Markets, Chaos, and Jobs

You may want to drink a beer, take a puff from a joint, or consume a magic mushroom before reading this post. I say this because I am going to delve into the world of Disordianism, which is best traveled under the influence of mind altering substance.

Before we delve too deeply let me explain my interpretation of Discordianism so we’re all playing on the same field. Discordianism, as I interpret it, is the philosophical understanding that the natural state of the universe is pure chaos. The universe doesn’t like order and, as the Law of Eristic Escalation states, the imposition of order equates to the escalation of chaos. The more you try to impost order on the universe the more chaotic of a result will be.

Nowhere are Discordian principles more apparent than in markets. Markets, the ever changing result of constant human interaction, never remain constant. Peoples’ desires are in a constant state of flux. In fact each individual’s desires at one point in time were affected by their previous actions. My experience with one fulfilled desire can determine my future desires. For example, if I purchased the latest iPhone and had a negative experience I may swear off future Apple products or, potentially, mobile phones entirely. From there I my desires may swing towards a better vehicle so I can make more face-to-face interactions with my friends or something else entirely.

The state, being an agent of order, has a desire to curtail change. If statists had their way the human race will forever exist in a purgatory of sameness. No technological advances, fashion changes, or musical trends would occur. Why do you think states always move to regulate markets? Because markets are the most apparent source of change in our society. Markets bring chaos to order by allowing individuals to have their dreams fulfilled. The grand plans of statists cannot be realized when there is no stability. How can a statist’s plan for universal healthcare be successfully put into action if the grand central planner is unable to predict the healthcare needs of an entire society? A simple story about the undesirable side effects of a pill can lead to a great shift in a society away from pharmaceuticals and towards natural remedies. After such a shift an entire supply of medicines will suddenly be worthless, the resources invested in stockpiling them will have been wasted.

We’re told that the current crisis in our society revolves around the lack of jobs. Political candidates are being elected on their promises to deliver jobs. Everybody is screaming at the top of their lungs, “Who will build the jobs?!” The failure of the job market lies in the statist tendency towards imposed order. When we were attending the state’s indoctrination centers were we told that a college degree is critical to future success. It didn’t matter what degree we obtained, said our indoctrinators, it only mattered that we received a degree (fortunately my father didn’t tell me such lies and made sure I understood that some education pays money while other education costs money). College degrees may have been money makers at one point in time but that was back in the day when college degrees chiefly existed for marketable skills. Now that one can get a degree in everything from English to Women’s Studies the value of getting a degree has diminished. The market has spoken and it has said that it needs no more degree holding Starbucks baristas, fast food workers, or art critics. English, Art, and Contemporary Dance degree holders are unemployed because the statists attempted to impose order by forcing everybody to get a degree, telling them that all degrees were of equal value, and convincing students that they should peruse whatever they loved. As it turns out many students love things that nobody wants. I do believe Mike Rowe said it best:

Rowe added, “It’s not about this is bad or this is good. This is a skills gap. […] It’s another inconvenient piece of the narrative that nobody ever talks about. There are three million jobs available right now. Companies like Caterpillar are struggling to find, for instance, heavy equipment mechanics.”

The bottom line, Rowe said is that, “We are lending money we don’t have to kids who can’t pay it back to train them for jobs that no longer exist. That’s nuts.”

In other words our society is living in the past. The demands of yesterday aren’t the demands of today. Despite the best efforts of order worshipers the markets broke free from the plans that were being imposed on them. It’s not degrees in educational pursuits that are wanted, it’s training in skilled manual labor.

When you understand that markets, as part of the universe, are chaotic you will learn that the most marketable skill is adaptability. Your training at any single point in time may be worthless at a future point in time. If you can adapt to the new conditions you will be fine. Anybody who can go from research and development to heavy equipment mechanics will have little trouble finding work. A person who is unable to make such a transition will find themselves in a bad state unless the market returns to a state where their training is again in demand.

Markets are chaos and jobs exist in markets. Being adaptable, being able to channel the chaos to your advantage, will make you a happier person. Don’t fall for the statists’s lies. Instead, listen to the Discordians. Discordians will tell you the truth: chaos results form imposed order. If you try to follow the plans of those who attempt to impose order you will find yourself lost when the imminent chaos arises. On the other hand, if you adapt to the chaos, you will never be truly.