Next — Previous — Contents — Home — Contact

Chapter Ten
Digital Opulence

Certain professions—notably the healing profession—have an anti-marketing and anti-promotion attitude. Several "specialist" doctors harbor anti-marketing sentiments. They scorn the act of marketing and they resent those who market healing services. An aversion to promotion and advertising is an age-old tradition that pervades the healing profession. Aversion to promoting also permeates other professions to various degrees, such as the architecture profession.

In reality, marketing is a highly valuable act. Promoting, advertising, and marketing inform potential customers about one's products or services. Marketing reaches out to people who need one's goods and persuades them to buy those goods. It is a profoundly benevolent act that benefits not only the businessperson, but also the customer.

Yet, marketing is a very demanding activity. It requires the integration of several different areas of business: product development, customer data, media outlets, financial projections. Marketing is an ongoing act that requires integrated thinking; it requires high effort to succeed. Many people's resistance to or hostility toward marketing is rooted in their desire to avoid the high effort required to market goods and services.

As the Perfect Mind/Perfect Body breakthrough penetrates earth's inchoate civilization, competitive pressures will crescendo to obliterate the anti-marketing mentality. Those who market their goods or services will succeed. Those who do not market their goods or services will fall behind. And when applied to the healing profession, marketing will increasingly deliver spectacular health cures to individuals so they can live longer, healthier, and happier lives.

The concept of buying or consuming one's way to happiness is fallacious because it contradicts the nature of man. Human beings need to consistently produce values to experience abiding happiness. Only when one exerts continuous effort to grow, to produce values, and to achieve one's self-chosen values can one experience lasting happiness. Being lazy, deceptive, manipulative, or violent lead to the opposite of happiness. Such destructive acts always culminate in misery for oneself and others.

Yes, human beings do have to consume values—such as homes, cars, food, and art—to survive. But it does not follow that man would be happier if he consumed more than he produced. He would not; this would lead to unhappiness. The only way to experience rich, abiding happiness is to have earned it through value production. Then one can relax and enjoy one's free time, knowing that one has earned one's survival and prosperity—and that one is making a positive difference in the lives of others.

Bypassing academic theories and complicated approaches to marketing lets one see the fundamental trait for marketing success: persistence. Yes, persistence is the key to effective marketing. Anyone who became an "overnight marketing success" after decades of hard work knows that persistence is a critical success factor.

Mind-numbing marketing formulas and elaborate marketing plans can sound impressive. But behind every super successful marketing program, there exists the virtue of persistence. And persistence pays off handsomely. Why? Because there are many variables in marketing—such as the medium, message, and offer—that one needs to test to find the most successful approach. And experimenting and testing demand persistence. Those who have to be an instant success in marketing will probably fail. But those who approach marketing as a long-range activity—and persist—will probably succeed.

What, essentially, is cyberspace? It is a new communication medium. Like the telegraph, radio, telephone, television and fax machine, it is a form of communicating with others. Cyberspace does have more features than current communication technologies. In fact, it combines the best aspects among existing mediums. And it has the greatest potential compared to other communication technologies.

But cyberspace—i.e., the Internet and World Wide Web—is still just another medium for communicating between people. Thus, one need not be overwhelmed by the onrush of cyberspace. Instead, one can harness it to become more efficient and build prosperity that was not possible prior to the advent of cyberspace.

The Local Group is among the first businesses on earth to begin in cyberspace. Existing companies will scramble to establish their presence in cyberspace. Future companies will naturally start up in cyberspace. But The Local Group has begun its life not just as an Information Age business, but a cyberspace business.

What does this mean in practical, day-to-day terms? This means that The Local Group's base is in cyberspace. It will conduct essentially all business functions in cyberspace. It will have minimal interaction with the pre-cyberspace world. And when the Civilization of the Universe overtakes planet Earth, The Local Group will become an integral part of it. Thus, for The Local Group, the anticivilization with its lethal rulers is history—like a nightmare one had during one's childhood.

There are two diametrically opposite mechanisms that guide the development of new products and services. The first is force-backed fraud, which anticivilization governments utilize. The second is free market dynamics, which market entrepreneurs utilize. The former is immoral and the latter is moral. Where force-backed fraud exists, profits are guaranteed at the expense of innovation, variety, and competitiveness. Where the free market exists, as exemplified in pre-1998 Hong Kong, products, services, individuals, and businesses constantly innovate, grow and prosper to remain competitive.

In essence, force-backed fraud stagnates conscious life while the free market flourishes conscious life. Once a critical mass of individuals clearly understands these opposing dynamics, people will reject force-backed fraud. When that happens, the parasitical-elite class will vanish while everyone benefits from a bonanza of new products and services.

What do the following people have in common?

Archimedes (287 BC - 212 BC)
Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)
Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642)
Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598 - 1680)
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681 - 1767)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
Frédéric Francois Chopin (1810 - 1849)
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 - 1894)
David Dunbar Buick (1854 - 1929)
William Crapo Durant (1861 - 1947)
Joseph Chamberlain Wilson (1909 - 1971)

They all produced universal values. That is to say, they produced objective values that benefit all human beings. And the values these giants produced are timeless.

Universal values cannot be destroyed by anticivilization dynamics; they are beyond the reach of the parasitical-elite class and their gun-wielding agents. In reality, universal values exist eternally. Thus, Aristotelian logic and Newtonian calculus and Einsteinian relativity have existed, currently exist, and will exist forever.

Those who discover, invent, or produce universal values always exert tremendous effort. The preparation, thought, and action required to produce universal values are beyond the grasp of ordinary people. Even so, almost anyone can produce universal values if one is willing to exert constant high effort throughout one's life.

There are two primary routes to unlimited wealth. The first route has been used throughout conscious man's history. The second route to unlimited wealth has just been identified at the end of the second millennium.

The first route to unlimited wealth is the AC System. This system is uncompromising in its value destruction. It functions through intentional dishonesty. This system comprises subjective laws, guns, partial judges, prisons, and cemeteries, which yield maximum wealth for parasitical elites and their supporters. Before the birth of the second route to unlimited wealth, no one could compete with—let alone stop—the AC system.

All religions throughout history used the AC System to drain money and values from the productive class. Religionists plied guilt into the value producers' psyches in order to extract maximum values. All governments throughout history also used the AC System to drain wealth and values from everyone. Politicians and bureaucrats used force and coercion to extract maximum cash from the value producers. The common denominator of those who use the AC System is concealed laziness, which gives rise to an infinitely expanding web of dishonesty. That expanding web of dishonesty enables professional parasites, salaried thieves, and full-time murderers to survive and flourish without producing genuine values.

