[Arktwo] Desert first

[Bruce Beach]

Sometimes we get good days - 
and sometimes bad days. 

I am reminded of the soldiers in the field 
who would always eat their desert first 
when they opened up their rations 
just in case there wasn't enough time 
to eat it later. 

I think life may be like that for us. 
We have gotten desert first - 
and they have been tremendous days 
for us living here in North America. 
No people in the world's history 
have had the benefits that we have had. 

Yes, these have been the good old days - 
and now - 
comes the main meal -
and the steak - 
if we get any - 
is going to be a lot tougher.

Good days and bad days also - 
on the stock market. 
But again - 
the good days may be past. 
Never have I ever seen the stock market 
hit with so many double and triple whammies - 
all at once. 
I can understand why someone may have sold it short -
a few billion dollars.

The PPT may have used up its resources 
in the last couple of weeks 
but they will surely be in there 
first thing today - 
and to try to rescue the market 
before the day is over. 
Still - there is always tomorrow.

Five key days to watch this month. 

1. 10 Today (Monday) after the big Friday downturn 
	and Asian markets dropping in response
	Also beginning of new moon.

2. 11-13 Reports of the Big Banks 
	after last months big shock.
	Also first astronomical pair to 9/11 01

3. 18-19 FED and FOMC meetings 
	with possible interest rate change

4. 20-21 is "quadruple witching day" in the equity markets. 
	A new round of hedge fund redemptions, 
	with commercial paper rollovers at risk.
	All so through 23rd - Spring Equinox

5. 30 - Hedge fund redemption date
	(Think massive Derivative overhang -
	and black October.) 

Add to this political shocks 
such as Petraeus to appear before Congress today. 

UN activity surrounding Iran 

Syria / Israel heightened tension 

The Iraq situation 

and a couple of surprise shocks 
such as the missile thing 

And the next three weeks could be 
very exciting for the stock market.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Futurist One

Today I shall write to you as a Futurist.
The term Futurist has 
theological, 
artistic, 
and other definitions. 
I am speaking, however,  
as a member of that class 
that try to describe what the future 
will look like.
 
A Futurist is not a prophet. 
Does not have visions in a mystical sense. 
Doesn't 'know' what is going to happen. 
A Futurist is simply someone who - 
based upon human knowledge - 
sets down what they expect the future to be like.

Futurists can draw upon all sorts of resources. 
History. 
A knowledge of human nature and psychology.
The expertise of people in many fields - 
each of which may have made predictions 
about their fields. 
These can be 
astronomers 
geologists 
climatologists 
demographers 
actuaries
economists 
and many dozens of other experts 
who have studied trends 
or who are aware of developments 
in their specialized fields. 

Futurists often write of their findings - 
and their books and newsletters 
are read by other futurists. 
Their visions often differ greatly. 
Some are very dark 
and others very bright. 
Some Futurists make a profession of it - 
such as the  
Club of Rome, 
Rand Corporation 
or for that matter 
the Ayn Rand Institute.

Futurists work within different time frames. 
Those most highly sought by industry -
such as Faith Popcorn -
work with time frames of a few months 
to a few years. 

Futurists existed 
before the term 'Futurist', 
in our sense,  
was coined. 
The visions of most futurists 
were quite wrong - 
but we stand in astonishment 
at the accuracy of others. 

Some Futurists often wrote their thoughts 
as a part of works of fiction:
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) -
'Brave New World' 
George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair} (1903-1950) - 
'Animal Farm' and 
'1984 - Big Brother is Watching You'  
Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) - 
Too many works to mention, 
or to single out one or two.    

Others wrote in a more serious vein:
Alexis de Toqueville (1805-1859) - 
'Democracy in America'
Karl Marx (1818-1883) - 
'Das Kapital'.

One needs to read them all, 
although I receive numerous emails 
from many whom seem to listen to 
only one instrument in the orchestra. 
I think they need to 
move a bit further back 
into the audience 
and away from the bass drum 
so that care hear the whole composition. 
I would like to do that myself.

But many say - 
"The Bible is enough for me."
That is the response that I most hear, 
of course - 
living in the society which I do. 

Living in other societies 
I would hear more about 
Muslim views of the future, 
or Communist views of the future, 
or Hindu views of the future, 
or whatever. 
Still, 
I do try to listen to 
and understand 
each view. 

