The advice I have given to my own kids is to have a first career, maybe the one you have studied for, but also think about a second career. Consider an online business or diversify the existing talents and have more than ‘one finger in the pie’.

Here’s an example: My younger son is a draftsman. I have told him that, not only should he do the drafting in his present company, but he should also start an online presence and maybe also teach himself graphic design. That way, if the housing company he works for doesn’t do well, he can still work in his online business which he will steadily have been growing while he was at the present job, and he may have some clients of his own.

Also, if you can’t get a job in your profession right away,  look at online tendering to get jobs. Look at www.elance.com and other online freelance job sites to tender for work which others, somewhere in the world, want staff for.

I was Jewish and in my early 20s I used to go to synagogue every Saturday. I liked the feeling of ‘belonging’ and felt I had to uphold the family traditions. Eventually I met a Catholic and we thought about getting married however it would have been very difficult to decide which religion and traditions to teach the children. I guess we could have taught them both but in the end the religious differences (and parental pressure on both sides) caused us to seperate. 

Eventually, to the joy of my parents, I met a ‘nice Jewish boy’ and married him. We are still married, 25 years later, but we decided that we wanted our children to have more ‘spirituality’ than tradition and so after much searching on the part of my husband, we became Baha’i.

Why did we do this? We felt that all humanity should follow the same path and that religious differences which have caused many conflicts on this planet, were not the way for the future. The underlying essence for all religions was to know God and to continue to grow spiritually and become the best human being you could be, during your time on this planet.We wanted our children to care about all people - regardless of their race, religion or other differences. We also felt that a religion should reflect the needs and be practical in its approach to help solve some of the current issues facing mankind. The Baha’i Faith fitted all those criteria for us. Baha’is also believe in promoting the equality of men and women and that was a great ‘plus’ for me!

We still have all our Jewish family and friends and they have accepted that we are follwing a different ‘path’. Ultimately we realized that some traditions had been man made, some seemed too far fetched (e.g. can you drive a car on Saturday or is that considered ‘working’?) (isn’t walking also ‘working’??) and there were also so many variations and theories about how far to take the traditions, that this had overshadowed the spiritual message.

If the human race wants to progress in the 21st century maybe it’s time to rethink the old ways and bring in some fresh spiritual ways for the new millennium.

Hi everyone, As a futurist and with a senior economist husband, together we also predicted the economic downturn - and like these other women, no-one would listen when we tried to warn them. Perhaps this recession is karmic payback. You can’t keep being greedy and self centered and not expect to get your ‘just rewards’. So all those large corporations whose only goal was more money for their companies (and to heck with the citizens of the world) must now learn that the wealth must be shared and kindness and compassion for your fellow human being is the key, without which the whole world crumbles and fails… Unfortunately this economic crisis is far from over and more than likely the whole world will go into an economic Depression before we realize that small scale economics is better - because it encompasses everyone in the community and helps people all over the world. Communities which are using small scale, local economics are faring better and are much better placed to weather the downturn. As for the issue of being listened to… I have solutions which could turn the fortunes of families and communities around. I have been gathering these answers for years - ever since I saw the ‘writing on the wall’. Is anyone ready to listen to me yet??? If so, please email me at: karen@alterquest.org … and I’ll tell you how. I do this work, not for profit but because the way of the future is to share the knowledge and point humanity, and our entire civilization, in a positive new, 21st century direction!