Consider, for example, that the United States Internal Revenue Service is a bureaucracy that survives solely through the initiation of force and threat of force. By waving guns and fists at innocent citizens, this money-and-life-destroying monster brings in over a trillion dollars annually. Plato's Golden-Soul rulers control that money for their own advantage. But if this is not enough, such "leaders" simply issue currency by government fiat. This government-declared money has no value backing it. Therefore, inflation ensues. The principle here is that those who use the AC System garner limitless wealth.

The second route to unlimited wealth is C-of-U System. This system is uncompromising in its value production. It functions through undivided honesty. This system comprises laissez-faire capitalism, objective laws, and impartial justice, which yield maximum wealth for value producers. The C-of-U System is now poised to overtake the AC System, which will probably occur in cyberspace.

No one in history has ever known about this new system of unlimited wealth. Thus, no one has ever used it. But today, it is arising and the value producers around the globe will embrace it when they understand its dynamics. This system functions through the competitive production and marketing of values. Competitive effort replaces force and fraud as the basis of unlimited wealth. It is driven by high effort and unyielding honesty. This system requires the perfect mind and body. With such a mind and body, each individual generates unlimited wealth.

An unbeatable strategy to guarantee job security and continuous income is to engage in exclusive work. Exclusive work is work that requires rigorous preparation—often requiring several years or even decades of preparation—before one masters a particular line of work. It prevents average people on the street from walking into one's place of work and taking over one's job.

For example, look at landscaping. Essentially anyone can decide to become a landscaper. They simply use a truck, some hand tools, and a garden store. They advertise to friends and neighbors, and they are in business. This is an example of non-exclusive work.

Now take a look at philosophical writing. A person needs to have a solid grasp of philosophical ideas and principles, as well as hard-earned writing and speaking skills. Such a person needs to have a wide range of knowledge in both fiction and nonfiction writings. This preparation takes years, sometimes decades, before the individual develops a unique style. This is an example of exclusive work.

Such a high entry requirement keeps most people out and affords a significant degree of job/income security. Competition can be fierce among those who do enter the realm of exclusive work. But those who do make it usually have what it takes to succeed in the long-term. They are incredibly valuable people with world-lifting skills. And they are the ones who have the world wrapped around their finger. Examples include commercially successful entrepreneurs, highly-skilled artists, genius computer programmers, superstar actors, and highly-entertaining writers.

There are essentially two ways to sell products and services. These two ways include (1) advertising and (2) marketing. At first glance, one may not know the difference between these two. But on close examination, one can clearly see the difference.

As explained by master marketer Steven K. Scott in his book A Millionaire's Notebook, advertising is the process of increasing product awareness. He then explains that marketing is the process of getting people to buy a product, usually through placing an order by phone, mail, etc.

So, the primary difference here is that advertising does not elicit the customer to take immediate action to buy the product. Advertising merely tells the customer there is a value in the marketplace and implies that the customer will benefit if he buys it. Marketing, by contrast, reveals a value to the customer, shows the customer specifically how he will benefit from it, and asks for the order right now, e.g., mail the coupon or call the toll-free number.

This is an important distinction. When one knows one's product and market, one can decide the best way to sell one's product, i.e., whether to advertise or market the product. Certain products sell well through advertising. Other products sell well through marketing. For example, food, soap, and cars sell well through advertising. Home study courses, music CDs, and magazine subscriptions sell well through marketing. By matching one's product with the appropriate selling strategy, one can increase sales while conserving money, time, and effort.

Striving to develop a great writing style can be a valuable endeavor. Having a unique writing style is an asset to anyone who writes for a living. But there is an important distinction to grasp when developing a writing style.

A person may be tempted to develop the best writing style in the world. Such a person may want to be known as a great writer. This person might want to win awards for his writing style. However, upon close examination of the writing profession, an important fact emerges. The fact is that award-winning writing is not always the most successful writing in the marketplace. For example, look at marketing. One writer may produce the most beautiful copy that wins prestigious awards. Another person may never win any awards with his copy, but his copy may outsell award-winning copy by two times or more.

The point here is this: writing for commercial success and writing to win awards are two different things. The former will build one's bank account. The latter will build one's ego. Those who already have genuine self-esteem—i.e., a rock-solid ego—do not need to boost their ego with awards. Thus, they can focus on writing that succeeds in the marketplace. They can develop a writing style to which people pay money rather than assign awards.

Put another way, a writer who is striving for commercial success wants readers to think, "Wow, this material is awesome. I'm going to buy it now and apply it to my life." For such a writer, this is preferable to readers thinking, "Wow, this material is well-written. The author deserves an award for his writing."

There are essentially two approaches to business: the primacy of product development and the primacy of marketing. Most people erroneously believe that the generation of ideas is very valuable and producing products is the most valuable aspect in business. In reality, however, marketing is the most valuable activity in business (Reference: Mass Marketing: The Highest Value).

The primacy of product development holds that producing products takes precedence over all other business activities. It holds that any other activity takes a backseat to product development. This is a product-centered approach to business.

The primacy of marketing, by contrast, holds that marketing takes precedence over all other business activities. It holds that marketing drives all the other business decisions, ranging from product development to personnel needs to day-to-day operations.

So, which business approach is most effective? Which approach generates the most sales and profits? The primacy of marketing does. And today, most people have no idea that marketing has primacy over production. Why does marketing have primacy over production?

In the primacy of marketing, one does not produce products and then look for a market to sell those products. This is a potentially disastrous approach to business. One can be left with a warehouse full of unsold products. That can destroy or severely cripple many businesses. With the primacy of marketing, an entrepreneur identifies (1) a specific problem, (2) a clearly defined market, and (3) the market's ability to pay for a solution. The entrepreneur then produces a solution to the problem, i.e., a product or service. He then markets that product or service to people in the defined market. But before he ever begins to produce the product, he knows to whom and how he will market the product. And that marketing knowledge guides product development.

For example, take a look at book publishing. The primacy of product development holds that one should produce a book one wants to produce. Upon completion, one should do whatever it takes to sell the book to whoever will buy it. This can be devastating to the author when he finds out that no one wants the book he worked so diligently to produce.

Now look at another example in book publishing. The primacy of marketing holds that one needs to identify a problem or need first. Then one can identify a market that has the ability to pay for the solution to its problem. Finally, one has to know—in advance—how one will bring one's solution to the market. At that point, one produces a book that solves the problem, e.g., how to lose weight, find a job, experience love, or become physically fit. When one's book is finished, one simply follows one's marketing plan and sells the book to the identified market.

An important distinction in marketing is one between front-end and back-end marketing. Front-end marketing consists of marketing values to potential customers. Back-end marketing consists of marketing values to existing customers.

Front-end marketing is the most difficult and costly of the two. Back-end marketing is easier and less expensive. Finding and gaining new customers requires more thought, energy, time, and money than selling to satisfied customers. If one has satisfied customers and solves their problems effectively, they will usually return to buy more—so long as one continues to market values to them.

