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This Genie Will Not Go Back in the Bottle!
The first use of the word “work” dates to the 13th century, meaning “physical effort, exertion”. But it was not until the 17th century that the phrase “going to work” was used. Shakespeare was one of the first to use this phrase, and we have been “going to work” ever since.
Then the pandemic came, which caused people to stop “going to work”, in effect, putting us back to the 17th century again. Prior to the 17th century , there was nowhere to “go to work”!
The world’s first skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, was completed in 1885. It was considered the “Father of the Skyscraper” and was 10 stories high—considered a modern miracle at the time. Since then, skyscrapers have come to dominate the downtown cores of the world’s cities. Today, New York City’s office market has a vacancy rate of 53 percent, and the prevailing sentiment among many employees is that it should stay that way, so that they can “work from home” (regardless of what their managers say). Research from NYU estimates that by 2029, the city’s office buildings will drop in value by 28 percent, or $49 billion.
Before the pandemic, office workers became accustomed to videoconferencing, but it was clunky and complicated. Then along came Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Webex—companies that accomplished about ten years of technological innovation in a matter of months. In future, AI, and augmented and virtual reality will cause even this development to feel primitive, and the experience of being able to touch people or walk around their homes with them, will become the everyday experience. “Being with someone” may not always mean being physically in the same place.
Put these pieces together, add the independent thinking of Gen-X and Z employees, and we have a recipe for a new way of doing things.
The implication for cars, energy, commercial and personal real estate, property taxes, affordable housing, leadership, lifestyle, health, mental fitness, productivity, technology and so much more will be enormous and our lives will never be the same again. This genie will not go back in the bottle, and the opportunities will be enormous.
What are your predictions?
This Genie Will Not Go Back in the Bottle!
The first use of the word “work” dates to the 13th century, meaning "physical effort, exertion". But it was not until the 17th century that the phrase “going to work” was used. Shakespeare was one of the first to use this phrase, and we have been “going to work” ever...
New Masterclass
On January 19, 2023, I will be conducting my new Masterclass based on the unpublished manuscript of my next book, Reawakening the Human Spirit which will be available early in 2023. It represents just about everything I have learned, discovered and written about over...
Stop This Unfairness
It is a strange fact that in Canada, the intellectual properties of writers like myself are used without permission, or compensation, by universities, schools and NGOs and government institutions. Universities took their case to the Supreme Court and won! Google has...
An Invitation to Join our Community to Create a More Inspired World
In this blog I would like to update you about a big “refresh” that we are launching. We have created a movement to "Create a More Inspired World". It is called The Higher Ground Community, and we would like you to join us. Our world is hurting and I am sure you will...
Forgiveness The Gift We Give Ourselves
I'm going to go out on a limb in this blog… the Internet these days seems to be a place where if you share your authentic opinions you're likely to attract vitriol. I hope this is not the case here, and I would love to know if you agree with these thoughts. The world...
Trust or Control?
A recent New York Times article titled, “The Rise of the Worker Productivity Score” describes how companies are monitoring their employees—counting keystrokes, measuring time taken for bathroom breaks and more. It describes radiologists who see scoreboards charting...
Reawakening the Human Spirit
Over the last three years, I have noticed a precipitous decline in the level of personal inspiration among those with whom I work or socialize. Many people have lost their inspiration altogether, replacing it with an unhealthy sense of helplessness. Pandemics,...
Old Wine in New Bottles
As I scan the New York Times list of non-fiction bestsellers, I lament that I cannot find anything new, nothing that has not already been written or said before, nothing that causes me to throw open the window and shout, “Aha!” to the world. There are some exceptions...
Hyperbole and the Language of War
“My back is killing me!” Why do we use the language of war to make a point? I have been studying this for years and I think I have discovered a (possibly Freudian) explanation. There is a word for a statement like this. It is called hyperbole, which the dictionary...
Are we Preparing our Youth for Life?
The Program for International Student Assessment tests 15-year-old students around the world and is administered by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In 2018, when the test was last administered, the U.S....
Show the Love for Ukraine
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, has removed all guest and host fees for bookings in Ukraine. The idea behind his move is to open a channel for direct support to Ukrainians. If you book an Airbnb reservation, (of course you won’t need to actually go!) all of the money will go...
A Clinic on Inspiration and Leadership
This is not a blog about politics. It is a blog about leadership and inspiration (which, of course, is the same thing). Like you, I have been watching the daily unfolding of the horrors of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I have not been shocked by Vladimir Putin—I...