One of the books I’ve read is called The Storm Before the Calm by George Friedman.📖

The major thesis of this book is that there are institutional and socioeconomic shifts that happen cyclically in America…

And that this has been going on since the nation's founding.

The socioeconomic ones happen every 50 years or so…🔄

The institutional ones happen every 70-80 years…

And Friedman (the author) believes that in the 2020s we’re going to have both shifts happening simultaneously for the first time in America (gasp!). 😲

Who knows if he’s correct…

But it is a good unique mechanism and an interesting way to sell a book, right?

And anyways…

The reason I’m writing to you about this book is because I do like what Friedman has to say about technocracy.

Technocracy = the control of government and society by elite, technical experts.

Think of it like this…

Since the post WWII era…

Things have mostly been in the hands of specialized experts in areas such as:

Data, Computers, Law, Finance, Governance, Management, International Policy, Business, etc…

And in relation to those things…

These experts typically had degrees and the pedigree from certain institutions:

The top went to Harvard, or Stanford, or Princeton, or Yale…

Then, they worked at Goldman Sachs, or clerked for a Supreme Court Justice, or moved to Silicon Valley…

And over time, the top technocrats rose ever higher…

Becoming fabulously wealthy and powerful as a result of their control and mastery of specialized knowledge.

This concept of technocracy explains a lot of what we see today…

Jeff Bezos is a technocrat…

Hillary Clinton is a technocrat…

Most college educated liberals are technocrats too…

We live, and have lived, in a technocracy for the past 70+ years.

That’s the author’s thesis at least, and I think it makes sense…

If you look at the election of Trump…

If you believe the author’s argument…

The age of technocracy is coming to an end…

Or it’s at least experiencing a shift…

And in my opinion, that’s probably a good thing for most of us.

Think about it:

Even 30 years ago, the common belief was that you needed to have studied marketing, or business, at a college in order to make it as an entrepreneur…

And if you wanted to really succeed, you were supposed to attend an expensive business school too.

The internet started to change that in the mid-90s…

But in reality, most of the big winners early on were data scientists (with PhDs from Stanford) and Harvard dropouts.

In the mid-2000s things shifted a tiny bit more…

By the 2010s a decent amount more…

But it was still ultimately slow going until the 2019 or so…

Because in 2019…

The traditional model’s veneer of stability has been completely shattered.

Traditional jobs are less and less secure…

It’s increasingly apparent that technocrats don’t make the best policy and aren’t the best equipped to respond to events (ie: 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Flint Michigan, COVID-19, and so on)…

And the reason I’m writing this whole post is because whether or not you realize it right now…

You’re going to play a large part in the revolution.

Actually, you already are.

If you’re on my list and you’re an entrepreneur, or a copywriter, or a freelancer, or someone who makes their living online…

You’re already a rebuff to the technocratic model.

That’s because while a few of you may have gone to prestigious colleges or held venerable jobs in your past life…

The vast majority came from humble beginnings and were never accepted into the technocrats’ inner circles.

And yet, despite that, you’re succeeding.

A lot of you are even thriving…

Whether that’s as a freelancer, or as a business owner…

And in the years to come…

As more people move into freelancing…

Or discover the joys of entrepreneurship…

People like us will be playing an increasingly large role in the already occurring revolution.

It’s kind of crazy to think about…

You may not consider yourself as a revolutionary…

And yet, simply by virtue of who you are and how you’re spending your time…

You are.

So here’s to the revolution…

 

– SPG

P.S. This post originally came from an email I sent to my private list. If you want to see more stuff like this from me, you can apply to join my list using this link.