Both types of marketing are crucial for a successful business. One's business needs to gain new customers to replace old customers. This is accomplished through front-end marketing. Also, selling goods/services to existing customers enables one to increase sales and profit. This is done through back-end marketing.

Marketing to businesses is known as business-to-business marketing. This is where one omits the consumer market, which is broadly known as "the buying public." One markets to businesses that will benefit the most from one's products or services.

For example, if one sells computers, one would market these computers to owners of retail stores, restaurants, car dealerships, and so on. One's task, from a marketing standpoint, would be to demonstrate how the computers would improve the prospect's business. One needs to persuade a certain percentage of these prospects to buy the product now and continue to buy products from one's business in the future.

Marketing to consumers is noticeably different. This is where one omits the business-to-business market. One focuses on individuals that will personally benefit from one's product or service. Rather than fulfilling the needs of businesses with one's products or services, one fulfills the needs of individuals.

For example, one might market one's computers to homeowners and students. One would, through marketing efforts, show them how they will personally benefit by purchasing one's product now. One's focus here is not on making businesses operate more profitably. Rather, one's focus here is on helping individuals live easier, richer, more-fulfilled lives.

Certain people intentionally use dishonesty to gain power, prestige, wealth, and values at the expense of innocent citizens. For example, politicians create a sea of subjective laws and harmful regulations that enable them to usurp a prestigious and prosperous livelihood without producing values. Initiating dishonesty against people is always immoral and destructive.

However, using dishonesty in retaliation against a dishonest act is never immoral or destructive. When people initiate dishonest ploys against self, they are being immoral. If one counters with dishonesty, one is not being immoral. One is protecting oneself from fraud, which is a moral act.

For example, King George III's England was initiating dishonesty against citizens of the thirteen American colonies. Then some American profiteers arose to counter King George's dishonest decrees and armed agents. Those revolutionary profiteers seized British supplies, left King George's agents powerless, and became wealthy as a result. Such revolutionary profiteers countered dishonesty for profit. They also set in motion the American Revolution, which culminated in the first semi-free country on earth.

Business consists of identifying problems, developing goods/services that solve those problems, and marketing those goods/services to others. This is the essence of business.

Marketing consists of getting prospects to buy one's goods/services now. This is the essence of marketing. Anything else, such as winning awards, impressing people, or entertaining readers with one's marketing literature is a waste of resources. So, how does one get people to buy one's products and services now?

Actually, there are several things a person can do, such as identifying appropriate markets and creating irresistible offers. But one crucial thing a person needs to do is use hook words throughout his or her marketing materials. Hook words grab prospects' attention and pull them into the advertisement, brochure, letter, or whatever. If, for example, one uses hook words in the heading of one's sales letter, one will catch the interest of prospects and get them to read the beginning of the letter. If one also uses hook words in the first few sentences, prospects will continue reading the letter. But if one stops using hook words, chances are prospects will set the letter down and never look at it again. This is the opposite of what one wants to happen.

The following are examples of hook words: you, now, new, money, sex, love, happiness, prosperity, beautiful, romance, how to, secret, private, power. To get prospects to read every word of one's marketing materials and buy one's product now, one needs to use hook words throughout the entire marketing piece. This way, prospects will be compelled to read the headline, first paragraph, second paragraph, and so on all the way to the offer and conclusion of the marketing piece.

The inexperienced marketer tries to get prospects to buy products such as books, cars, or houses. This person's marketing inevitably focuses on product features. For example, "This book has three hundred pages filled with creative ideas and has an attractive leather binding that looks great on a bookshelf or coffee table."

But prospects do not want to spend their hard-earned money on books or things per se.

The successful marketer sells offers. The successful marketer creates a compelling offer that the prospect cannot resist. This kind of marketing inexorably focuses on customer benefits. It persuasively and specifically answers the question, "How will I, as a customer, personally benefit from this offer?" For example, "You will convert your personal losses into a personal fortune—for the rest of your life—when you gain the breakthrough knowledge revealed in this new book."

Through a combination of product, price, and marketing copy, one can create an irresistible offer that gets prospects to buy right now.

The most effective way to continuously generate wealth is to develop a system for wealth creation. Once one devises a valid system to earn money, one can use that system for maximum profits without one's money-making capacity falling to pieces. For example, a retailer might develop specific actions to get products on his shelves, customers in his store, and customers to buy his products. Then the retailer might take this system for wealth creation and replicate it in other cities around the world.

The point here is that when one uses a principled system to make money, generating wealth ceases to be complicated. One has conceptualized all facets of the business. And one knows what one is going to do. The result is that one simply works each day and generates wealth in the process. When problems arise, one has enough control to solve those problems without excessive backlash.

Contrast this with a pragmatic or non-systematic approach to business. In non-systematized businesses, workers deal with things as they come up. The result is that they do not know what they are going to do from one minute to the next. Their day consists of "putting out small fires." The bottom line here is that these workers are not in control of the wealth generation process. They are not controlling the future; they are reacting to events. When problems arise, these workers feel completely out of control.

Taking a systematic approach to wealth generation requires that one conceptualize each aspect of one's business. Then one can work to build all the areas of one's business for maximum efficiency. By doing so, one will gain control of one's business and time.

The following are some points to consider when marketing.

* The first point: Average marketers sell prospects what prospects want to buy. Master marketers discover prospects' problems and sell prospects upgraded solutions.

* The second point: One can begin marketing one's products before they are physically available.

* The third point: One probably will not get rich from producing and marketing only one information product. But if one develops and markets a valuable array of information products, one has a good chance of growing rich.

* The fourth point: Marketing information products such as books is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It is, in most cases, an activity that requires years to become wealthy.

Let's face it: Companies such as Second Renaissance Books, Neo-Tech Publishing, Nightingale Conant, and other similar companies are profiting from bringing a rational civilization to earth. These companies are greatly helping millions of people and making a profit in the process.

Now, the mission of The Local Group is: "Everyone in a rational civilization." But, the Local Group is a for-profit business. Thus, it will generate profit while performing a profoundly moral and valuable service: bringing a rational civilization to earth. That means the Local Group will profit from (1) terminating Plato's parasitical-elite class and their professional value destroyers and (2) developing and marketing valuable products and services throughout the world.

Most postings on the Internet and World Wide Web are permanent. Postings ranging from email and newsgroups to web sites can be locked in cyberspace. Even if one removes one's files from one's server so no one can access the material, in most cases, one cannot erase one's postings.

For example, say one sends email to a friend. That friend can forward one's email message to other people. Or, that friend can post one's email to various newsgroups. When posted at newsgroups, anyone can access one's email posting and refer to it at their own web site. The potential to replicate one's posting throughout cyberspace is unlimited. This includes all postings, even chat-room discussions.

