What are we preparing our children for?

In the video below, Chris Martenson clarifies his studied (and I must say, very convincing) observation that "the next twenty years are going to look very different from the last twenty."

Here's why.

Since all our money is loaned onto existence, our economy has to grow exponentially. [...] If we wanted to continue on this path, our debt load would have to double again over the next 10 years. By continually increasing our debt relative to GDP we are making the assumption that our future will always be wealthier than our past. (Martenson) believes that this assumption is flawed and that the debt loads are already unmanageable.

...Add to that, energy depletion, increasing social unrest, growing international competition and rancour over natural resources - and you will begin to recognise his point-of-view more clearly.

But why does 'understanding the future' even matter?

Well, I believe it matters a whole lot if you are a parent. It matters that you understand that your child is not likely to live life the way you have. In fact, you will have very, very little in common materially, and consequently, even in values!

The lesser aware we are now of the changing dynamics, the lesser equipped we are to imagine what life would be like for him or her, a decade or two from now. And the better aware we are of the possible variables, the better equipped we may be to prepare our child, and of course ourselves, for life - say, in 2020 and beyond.

Go on, hear Chris out. He isn't scare-mongering; he's merely holding up the facts for us to see and interpret.