Real Independence – The Bigger Picture
What is real independence? Thursday 18th September 2014 will be a momentous day for Scotland, the Uk and the rest of the world – one way or another. But it’s just one meaning of the word independence and in terms of the individual still quite a restricted version of it. Whether it’s a yes or a no, everyone working here will still be governed by someone and affected by however the island’s resources are divvied up. That’s not real independence is it?
I have been following the debate as it unfolds and it seems to me that that those against the idea are really just fighting for more of the same. Those for independent Scotland are up for a challenge and feel that a change is long overdue. The decision has to be based on the level of trust that we have in the leaders of either side.
As always with a political argument we will never have all the information needed to make an informed choice. Everyone involved has their own agenda and we only have their word on what that actually is.
To me there is a metaphor here about individual choice. If we choose to stay in a system it’s by definition a system that won’t suit everyone. No system can. We can’t escape entirely from systems no matter where we choose to live. At some level we need to interact with them no matter how “off grid” we manage to get in the search for real independence.
But accepting that’s the deal, we live in a world now where we really can achieve a high level of real independence as individuals. There is another economy that is not restricted by physical borders and is so far largely unaffected by politics. It’s an economy based on worldwide connectivity and society: The digital or weightless economy.
Real Independence Doesn’t Care About Borders
In this economy you make your own provisions. You decide how and where you want to live. You create your own wealth. You provide for your own retirement. You take personal responsibility for yourself. Isn’t that closer to the notion of real independence?
Of course you can do all that in the traditional economy but to do so means being far more influenced by things beyond your control. Setting up a business in the traditional economy is expensive. It tends rely on physical products so needs bespoke buildings, staff, transport – a host of things that require a lot of capital and that are directly affected by the economics of a particular country or city.
With a virtual or digital business none of that is relevant. It’s a portable business that has no adverse effect on the environment, doesn’t need specialised premises or equipment and is scarcely affected by local economics. There is no local with a digital business. There is a high level of real independence though.
Bearing all this mind, my overall impression of the Scottish independence debate is that it’s a bit like watching dinosaurs; Particularly on the no side of the fence. They just can’t seem to evolve. They simply can’t accept the idea of change. I’ve not yet seen a convincing argument from them. It’s more like a – don’t do it because we don’t really know what it will be like – argument.
Anyway my point is that we can make choices for ourselves these days that are more in tune with the modern world we live in. We can distance ourselves from ideologies and mindsets that are well past their sell by date and build lifestyles of real independence.
When I was a kid there was a lot of speculation about how the world would look in the, then impossibly distant, year 2000. Now the millennium has been and gone the only truly significant changes have been in technology. It really has created a parallel world that we can all be part of and it’s an exciting place to be.
Find out more about crating real independence by clicking the link below and meeting a couple of new economy visionaries.
How to Create Real Independence
By Dave Menzies