The purpose of becoming aware of the permanency of Internet postings is not to become paranoid or suspicious of posting on the Net. The purpose of becoming aware of the permanency of postings on the Net is to see the potential long-range nature of any post. With that in mind, one can use forward thinking and self-discipline when posting on the Net. In other words, one needs to think through the long-range consequences of each post one makes before posting. This way one will be communicating consciously and will be advancing—not hurting—one's business and personal interests.

The Wild Wild Web: who really knows its underlying structure? To be sure, some technical experts do—particularly those who build and expand it. But most people do not know the exact structure of the Internet and World Wide Web.

Basically, the Internet is an electronic medium that transfers text, graphics, audio, and video via compressed data, i.e., bytes of data. The computer converts those bytes of data into text, graphics, and so on. The computer user easily recognizes the final output of information on the computer screen. When a computer user sends a message to another computer user, whether across the room or across the world, the computer converts recognizable information into bytes. Once information is converted into bytes, it races through telephone lines, fiber optic cables, servers, sometimes satellite transmitters/receivers, and to the other person's computer. The other person's computer then converts those bytes into a recognizable form such as text or video.

True, the Internet is a super-efficient communication device one can use to communicate with family, friends, lovers, and others. But the great—and as yet untapped—value of the Internet is its potential for generating limitless wealth.

Thus, the underlying value of the Internet is its open-ended capacity for business. The following principles for building a successful web site can increase traffic to one's web site and convert visitors into customers:

* Make the web site easy to navigate
* Make the material on the web site easy to understand
* Make the web site visually attractive
* Make the web site interesting
* Use both text and graphics, along with some audio and video clips
* Provide up-to-date material at the web site
* Use compelling client-centered benefits on the home page and throughout the web site
* Offer fresh, free, valuable information to attract visitors
* Set and achieve numerical goals such as number of monthly visitors, sales, etc.
* Integrate logic, honesty, and creativity with marketing techniques to persuade people to visit the web site and purchase products now
* Make ordering products easy for customers
* Aggressively and constantly promote the web site
* Integrate appropriate new technologies into the web site
* Offer a search engine for visitors so they can quickly find what they want
* Use universally-understood grammar and vocabulary throughout the web site
* Offer web site visitors universal values to attract the widest audience
* Arrange web page links in a logical yet creative order
* Give visitors an overview of the web site once they enter it so they know what to expect
* Pump life into the web site with brilliant colors, cool pictures, powerful information, up-to-date material, moving graphics, and new technologies.

Throughout history, professional value destroyers have ruled planet Earth. Using arbitrary laws and physical force, they literally ran the world. Since the rise of the traditional mind early in the first millennium BC to the fall of the traditional mind early in the third millennium AD, value destroyers controlled all.

Producing values under the reign of value destroyers is like living in hell. Professional value destroyers can violate each producer's individual-and-property rights at any time for any reason. Professional value producers not only sustain and advance everyone's life, but they endure relentless attacks from parasitical elites and professional value destroyers.

But now, with the rise of the perfect mind and body, along with their existential expression: Advanced Man, parasitical elites and professional value destroyers are finished. Moreover, professional value producers will be eternally protected.

Yes, professional parasites, thieves, and murderers will meet Advanced Man just as prehistoric man encountered Traditional Man shortly after the Trojan War. Traditional Man took control over prehistoric man about three millennia ago. Now, today, all value destroyers must and will meet Advanced Man in the final battle between good and evil: Armageddon. Today's changes in business, science, technology, communications, longevity, and social structure has its roots in the collapse of the old order, which will be met by the rise of the new order.

What is the old and new order? These two orders or power systems can best be understood through the following comparison.

Professional value destroyers operate from the old power system. They operate within the AC System. But the birth of the new power system marks the end of the old power system. The new power system is the C-of-U System. The result is that professional value destroyers—i.e., politician-paid thieves and murderers—will lose their platform of false power from which they usurp and destroy. All value destroyers on earth will fall ignominiously and be forgotten forever.

Professional value producers—especially outstanding entrepreneurs—will be heralded as the providers of goods, services, jobs, wealth, knowledge, happiness, and immortality. People around the world will recognize and praise the heroic nature of outstanding value producers and their great values. Instead of being attacked and killed, they will be esteemed and protected eternally.

The rise of Advanced Man and the C-of-U System make this the best time in history to be a value producer. Conversely, this is the worst time in history to be a value destroyer.

Someday citizens of the universe with roots traceable to earth will stand among the galaxies and explode black holes or subatomic particles to create new galaxies and universes. Those people with stellar minds and immortal bodies will be the originators of entirely new realms of prosperity—unimaginable prosperity for any citizen of the anticivilization.

Giving birth to galaxies and universes causes countless new worlds of prosperity to arise throughout existence. Those with the knowledge and technology to unleash prosperity on such a grand scale are light-years ahead of anyone on earth today. But people on planet Earth can create explosions of prosperity within their current knowledge and technology.

For example, launching a new business enterprise enables one person to produce and market values that can benefit millions of people around the globe. Such far-reaching, life-lifting actions generate immense prosperity for the entrepreneur, his employees, suppliers, and customers. Perhaps not everyone is suited to be an entrepreneur. But everyone can prosper greatly by advancing the work of free-market entrepreneurs.

A common myth that circulates throughout the anticivilization is that certain people who excel in their work are born with their abilities. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

For example, many people would say that Michael Jordan and Madonna were born to do what they do. Many people erroneously assume that these and other similar people are luckily born with greatness and can succeed almost without effort. But the facts reveal the exact opposite. These and similar people must work several hours each day for many years or decades before they achieve worldwide fame. In reality, they are not born with automatic greatness. They earn it by exerting tremendous effort across an enormous span of time.

The same principle applies to businesspeople. A widespread error is that certain people are natural-born salespersons, financiers, or marketers. This myth comforts many people who do not exert the hard effort required to excel in business. Such people use this myth to rationalize low-effort activities that lead to mediocrity at best. When a superstar comes along in their field, whether he is a Tiger Woods or she is a Hetty Green, people conveniently revert to the old effort-breaking cliché: He's a born salesman, golfer, businessman, or whatever.

Business success requires rational thought and intelligent action. It never comes automatically, despite all the non sequiturs crammed into everyone's head. Neither does business success come by chance or luck. Continuous success in the free market is an admiral achievement.

When a person breaks the illusion that certain people are cut out for business while others are not, he might feel slightly bewildered. But he will eventually realize that business is open to almost anyone. In fact, business is a wide-open dynamic in which nearly everyone can participate and achieve success.

