The Calamitous Nature of Opportunity

As articulated in timeless fashion by Albert Einstein:

The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.

This quote also applies to the current global financial mess because the essence of this crisis remains inextricably linked to dependency on outdated "closed world" systems.

How we got here (5,000 ft. view)

We have a global human network that depends on systems driven by, and confined to, data silos! Every time you hear a CEO, Government Official, work colleague, neighbor, sibling, or relative tell you they didn't see it coming, just remember:

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction
For every debit there is a credit
What goes around, comes around
No man is an Island (little tweak: Human)
We are all Linked whether we like it or not
System preserving reboots are a feature of all intelligently designed systems.

Why there won't be a Depression

There won't be a depression because we can't afford one. Just like we couldn't afford to continue with the manner in which our systems work today. Unlike the '30s, we all know that there are no absolute safe havens right now, we have enough information at our disposal to eventually understand (post panic) that stuffing the mattress isn't an option (even government bonds won't cut it, ditto money market accounts).

The Opportunity

Take a deep breadth and tell traditional media to "shut up". As per usual, the traditional mass media wants to have it both ways by stoking the panic and maxing out on the frenzy with reckless abandon (as per usual). If there is a time to appreciate the blogosphere and quality journalism etc.. It's now.

Anyway, as the saying goes: "It's always darkest before dawn", and as bizarre as this may sound in some quarters, things will ultimately change for the better. It just so happened that a really big cane was required in order for us to change our dysfunctional ways :-(

I recently wrote a post about "zero based cognition" that sought to bring attention to the power of "Human Thought" in relation to value creation.

Innovative creation and dissemination of value is how we will eventually get out of the current mess (as we've done in the past). The predictability of the aforementioned reality is significantly increased by the sheer link density and resulting "network effects" potential of the Internet and World Wide Web. Our ability to "connect the dots" as part of our value creation, dissemination, and consumption processing pipelines is what will ultimately separate the winners from the losers (individuals, enterprises, nations).