Searching Our Way Through the Coming Economic Collapse

It's Summer 2009, energy costs devour more and more of our paychecks which are shrinking as the economy drops further and further. Mortgages and credit cards are no longer the answer; we've got to make do with what we have. The heat is on, families are feeling the pressure. Jobs are harder to find, the government is going broke trying to provide benefits to the rising poor and boost the economy at the same time.

It's time for a shift in consciousness.

The Internet was made for a time like this. Ideas spread like wildfire, some scams but many lifesaving. People are searching for ways to make ends meet. Sewing is a popular search term, gardening is too. Home remedies and do-it-yourself tricks save money and don't require a trip to the store.

Economics becomes local again, powered by the Internet.

People meet in communities because they can't travel. They've rediscovered games, recipes and bedtime stories long lost but stored throughout the web. Students go online to learn, and to local classes in their communities to practice language skills, discuss science and literature, and support each other. Teachers in the community help students explore and broaden their topics.

Forums like Craiglist become key to the local economy. Swaps and free items are popular, as cash is kept for limited fuel and supplies.

Anyone can be as ingenious as a Survivor contestant when they have access to the Internet. As our resources dwindle and cash to pay for them becomes even more scarce, information will be our best answer and it won't be information sold to us, it will be shared.

America has become a country of gated communities and inner city strife, rural communities with lifelines that can be cut, and a middle class that is barely keeping afloat. When we get through the first decade of the new millennium, we'll see that this period of stress and shortage was the catalyst for a rebirth, a new country connected through the World Wide Web - but connected to each other, locally, as well as to information sources and friends around the world.

As we prepare for the hard times ahead, the best thing we can do for ourselves is to say hello to our neighbors, share information freely, and learn to discover the wisdom and knowledge we need for ourselves. We'll develop searching skills and understand how to translate the wealth of information into a resource for our own lives.

When your car is out of gas, your wallet doesn't even have enough for a gallon of anything including water, but your screen is glowing with ideas and answers, you'll be reaching out to connect. Our country and the world will be coming together like never before, as we mine the Internet for the most valuable renewable resource.