Yet, in order to succeed in business, one needs to prepare oneself. Perhaps the most liberating thing is that one can learn what one needs to know. One can learn how to use computers, how to thrive on the Internet, how to market, how to sell, how to manage a business, and more. Yes, one can learn and develop the skills of a successful businessperson. This is not easy. But it will deliver lifelong security. Then one can thrive financially and materially almost anywhere at anytime.

One can have a great product, but if one's customers are not deriving value from it, then that product is not worth much to the customer. How does one get the customer to use one's product as a value? The answer is through marketing and customer service.

Marketing consists of letting the prospect know one has a value. In essence, one says, "Here is a value, and you'll be much better off if you get it now." In marketing, one shows the prospect specific ways he will benefit by using the product. Marketing also consists of providing a way for the prospect to purchase one's product through an order form, telephone number, or other method. The goal of marketing is to persuade the prospect to take immediate action and buy one's product.

Now the customer owns the product. In some cases, however, the customer has difficulty using the product as a value, which occurs, for example, with VCRs and computers. The customer learned about one's product, got interested in it, and purchased it. But what if the customer does not know how to derive the maximum value from it. What happens next?

One provides customer service and support. When customers say they are having difficulty using the product, one has a golden opportunity. One can show customers exactly how to use the product as a value. And one can do this using a one-on-one approach. This way one will be sure that customers use the product as a value. Customer service also provides valuable feedback that enables one to improve one's products, marketing, and customer service, which can make future products better and easier to use.

A person can get rich when he is able to sell his products through all available mediums. Rather than specializing in telesales or selling over the radio for example, one can experience an explosion of wealth by selling through several mediums. The mediums currently available to sell products include:

• Person-to-person sales
• Group sales such as selling a product at a seminar
• Telephone sales
• Radio sales
• Television sales via commercials and infomercials
• Space ads in newspapers and magazines
• Direct mail sales via letters and catalogs
• Internet sales via web sites and email
• In-store display sales
• Sales representatives

Here is a brief look at each one of these mediums and methods for selling products.

Person-to-person sales: This is one-on-one selling. One needs to develop on-your-feet persuasion techniques for this type of selling. There really are just a few steps one needs to master to successfully sell one-on-one. These steps include qualifying the prospect, building interest, showing the prospect exactly how she will benefit from the product, asking for the order, handling objections, and closing the sale. These steps are not always easy. But they can be habituated through practice.

Group sales: The key to successful group sales is to match the audience with one's product. This is not hard to do. For example, if one is selling landscaping services, one can give a talk about home landscaping. Everyone who shows up will be interested in landscaping. Then, during the presentation and at its close, one can promote one's services and tell the audience how they can get one's services, e.g., fill out a form, get a business card, or talk with a representative.

Telephone sales: The four keys to telephone sales are a relevant prospect list, a prepared script, persuasion skills, and practice. Telephone sales require calling people who have a need for one's product, regardless if they know it or not. It requires that one use a planned sales pitch. Extemporaneous sales pitches will get some sales, but the most efficient route to telesales is to know exactly what one is going to say before one calls anyone. Developed persuasion skills will get one past customer objections, i.e., price, timing, and so on. And practice lets one develop one's own style, voice quality, confidence, and approach.

Radio sales: Again, matching the audience with one's product is crucial to successfully sell on the radio. Also, one usually does not have a lot of time on the air, so one needs to master the art of communicating one's message with brevity, clarity, and appeal.

Television sales: Creating a compelling yet logical commercial or infomercial is probably the best way to sell via TV. This means that one needs to be persuasive with one's commercial. One also needs to know exactly who is one's market. Then one needs to sell directly to these viewers rather than trying to sell to all TV viewers.

Space ads: In many cases, space ads in newspapers and magazines provide little room for ads. This means that one needs to know how to create ads that get prospects to buy or request more information using relatively few words. Targeting one's ads to relevant viewers is crucial. And so is tracking one's responses. Once one knows which ads produce the best results, one can replicate those ads in other newspapers and magazines.

Direct mail: Selling through the mail requires that one markets to a specific audience, creates compelling copy, makes an irresistible offer, tracks the results, and then uses only the profitable campaigns. Really, when one learns how to write motivating marketing brochures, letters, and other copy, direct-mail selling can become fun, even exciting.

Internet sales: Aggressive promotion is the key to selling on the Internet. The timeless principles of marketing apply to selling on the Internet. However, the Internet offers something no other medium has ever offered: unlimited space to explain, motivate, persuade, and ask for the order. This does not imply that one needs to use hundreds of web pages to sell a product. But one is not restricted to brief ads or scripts, as is the case with traditional mediums.

In-store display sales: One can let one's product sell itself via in-store displays. First, one needs to put one's product in appropriate stores. Then one needs to merchandise one's product in a way that catches the prospect's attention and compels them to buy it. For example, if one has a book for sale at a store, one can display it so the cover, not the spine, faces prospects.

Sales representatives: This is where one trains or hires a sales force to sell one's product, although one usually directs the sales campaign. Using sales representatives lets one multiply one's effort greatly. But managing an effective sales force requires considerable resources, i.e., thought, time, money, and effort.

Business is among the most difficult activities in which conscious beings can engage. It requires wide-ranging conceptual thought more so than any other subject, including science and philosophy. Business constantly demands the best from each person who participates in the marketplace. Those who do not consistently give their best in business eventually find themselves out of business.

Getting into business is much harder and much more complex than learning how to read and write. Yet, learning how to read and write requires years of high-level effort. Learning how to succeed in business takes even longer. It may take many years, in some cases decades, to become a business success. "Overnight business success" on average requires fifteen years of hard work.

What is business? It is the competitive production and marketing of goods and services to other people. Of what does business consist? Business consists of research, production, marketing, distribution, order fulfillment, customer service, accounting, and management. Business unites raw materials, workers, time, money, effort, and conceptual thought to produce values that people need or want and will voluntarily purchase. Such values advance civilization, increasing everyone's level of prosperity, well-being, and happiness.

Most important, business is fun. True, business is very demanding and relentless. Yet, one can experience more long-range fun and joy in business than one can in almost any other activity. The exception would be a romantic-love relationship. Romantic love can provide one with unmatched feelings of pleasure, joy, and fulfillment. But, the foundation for a lasting romantic-love relationship is productive work, which is usually a part of business.

The key to having fun in business is being in control of one's own life. This means controlling one's own time, choosing one's own mission, setting and achieving one's own goals, doing one's own work, and earning one's own rewards. Lack of experience and knowledge is no hindrance to enjoying business. One lacked experience and knowledge in many things one started. Yet after awhile, one gained experience and knowledge. And gaining experience and knowledge can become a joy if it leads to an easier, wealthier life.