This economic system you are discussing is ultimately flawed because it still works on the ‘greed is good’ scenario. It didn’t work last century and it sure isn’t going to work any better this millennium. The solutions we need have to be both fair and equitable for all people - and not ‘top heavy’. To merely educate women in the old system will not help them survive. Many people who thought they understood the financial situation found, to their anguish, that everything had a ‘mind’ of its own and none of the regular rules applied once the downturn happened. Right now, even with almost every country bailing out the financial institutions, it has not led to a leveling out of the situation. The stock markets are still dropping; jobs are still being lost; our superannuation and savings are still not very secure - and yet we hope that this avalanche will cease. Are we naive? There has to be better ways, and we, as women with families must be the leaders in making another system - one which will not be subject to the whims of greedy people. This means we need to encourage small local businesses which hire more people and are not merely using the system to make massive of profit for themselves. These businesses will keep the money in your locality and this will kick start the community’s economy. Large corporations have for decades drained the money away from our regions, and their method of ‘slash and burn’ have seen jobs cut and local businesses undercut, while they took our hard earned money and contributed very little in return. The speculation and ‘gambling’ people are doing on the stock market has to end. It causes the wild fluctuations we are currently seeing. It can make or break a company in a very short period of time. If we are going to use an economic system as a basis for our society we will have to use one which makes life fair for all men, women and children on this planet. It should encompass new ideas and concepts which will work to be sustainable for ourselves and our planet and which will help all mankind to move towards a brighter future. There are ways. If I have found them, you can too. Ask me if you want to know more.

The old system doesn’t work - and using people who are part of this old civilization won’t work for the future. To prepare for the future we have to totally rework the economic and social system. How can we do this? By putting a stop to speculation on the stock market and on currencies and by creating small businesses in local economies, where only the owners and the staff, or perhaps other people who care about the business, can hold shares. The new way will not have large multinationals who cheat and manipulate our governments for their own vested interests and who try to monopolize every sector of our world. A new world will be one where all people are treated with dignity and have a way to make a living which comfortably allows them to have food, water, utilities, a home, clothing, education and healthcare - and doesn’t leave so many people without the necessities. If any of the people you have mentioned can do this, then they are the ones who are suitable for the job. Otherwise our financial future should not be left in the hands of those who have already contributed to a system which has led to the downfall of so many people on this planet. My husband is an economist and I am a futurist, together we predicted that this ‘top heavy’, unfair economic system would not be sustainable for much longer. Karma and spiritual justice would eventually see that our civilization would fall. Unfortunately humanity has not yet learned that we must be kind to all people and must appreciate our world. I wrote all of this in my last book “AlterQuest - Shape the Future”, which was published two years ago and I have also written about many of the workable solutions which have already been tried by communities all over the globe. I think a new system should be shaped by regular people who come together to evaluate the problems and find better solutions for the present and the future. The women of the world know what is needed to survive and thrive - for ourselves and our families. Come on ladies, let’s make ourselves heard.

I am a futurist… and my ‘invention’ is a Global Organization called AlterQuest (which is short for ‘THE Alternative Quest for Answers!’). I hope to use AlterQuest to gather people from communities all over the world, so they can unite and make a better way of life for themselves, their families, their communities and ultimately the entire Planet. The idea is that people join (for free) and they get a myriad of ideas and concepts which they then take to their localities and, along with others in their region, they implement these new methods which are an adjunct and work along side the ‘old’ system. This way people can implement their own community food supply, power sources, monetary system, job creation schemes and more… This is all REAL. The concepts I teach people are workable, and they are being used successfully in communities all over the world - at this moment. My goal is to help women, men and children everywhere to find new ways of living and not just leave them stranded in the ‘old system’. If the world is going to survive, and if our civilization is going to progress in the 21st century, we must start using new ways of living - ways which are kinder and more beneficial for all mankind - and not just good for a few! My biggest obstacle has been sharing this concept to everyone around the globe. I don’t have big advertising budgets and I live in Australia and yet I really feel it is my life’s work to get this message out and teach others how to think outside the box in order to survive in this century and beyond. See: www.alterquest.org PS If you have any ideas which are working in your community and which might be useful for others, please let me know. We can add them to the AlterQuest.org ideas exchange. Conversely, if you want ideas which work, just let me know.

