Beyond the nation state, as the gap between rich and poor widens, the middle class shrinks and more workers of the world make do with less, a new drive toward Involuntary Simplicity will build and support national self-sustainability movements. Moving beyond urban cities they can’t afford or boring suburbs of non-distinction, millennials in search of environments to raise a family and/or own a home to build security, rather than paying rent with no return, will drive the “big move to small towns” trend we have identified.
In the 21st century’s supercharged High-Tech Age, advances in off-the-grid technology and virtual reality will advance Self-Sustainability into new-dimensional worlds far beyond the dying Industrial Age work/life model.