As one figures out what one is doing in business—that is, as one begins mastering the art of business—one can bring in a level of creativity that makes business genuinely fun. At first, uncertainties and inexperience will probably inhibit oneself from integrating playfulness and creativity into business. But, after one knows what one is doing, one can blend creativity into one's work. Suddenly, one finds oneself turning business into an art. This is the point where business transforms from being a chore into being fun. If one sticks with business, like anything else in life, one will master it. And when that happens, one can bring in one's own unique style and creativity. Then one will soar in business and in life.

Finding an established market and delivering values to it is much easier than creating a brand new market. To serve an established market, one has to identify a current market and find out its purchasing patterns. Then one needs to figure out how to serve the market with a similar or related product.

Creating a new market is tremendously difficult; it often requires many years or decades. For example, Thomas Edison did not simply bring a new type of kerosene lamp to homeowners. He brought electricity and the incandescent light bulb. There were no established markets for Mr. Edison to satisfy. He had to start from scratch. He had to invent the bulb, create power generators, erect wiring, harness electricity, acquire capital, and sell the public on the value of electric lighting over kerosene lighting. This is a complex, heroic, extraordinarily difficult, and risky activity. But creating new markets, not simply serving existing markets, greatly advances the prosperity and happiness of conscious beings and their civilization.

Value production requires continuous high effort. Value destruction requires little or no effort.

To understand the continuous high effort inherent in value production, one can look at the construction of a house. Building a house requires:

• An architect to produce the house plans
• An engineer to develop the mechanical and electrical plans
• A building contractor to coordinate the construction
• Subcontractors to build the basement, walls, roof, exterior, and interior.
• A landscape designer to design and install the landscape
• A driveway contractor to install the driveway

Each of the above individuals has to integrate their thought and effort with time to produce the value: a house.

Now, contrast this with the low effort inherent in value destruction. Look at the destruction of a house. To destroy a home, one simply has to set it on fire, blow it up, or smash it with a wrecking ball. Producing the house can take several months from design to completion. But destroying the house can occur in a day. The above example illustrates the nature of value production and value destruction. Value production is a high-effort activity that requires sustained thought and action, while value destruction is a low-effort activity that requires relatively little thought and action.

The specialized mind asserts, "I can't do that; it's not my job," or "I'm not good at that; I'll have someone else do it." Since nearly all jobs in the anticivilization are specialized, along with everyone's education, this is not surprising. But specialization obviates wealth creation. It also leads to unbearable boredom and stagnation.

Breaking out of specialization is profoundly liberating. It is somewhat like Traditional Man evolving into Advanced Man. The attitude needed to break out of specialization is "I will do it no matter how tough the task is—even if I currently do not know how to do it." By holding such an effort-based attitude, anyone can break out of the specialization trap.

What happens after one breaks out of the narrow specialization mode? One goes directly into the wide-open integrating mode. That's right; one begins to conceptually integrate knowledge and the numbers of business. And this is the key to limitless power, prosperity, romance, and happiness. Specialization becomes a thing of the past while integration becomes the route to one's future.

What dynamic is now driving individuals out of specialization? Survival. As the anticivilization yields to the unyielding Local Group and then to the Civilization of the Universe, specialization will fade away, never to return to planet Earth. Integrating minds will rise and take control of all the money, power, and sex on planet Earth.

Consider how nearly all of today's businesses are specialized into departments and dead-end jobs that are removed from generating wealth. An employee might, for instance, operate a punch press on an assembly line or enter data into a computer. This person will do such a job until she either gets promoted or quits. Such a person is locked into specialization, unable to integrate knowledge and the numbers of business.

As this person breaks out of specialization, she discovers a whole new realm of conscious life. She produces values, markets those values, distributes those values, does the accounting, manages the operations, provides customer service, and conducts research. Yes, this person begins to integrate on ever-wider scales of knowledge, beginning slowly at first. Furthermore, over time, this person begins to generate real wealth. Her income increases like the expansion of the universe. Her income shifts from an arithmetic increase to an exponential increase—from $2,000 a month to $52,000,000 a month. Such a person inexorably discovers a financial-and-material paradise on earth upon breaking out of specialization.

First, earth-beings encountered the Internet, which was originated by the Department of Defense. Next, they encountered the World Wide Web, which was originated by Timothy Berners-Lee. Now, with technological wizards at work, everyone will see cyberspace explode into their daily lives.

For example, the development of Web TV enables cyberspace to penetrate most people's homes—even homes without computers. Or, future technology might support the broadcasting of cyberspace across the airwaves to people's radios.

The principle here is that cyberspace will permeate everyone's life eventually, regardless if they own a computer. Cyberspace could take over not just computer networks, but television, radio, telephones, and more. Technological wizards are now at work around the world. Who knows what they will invent next? For now, however, current trends indicate that cyberspace will become a part of everyone's life.

Once a business is generating a profit, the principals of the company have a crucial decision to make. They can either spend their company's profit or invest it. All too often, owners or principals of new companies are cash hungry. As soon as a company begins to prosper, owners or principals want to spend the profit.

They might engage in conspicuous consumption by spending their profit on expensive vehicles, plush office space, or similar items. But, such people eventually discover that their businesses fall behind competitors who invest profit back into the company.

Investing profit back into the company is a good move. By consistently increasing one's ability to produce ever-greater values for ever-larger markets, one's business can experience increasing prosperity. That increasing prosperity comes from one's ability to serve more people more efficiently. Examples of investing profit back into the company include upgrading the company's computer system or hiring highly-skilled people to improve key areas in the company.

The temptation to spend profit from one's business may be irresistible at times. But the competition is never far behind. The toughest, smartest competitors will invest profit back into their company. To stay ahead of the competition, one needs to invest—not spend—the profit from one's company.

If one does not want one's business to grow any bigger, one can invest profit into, say, the stocks of other corporations. The principle here is to invest—not consume—the profit from one's enterprise to steadily increase the prosperity of one's business and its recipients.

The Internet is not a profit center for most companies today. However, cyberspace is the next frontier for business. Eventually, most businesspeople will operate in cyberspace with their own cyber-world of value production and wealth creation.

Right now, very few web sites generate a profit. Web sites like Amazon.com and FedEx.com are probably earning or saving more money than they cost. But for the vast majority of companies on the Web today, the Internet has not delivered much profit.

This means few if any people really know how to profit in cyberspace. And this implies that individuals who venture into cyberspace are essentially alone in their attempt to generate cyber-profit. There are no "Gospels of Cyberspace Wealth" yet. Someday, certain individuals probably will elucidate the tried-and-tested universal principles of cyber-profit. But today, the Internet is too new and unexplored.

Thus, today, those working to generate profit on the World Wide Web are pioneers. They are the ones who are blazing new trails through cyberspace in hopes of discovering unknown riches. Followers will emulate their successes once such pioneers blaze the trails to cyber-profit.

