, people will deteriorate in every possible way. Not securing your own food is the most unnatural situation in material existence.

In such cases in wealthy families, there is compulsory education, a system of strict education and work. How will this work according to the desire of the masses?

Kabbalah believes that general information and education that leads to connection and unity with nature and society into a single whole are obligatory throughout a person’s life. This is a compulsory process which society, the nation, and especially the United Nations must take upon themselves; because it is specifically with this that they should be involved.
[180881]

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New Models Of Economic Growth

laitman_547_06In the News (Oxford Martin School): “A new report from Citi and the Oxford Martin School explores the varying impact that automation of jobs will have on countries and cities around the world, in the near future and the coming decades. …

“Technology at Work v2.0: The Future Is Not What It Used to Be builds on 2013 research by Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael Osborne which found that 47 per cent of US jobs were at risk of automation over the next two decades, and on the first Technology at Work report, published in 2015. …

“Key areas of analysis in the report include:

…the authors consider the risks of job automation to developing countries, estimated to range from 55% in Uzbekistan to 85% in Ethiopia, with a substantial share of jobs being at high risk of automation in major emerging economies including China and India (77% and 69% respectively).

While manufacturing productivity has traditionally enabled developing countries to close the gap with richer countries, automation is likely to impact negatively on their ability to do this, and new growth models will be required.

The impact of automation may be more disruptive for developing countries, due to lower levels of consumer demand and limited social safety nets.

Digital industries have not created many new jobs. Since 2000, just 0.5% of the US workforce has shifted into new technology industries, most of which are directly associated with digital technologies.

The largest number of job openings in the coming decades is projected to be in the health sector, which is expected to add more than 4 million new jobs…

“Kathleen Boyle, Citi GPS Managing Editor, acknowledges that mindsets need to change, saying: “A key challenge of the 21st century will be recognizing that accelerating technological change is going to affect both employment and society.”

My Comment: It should be understood that the future occupation of all people, of all ages, will focus on organizing a unified social structure, a unified society. And manufacturing will be maintained only as needed for existence.
[192943]

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A Generation Of Young People In A Crisis

laitman_547_05In the News (The Guardian): “Significant numbers of under 30s lack self-confidence and are at risk of mental health problems, with women worst affected, says report.

“Despair, worries about the future and financial pressures are taking a toll on millions of young Britons, according to a poll which found young women in particular were suffering.

“Low pay and lack of work in today’s Britain are resulting in “suspended adulthood”, with many living or moving back in with their parents and putting off having children, according to the poll of thousands of 18 to 30-year-olds.

“Large numbers describe themselves as worn down (42%), lacking self-confidence (47%) and feeling worried about the future (51%). …

“Young women are being particularly affected. The percentage of women reporting that they lacked self-confidence was 54%, compared with 39% of young men.

“While four in 10 young people said they felt worn down, the percentage for young women was 46% compared with 38% of men. One in three said they were worried about their mental health, including 38% of young women and 29% of young men.

“Dr Carole Easton, the chief executive of Young Women’s Trust, which supports and represents women aged 16 to 30 struggling to live on low or no pay in England and Wales, said it was distressing that so many young people were struggling at a time of life traditionally characterised by youthful confidence.

“Make no mistake about it, we’re talking about a generation of young people in crisis. …’“

My Comment: The quality of life will not improve unless we start working on the explanation of the need to unite people in a common society in the likeness of nature. Then we will begin to awaken the positive effect on society and see the positive outcome in the young generation.
[194250]

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TTIP Postponed! Is This Good For The Jews?

laitman_547_05In the News (Sputnik News): “France has opposed the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership deal between the European Union and the United States. French officials insist that the deal will be beneficial for the US economy while ruining businesses across Europe.

“The TTIP deal establishing a free-trade zone between Europe and the US will not be signed in 2016, Harlem Desir, Secretary of State for European Affairs in the French government, said in an interview with France-Info.

“‘The conditions for this deal have not been agreed yet. And taking into account the current situation, I can say, they will not be agreed until the end of the year. In particular, France sees as insignificant Washington’s proposals on the access to the US market for European products. The proposals would offer no benefits for the European economy,’ Desir said. …

“Initially, the TTIP deal was seen as Europe’s response to its inability to overcome economic depression. Its strategic goals were to increase trade between the US and the EU and to give fresh impetus to economic growth in the ‘Trans-Atlantic civilization.’

“In theory, such an agreement would presume elimination of mutual tariff and non-tariff barriers to ease access to the markets. Currently, average customs tariffs between the US and the EU are three to four percent and the removal of customs barriers would not increase trade. …

“The document has been criticized as being designed to open the doors to other markets for US transnational corporations.

“If the EU signs the deal nearly 600,000 Europeans will lose their jobs, European goods will not be able to enter the US market, exports will decrease and EU countries will lose income, Jeronim Capaldo, a research fellow at the Tufts University, wrote.

“As a result, he warned, the EU will suffer a drop in GDP. Germany, Europe’s strongest economy, may lose up to 1.4 percent of its GDP. …

“The deal will have negative impact on the entire European farming industry and may also affect the European engineering industry, Anna Kokoreva, senior analyst at Alpari, said.

My Comment: This is meaningless because the EU is declining and disintegrating, being swallowed by masses of Muslims. But they will come to an agreement with them and together wage war against the Jews as the wisdom of Kabbalah says. Yet there is another option, the unity of all of humanity not against anyone but uniting in order to reveal the next level of humanity.

The fulfillment of this option depends on the Jews and on the example of unity they will give the world. Why? Because the Jews are the part of humanity which 3,500 years ago decided to unite in ancient Babylon in the state of crisis.