Even in the nominally Christian society 
in which I live - 
there are a wide spectrum of views. 
Each year I attend 
the Jehovah Witness Memorial Meeting  
and I often see their literature 
with pictures of the graves opening 
and the dead coming forth 
and lions lying down with lambs.

I have Mormon friends 
with whom I often discuss their view - 
and numerous fundamentalist Christians 
often assure me that I will be 
in BIG trouble 
when Christ returns to sit on His throne.

I probably receive and read 
a half dozen books 
each year 
from dear Hindu readers - 
and then there are what I call 
the 'New Agers' 
with their expectations that 
we are entering a 'New Cosmological Age' 
in which we will all be transformed 
to a new 'vibratory state' in the next 
'harmonic cycle'.
Or whichever. 
I try to comprehend it all.

Many people who write to me
hold fearful and pessimistic visions 
about the future of mankind - 
and indeed many report to me 
such actual dreams. 

The 'Left Behind' series 
had a substantial impact 
upon the psyche of North America. 
Numerous, numerous, numerous 
are the emails that I get 
concerned about a NWO anti-Christ.

Few among the mid-trib and post-trib rapturists 
offer any solution 
except to hang on through it all - 
until Christ's return. 

The pre-trib rapturists 
have left my list long ago - 
by the thousands - 
as have those who wish to return 
to the Constitutional Days of Yore 
when there was slave owning 
and women weren't permitted to vote.

Most people's views 
have changed from the past - 
and most people's views in the future - 
will be very different from those held at the present. 
It is not that the world and reality will change - 
but that people's views will change.

People will hold as different a view 
of the physical reality 
from what is held today - 
that will be as different as are the views 
held by most people by most people today
from the views of most people in the world  
when they thought the world which was flat - 
and feared that they could sail off the edge - 
or that they thought the earth stood still 
and that the sun revolved about the earth. 

Concepts about the 
physical 
social 
spiritual reality 
will all change 
and it is necessary to understand the changes 
if one is to have an in-depth understanding 
about the future.

Unfortunately, 
that requires a paradigm shift 
that is beyond most people today. 
Even among that portion of 
the North American population 
that does not simply unquestioningly accept 
the cultural reality myths of the majority -
most of the remainder fall into one of two extremes - 
either a devoted attachment 
to the old religious dogmas - 
or a rejection of religion itself. 

Those who take the latter position 
will be disturbed that my paradigm 
has a religious foundation. 
The broad outlines 
of what I expect the future to be 
have been told in religious prophecy. 
Yes, 
I see these prophecies in the Bible - 
and every other religion - 
although my understanding is not the same  
as the literal interpretation of some other readers. 

Most particularly - 
I base many / most of my expectations 
upon what I find in the Writings 
of my own religion - 
the Baha'i Faith.
That very fact means 
that I am starting with premises 
that will not be acceptable  
to some of my non-Baha'i readers. 

It has been necessary 
for me to spell out the specifics 
of this paradigmatic milieu 
in which I am presenting my ideas - 
so that none will think 
that I am under a delusion 
as to the receptivity for these ideas. 

A position which rejects 
the dogmatism of religion on one extreme - 
and the pseudo-scientific views of reality - 
on the other extreme - 
along with the materialistic, 
selfish, 
disinterestedness of the majority in the middle - 
(which is certainly not the case 
with the readers of this newsletter)
is going to find few receptive listeners. 

Indeed - 
there is far less than one percent 
of the world's population 
that could understand these views - 
even if they were to hear them. 

We are unfortunately at a stage 
in the growth of humanity 
where a large part of the race 
remains illiterate - 
and the remainder oblivious 
to cultural concepts other than their own.

Faced with this situation 
there is naught that I can do 
but state my expectations about the future. 
The underlying philosophical, 
theoretical premises, 
would be incomprehensible - 
except for someone willing to make 
an arduous and in-depth study. 

The conclusions that I present 
will convince no one. 
At the bottom - 
you will know the future 
no more than I. 
Whatever you believe now - 
will undoubtedly be what you will believe 
after reading my presentation. 
The only difference will be 
that you can know what I believe.

I shall present my actual predictions 
in the next couple of newsletters. 
I remain a short term pessimist 
and a long term optimist 
about the future of humankind. 

Peace and love,
Bruce
DawnSayer@webpal.org