The direct-mail industry is an analogy. Until the 1950s, few people used direct-mail marketing. At that time, there were essentially no books, tapes, or courses on how to successfully market products or services via direct mail. Then, pioneering individuals such as Tyler Hicks, Melvin Powers, and Lillian Vernon began blazing trails in direct-mail marketing. Others began duplicating these pioneers' successes. Finally, books, tapes, and courses were developed and produced that show anyone how to profit via direct-mail marketing.

So, the Internet is open to anyone who can plumb profit from it. Today, few people really know the "secrets to cyber-profits." But as individuals figure out how to profit in cyberspace, books, tapes, and courses will appear to show people how to generate profit on the Internet.

Today, individuals such as Jay Gould and John D. Rockefeller are considered to be "Robber Barons." That is, these and similar men were supposed to be villains that robbed money from innocent people. This widely circulated notion is the opposite of the facts.

Envious people and demagogues saw the larger-than-life success these men achieved. Such envious and life-hating people wanted to smash the success of these and similar men. With nihilistic desires, envious people planned to ruin the Industrial Age giants by giving them a bad name. The envy-mongers dreamt up and applied the term "Robber Baron" to super successful industrialists.

In reality, however, giants like Gould and Rockefeller never robbed anyone. Their business and personal practices were scrupulous and honest. They operated via the trader principle. They gave equal value for the money they received. In fact, these and similar giants of business are the benefactors of all mankind. Yes, these men produced life-sustaining values on which everyone's survival depended.

Jay Gould, the nineteenth century entrepreneur, was a financier and railroad magnate. He operated Western Union, built up portions of the stock market, and managed the Union Pacific railroad line. He amassed perhaps more than $100,000,000 in personal wealth. But none of this money came via force or fraud. Jay Gould earned every penny he received.

John D. Rockefeller, who was also a nineteenth century entrepreneur, was an oil magnate. He built and managed Standard Oil. His personal fortune climbed to perhaps $1,000,000,000 during his lifetime. Rockefeller, too, earned every penny he received.

To be sure, these market businessmen were razor-sharp in their dealings with others. They did not make sloppy or wavering business deals. Instead, they were careful and uncompromising in their business dealings. But they were also honest and just. They understood that the only way to achieve lasting business success was to be honest in all their dealings. By applying this philosophy throughout their careers, they became fabulously successful and wealthy.

Comparing these two men reveals something interesting. Gould was less mystical in his personal life than Rockefeller. But Rockefeller was more competitive in business. For example, Jay Gould dismissed altruistic scams and religious frauds. He wasted little if any of his resources on these and similar hoaxes. Instead, he focused all his resources on making his business ventures more efficient and profitable.

On the other hand, John D. Rockefeller did fall for altruistic scams and religious frauds. He had a religious upbringing and was taught at an early age to tithe regularly. He carried this error into adulthood and ended up giving away $550,000,000 while he was alive and much more after he died. Personal mysticism and altruism were John D. Rockefeller's negative points. But despite his mystical errors, he was perhaps the greatest value producer of all time...until the rise of Bill Gates. He was America's first billionaire and provided a cornucopia of jobs, values, and wealth to others. But these are not his only contributions to the world. He also developed the business organization.

Yes, John D. Rockefeller developed the business organization—a managerial structure that enabled men to work in unison to gain maximum leverage from their efforts. Such a business organization did not exist before Rockefeller's time. The organization exemplified by Standard Oil enabled men to work together to build an immense empire and astounding riches. Ever since, many businesses knowingly or unknowingly used Rockefeller's business model. This enabled people to create unprecedented levels of financial-and-material prosperity. Nathaniel Branden correctly states that "One of the greatest innovations in the history of the world was the idea of the organization, because this is what allows people to accomplish all kinds of things which they couldn't accomplish on their own." (Reference: Succeeding Through Inner Strength, Nathaniel Branden, Nightingale Conant, 1992)

The alphabet, Arabic numerals, Euclidean geometry, calculus, perspective, cameras, combustion engines, radios, and computers were all great values brought to mankind by heroic individuals. These and similar values advance the prosperity and happiness of everyone.

But a few values are so grand and all encompassing that they tower above everything else. Objectivism, for instance, is such an all-encompassing value; it is the foundation for a rational civilization. It will increase the prosperity and happiness of individuals everywhere.

Today, there is a brand new value that is perhaps the greatest of all: The World Wide Web. Developed by computer genius Timothy Berners-Lee, this value will boost everyone's prosperity and happiness eternally. Timothy Berners-Lee's work will not only make people like Marc Andreessen incredibly rich; his work will make everyone rich. Furthermore, Berners-Lee's work will deliver eternal freedom, protection, and life for everyone.

Timothy Berners-Lee single-handedly developed this tremendous value—the World Wide Web. He developed the Hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), the uniform resource locator (URL), and the HyperText Markup Language (HTML). Those developments enable people to communicate with each other instantaneously through computers and other information appliances.

HTTP is a protocol used for transferring electronic documents between computers. This protocol enables web browsers to find and retrieve an unlimited number of documents, pictures, and videos. As stated above, HTTP stands for Hypertext transfer protocol.

URL is the address of a web site. It is like a telephone number; it will bring one directly to a specific web site. Again, URL stands for uniform resource locator.

HTML is the language of the World Wide Web. It allows people to post and read electronic documents on the Internet. HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language.

Yes, Timothy Berners-Lee developed these technologies and released them in cyberspace. He named his creation the World Wide Web. And the Civilization of the Universe will overwhelm earth's anticivilization through the World Wide Web and similar technologies.

Plato's parasitical-elite class and their professional value destroyers cannot survive in cyberspace. Usurpers and murderers will become extinct. The criminal mind becomes mortally entangled in cyberspace matrices for all to see. In fact, cyberspace vanishes purposely harmful people. And cyberspace flourishes rational, productive people. It delivers escalating prosperity, happiness, and life to all honest, productive people eternally.

What is a powerful wealth generator? A marketing machine.

A marketing machine is the arm of a business that:

* Educates people about the product a business offers
* Tells people precisely how they will benefit by purchasing the product
* Provides people with a specific way to buy the product

This is what a marketing machine does. It operates both in and out of cyberspace. In cyberspace, marketing occurs through email, newsgroups, chat rooms, web sites, and Internet classified ads. Outside cyberspace, marketing occurs through regular mail, radio, television, newspapers, magazines, telephones, and person-to-person interaction.

The essence of marketing is the same no matter how one markets products or services. That essence consists of getting prospects to buy one's products and services now! No other reason exists for marketing. Marketing is not about educating or entertaining people per se, although this does happen in many cases. The main thrust of marketing is to tell people, "Here is a product, here is how you will benefit from it, and here is how you can get these benefits right now."

Marketing is an indispensable act that keeps a business running and growing. It brings in new customers and cultivates repeat customers. Without marketing, a business will eventually die.

