Times are a-changin’. The industrial-age model is crumbling apart. We live in difficult economic times, right?

Ehh, says who?

Take a closer look at who is struggling right now.

If you are mortgaged with kids, you may struggle. If you know in advance –– and in reassuring detail –– what your work will entail tomorrow, chances are you will struggle: average jobs are disappearing fast. While the average workers (and families) behind them feel the pain.

There’s nothing new to the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Have large corporates always been unenlightened? Yes. Have young people always been deeply frustrated –– and angry –– they weren’t doing anything enlightened with their lives? Yes.

The Occupy mentality is not new. It’s been there since the Oliver Twist years. It was there throughout the Beat, Woodstock and Woody Allen generations.

Then Reagan and Thatcher came about and off-sourced the industrial paradigm. In the name of growth (and ominous Communism).

But as econometrics professor Dave Harvey says, Capitalism never solves its crises issues, it moves them around geographically. As new middle classes sprung up across the developing world, the 99% representing the Western middle class was squeezed.

Every sober thinker could foretell how unsustainable this push was. But slow growth is bad for stock markets right now. It was short-termism that shoved all jobs to China, and gave credit cards to Wal-Mart staffers.

Who can afford Hippie ideals when they’re in debt –– worse yet, uneducated. To soothe their growing fear, consumers were urged to use credit and spend even more.

The industrial age on steroids. Yes it was. For thirty years. Well, here comes the cold turkey.

But wait.

Who is paying the bill?

Not me. See, I’m not invested in this model. I don’t have kids or mortgage. My rental matchbox is 15 square meters (see here), and I own nothing. Rising cost of life? Petrol price increase? Ha, I use a Brompton bike.

Who will bring home the bacon then?

I’m vegan. I can survive without. Health cover? Don’t need it (here is why). All I need is shelter, books, and a run in the park. The latter is free (gyms are a scam). First two, I think I can handle.

Unemployment? Oh yeah? Is there unemployment in Singapore right now? How about Japan, India, or the Bay Area. With no debt or mouths to feed, I can keep my breath for longer. I’m not invested in the industrial age. There is no real downside for me.

And neither is for you. Your day has come.

Edited by: Lindsay Friedman

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Creatively maladjusted author and blogger, Jivamukti yogi, ethical diet advocate and corporate drone, Max Zografos loiters internet cafes, libraries (anywhere with a roof and Wi-Fi really) for hours on end until he finds inspiration to write or gets kicked out, whichever comes first. You can find him on his website.