I am a futurist and my husband is a retired economist. Together we both predicted this economic downturn…. and if we’re right, there will only be a short reprieve before it slides again. The trick to surviving what is coming, means you must be prepared. The concept of storing food is fine but you must mark the food with the date you bought it. You can also start growing your own food - either in your garden, a community garden (ask permission first) or in pots if you only live in an apartment. Use non-hybrid seeds.Regardless of whether the recession/depression hits, you will always have a supply of organic vegetables this way and if you have surplus, you can barter them for other things. Many communities are starting local economies and local currencies (See www.ithacahours.com) or LET barter systems. This way you can use your talents or sell your goods and be paid - in full or part payment - in ‘local’ money which you can then use to purchase other items. Those who invest in some alternate energy may not have such high bills to pay to the utility companies. Did you know you can buy a machine which you can attach to a bicycle or exercise bike and as you cycle, you are making power? Wow! That’s innovative and you’ll get thin. So, if you can’t afford those high gym fees plus the cost of electricity - you can solve both problems simultaneously. There are many truly fantastic ideas which we can use to be prepared before the next wave of economic uncertainty hits. I’d love to tell everyone more because I think the more prepared we women are, the more likely it is that our families will survive what is to come. This is the knowledge I really want to share with everyone. My life’s work it to help others to find new answers and practical solutions so they can survive and thrive.

Hi, I don’t know if any of the suggestions I am going to make would work but here goes anyway…. 1.Go to the media. Tell your story. Maybe someone will hear of your plight and be able to help you. 2. Tell the bank that if they foreclose on you, the house may lay empty, get vandalized and will bring in no income for them. Instead perhaps they could let you stay on while you pay whatever you can afford, towards the mortgage or maybe call it ‘rent’. 3. You have already amalgamated with one other family, perhaps you can find other women in the same situation who can come together to make the plight of single moms known and perhaps by pooling your resources you can make a community somewhere else. 4. See if there are any careers you could do online. There are websites such as www.elance.com (and others) where you can apply to do freelance work and get paid for it. Maybe try www.craigslist.com in your area. 5. Start a small business. See what talents everyone has and then work out whether you can shape a small business from this. E.g. if you know how to use the computer, you could start a temp agency doing word processing or data base work for companies which only need temps. 6. Contact established temp job agencies in your area and see if they will take your resume. 7. Start a child care center! I don’t know if you need a license etc but you already have small kids at home, so maybe this would bring you an income. 8. Look at traveling to other States or other regions which might have more work. Look online to see if this information is available. I started my own career finding answers for problems which people had. I offer the answers to anyone who needs them and this includes small countries, communities in strife and individuals and families. To the best of my knowledge this had never been done before but it gives me great pleasure to help others. I do hope some of the ideas I’ve written here are useful and practical for you. I also have other ideas which are useful for gathering people together in their communities so they can unite to overcome problems. These are concepts such as using a ‘local’ monetary system (see www.ithacahours.com); barter systems; job sharing; making community food gardens…. and more… By uniting in a positive way everyone has more power and more say in their lives. I hope this inspires you to carry on - but think outside the box. Regards, Karen Fiala. Co-Founder www.alterquest.org (AlterQuest is THE Alternative Quest for Answers!) P.S. If there is anyone reading this who can help me to promote these ideas so that others can hear about them and use them for the betterment of mankind, I would greatly appreciate it.

The financial meltdown has me really worried. I live in Australia and our bank accounts are not guaranteed in any way by the government or the banks. If the whole system collapses and people haven’t taken their money out of the bank, they will be absolutely poverty stricken - UNLESS everyone starts to think outside the box. I predicted that the materialistic basis for society would collapse sometime this decade and I decided that the only way to be prepared was to set up systems which used alternative methods and which worked outside the norm. Here’s one example: There are communities which have already built a local economy with their own local monetary system. This is legal in the USA and elsewhere. Local economies are helping people to survive in their community and this system is making life better and fairer for many people all over the world. I’ve got many other ideas which I gathered from viable communities, and which are in my latest book “AlterQuest - The Alternative Quest for Answers”. I wrote this two years ago when I predicted the economic recession/depression. Although I am worried about the current situation on the planet, I do feel a bit better knowing that I have a series of systems which could save many people from devastation. So my comment is: Do not go with the flow. Do not wait for politicians of any persuasion or other ‘leaders’ to solve the issues. Just gather together, as women, as mothers or as anchors for your entire community and find the answers for yourselves. www.alterquest.org