The method of unity is the wisdom of Kabblah and they have it. The Jews have to first implement it themselves and show the way to unity to the whole world. This is the way the world can be saved from annihilation. This is the mission of the Jews and the reason that the other nations hate them.
[191844]

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The Stagnation Of The West

Laitman_419In the News (Wall Street Journal): “Across 25 of the world’s advanced economies, about two-thirds of the population—more than half a billion people—earn the same as or less than their peers did a decade ago.

“Between 540 million and 580 million people in 2014 had lower or stagnant incomes than similarly situated people in 2005, according to a new study from the McKinsey Global Institute, the research arm of the global consulting firm McKinsey & Co. The finding presents a break from the trend in advanced economies during the post-World War II era when, throughout twists and turns, most families ended up improving on the standard of living of their predecessors.

“‘Prior to the financial crisis, all but 2% of people in the Western world ended up better off than people like them 10 years ago,’ said Richard Dobbs, a McKinsey senior partner and one of the report’s authors. ‘But the world changes when you get a cohort of people who are no longer advancing.’

“The study highlights the extent of the fallout from the financial bubble and global crisis it left behind. Incomes a decade ago were boosted by that unsustainable bubble, and the ensuing financial crisis plunged the global economy into a recession from which it has yet to fully recover.

“The damage helps explain why many voters are rejecting the established political order, as seen in the U.K.’s vote to exit the European Union, in the embrace of nationalist political parties, or the hunger for candidates removed from the political establishment as seen in the Republican and Democratic presidential races in the U.S.

“McKinsey surveyed households in the U.K., France and the U.S. In these countries, 30% to 40% of people said their incomes hadn’t advanced, indicating that even if transfers and taxes have allowed some families to improve statistically, many still yearn for higher incomes. These households expressed sharply negative views about trade and immigration. …

“The report highlights that one consequence, if these current trends aren’t reversed, is that ‘today’s younger generation is at risk of ending up poorer than their parents.’ …

“With slow economic growth, and potential disruptions from the aging of the workforce and workplace automation, McKinsey cautioned these trends could continue in the decade ahead, and that most households in advanced economies could experience another a decade of stagnation.

My Comment: We have passed the point of growth, and for the egoistic society things will never be better again.

We should understand that our development is according to the plan of nature, the Creator, and the only thing we can do is to examine it (through the wisdom of Kabbalah) and to fulfill it by the path of Achishena, I shall hasten it, before it forces us to fulfill it by the path of Beito, in its time, through great afflictions such as wars, terror, disasters, diseases, etc.
[190357]

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The Inevitability Of The Polarization In Society

laitman_552_03Question: On one hand, money has greatly contributed to the integration of mankind. On the other hand, the gap between the rich and the poor is growing. What can we do about it?

Answer: The gap between the rich and the poor will keep growing and there is nothing we can do about it.

We are nearing a point in which the polarization in society will reach its peak. Only then will people begin to change their attitude. This might involve terrible bloodshed, or if we want, in a rational way, by using the method of unity according to the wisdom of Kabbalah.

Until then, the division in society and its disintegration will continue. I have been speaking about this for the last decade at least.

The lessons I gave and recorded 10-15 years ago that seemed totally unrealistic at the time are becoming relevant today.
[192815]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 4/3/16

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“Globalization’s Fault Lines”

Laitman_120In the News (Project Syndicate): “The United Kingdom’s narrow vote to leave the European Union had specific British causes. And yet it is also the proverbial canary in the coalmine, signaling a broad populist/nationalist backlash – at least in advanced economies – against globalization, free trade, offshoring, labor migration, market-oriented policies, supranational authorities, and even technological change.

“All of these trends reduce wages and employment for low-skill workers in labor-scarce and capital-rich advanced economies, and raise them in labor-abundant emerging economies. Consumers in advanced economies benefit from the reduction in prices of traded goods; but low and even some medium-skill workers lose income as their equilibrium wages fall and their jobs are threatened.

“In the ‘Brexit’ vote, the fault lines were clear: rich versus poor, gainers versus losers from trade/globalization, skilled versus unskilled, educated versus less educated, young versus old, urban versus rural, and diverse versus more homogenous communities. The same fault lines are appearing in other advanced economies, including the United States and continental Europe.”

My Comment: It will be necessary to reorganize society: to gradually reduce consumption and production to reasonable limits. The masses of people who are freed up from working in the old factories must be directed toward factories of re-educating people. We need to design and develop “new” people.

This must be the product of these new factories. A corrected person works on himself; he corrects the system of relationships between egoistic people. This is the most fruitful, useful, necessary, and vital work in the world. Its result will be that all of humanity will attain an eternal and perfect life.
[192034]

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Fulfillment Through The Light

laitman_744Question: What is the alternative offered by the wisdom of Kabbalah that is equivalent of money that exists in the world today?

Answer: Effort. Money is the equivalent of the efforts we make. So all that is needed is to balance our lives. Try to rearrange your life just a little, so that you will be able to continue to work, maintain a good relationship with the family, and be involved with everything that you are used to, but in a more balanced way. Try to live in this framework and along with this engage in studying Kabbalah. And you will see how things begin to be arranged so that everything will be enough for you. Thoughts about lack will gradually disappear; you will calm down and everything will truly be enough for you.

Question: You can buy all kinds of pleasure in this world with money. What kind of pleasure does the wisdom of Kabbalah offer if there won’t be any money and all will be on the public dole?

Answer: Kabbalah offers the most tremendous, the most eternal, unchangeable fulfillment and pleasure, which no amount of money can buy. Kabbalah elevates a person to the level of eternity and perfection, above death. This method called Kabbalah is designed so that the Upper Light fills us and we don’t need anything more. In that way we reach our natural root fulfillment.
[192305]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 4/3/16

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