Marketing requires a creative strategy. It also needs to be done every day. This is not an activity one can do for a month or a year and then say, in essence, "I've done enough marketing. I think I'll stop and do something different for awhile." Again, if one stops marketing, one's business will eventually die.

What is the reward for all this work? First, one has to realize that not everyone is willing to engage in marketing and the continuous effort it requires. But for those who do engage in marketing, the rewards can range from a thriving business to personal prosperity to liberating autonomy.

Millions of people try to get rich. But very few achieve this seemingly elusive goal. Yet, most people who try to get rich do not know that marketing is the key to generating great wealth. Consistent, effective marketing is the tool that brings in money, regardless of what business one might be in. Today, most people have not yet grasped this "secret" of wealth.

As competitive pressures mount, people will begin to understand the value of marketing—and how to do it effectively. When that happens—when large amounts of people understand and engage in marketing—everyone's prosperity and well-being will skyrocket.

Businesses exist to create and market goods and services. To accomplish this, businesses must profit from their activities. They must capture a certain percentage of the market and generate more income than expense.

This is very hard work. Profiting in business requires that one integrate many things: research, production, marketing, managerial, and more. Earning profit and gaining market share do not come from acting unconsciously; they come from focused effort.

Some people try to avoid the high effort inherent in a profit-generating business. To cover up their avoidance of sustained effort, certain people seek acclaim and awards. By receiving acclaim and awards, they can "justify" their positions in business. They can use their acclaim and awards as "proof" of their viability.

To be sure, there is nothing wrong with receiving acclaim and awards. Many businesspeople rightly receive acclaim and awards. But the primary focus of free-market businesspeople consists of increasing market share and company profits, not seeking praise and awards.

In reality, a businessperson's efficacy consists of his or her ability to profitably create and market values. Winning awards and praise are only a secondary consideration; they are an effect. Increasing market share and profit, not praise and awards, is what enables businesses to continue producing and marketing values to evermore people. And this is what raises the level of affluence and happiness for all human beings.

Webonomics is the study of the principles of doing business on the World Wide Web. Webonomics was first revealed by Evan I. Schwartz in an article titled Advertising Webonomics 101 in the February 1996 issue of Wired magazine. Then in 1997, Evan I. Schwartz expanded his article into a book titled Webonomics.

As explained by Schwartz, webonomics consists of key principles for succeeding on the World Wide Web. A few of these principles parallel business practices in the traditional world. But many are new.

The primary value in cyberspace is information. This is the distinguishing factor for the Internet. The ability to create and add value on the web comes from delivering information to consumers. This information might help consumers make a purchasing decision, let them know of upcoming events, and so on. In cyberspace, as contrasted with traditional mediums, there is no limit to the amount of information one can deliver to customers and prospects.

Companies that deal with software, computers, news, knowledge, and information are doing the best on the web right now. But eventually, nearly all businesses will have a web presence. The competitive advantages are too great not to be on the web. For example, the web offers companies a low-cost method of interacting with customers. It also allows companies to set up self-service systems for their customers. Research shows that today's consumer values self-service, such as the ability to track packages, check billing discrepancies, read product testimonials, and order products—all online.

Webonomics also explains the push/pull dynamics that are available on the web. "Push" is the ability of companies to push their information to their customers' computers, typically in the form of an opening screen that contains information and advertisements. "Pull" is the ability of customers and prospects to go to a company's web site and pull information back to their own computers. Push/pull technology is a part of the new web economy.

Another aspect of webonomics is the creation of virtual communities. Many businesses can benefit by creating a community where customers and prospects can "hang out". In these virtual communities, people can post relevant news, chat with each other, make recommendations, and meet new people. In traditional mediums, this is difficult if not impossible. But the web easily accommodates these activities. Virtual communities are another way for businesses to serve their customers.

The web offers several other benefits to businesses and consumers, such as the ability to:

• Update information immediately


• Obviate printing and mailing costs


• Get immediate customer feedback


• Have an international presence—even from a home-based business.

In essence, webonomics explains the principles of the new web economy. And the web economy will eventually impact everyone's life.

Great writing is both an art and a skill. As such, it requires certain fundamentals. The following list reveals eight keys for great writing.

1. Valid epistemology. No doubt about it: this is the starting point for great writing. Without an explicit, valid epistemology, one is essentially operating in the dark—cognitively speaking. One blends facts with mysticism to produce partially valid written works. But upon developing a valid epistemology, one integrates open-ended concepts and ideas into information-rich writing. In short, valid epistemology, which is reality-based principled thinking, supercharges one's writing by compressing maximum knowledge into minimum words, sentences, and paragraphs.

2. Mystic-free psychology. This is vital for great writing and it shows in one's work. Such a psychology is not hampered by mysticism. A mystic-free psychology lets one freely peruse all the material in one's subconscious. It also enables one to make striking identifications and breakthroughs. This is crucial for limitless creativity.

3. Undivided honesty. Without undivided honesty, one's thinking and writing remain trapped in closed circles of rationalizations. With undivided honesty, one breaks into wide-open thinking and writing. This reduces to one alternative: static versus dynamic writing. Breaches in honesty culminate in static and erroneous writing while unbreached honesty culminates in dynamically valid writing.

4. Mastery of grammar. This is no surprise. One can begin by mastering the principles of grammar instead of getting lost in all the minutiae. With a clear understanding of the fundamentals of grammar, one has a solid base on which to continually refine one's knowledge of grammar.

5. Mastery of the mechanics of writing. Again, this is no surprise. The ability to form coherent sentences and paragraphs is essential for great writing. One can also develop powerful skills such as predominantly using action words, delimiting subject matter within each paragraph, editing one's writing so it reads smoothly, and so on.

6. Broad base of knowledge. This separates one's work from the crowd. With a vast base of knowledge—i.e., knowledge of philosophy, literature, psychology, science, technology, business, art, and history—one can produce widely integrated writing, develop brilliant analogies, and increase one's readership. Simply stated, as one's knowledge expands, one's writing will become more potent and valuable.

7. Cultivate knowledge from cyberspace. Limitless access to facts and knowledge enables one to produce writing that is alive and growing. Yet, the pre-cyberspace world squelches facts and knowledge through force-backed frauds. In cyberspace, however, the dynamics of force and fraud are impotent and absurd; they cannot suppress knowledge. Thus, only in cyberspace is one able to access facts and knowledge without limits. Status-quo protectors, luddites, nihilists, mystics, and criminal minds become obsolete in cyberspace.

8. Practice writing every day. This is self-evident. Like an Olympic athlete, if one wants to produce great writing, one needs to practice every day. After several months or perhaps years, one will wake up and discover that one's writing is in fact great. In reality, there is no substitute for consistent effort.

These eight keys unlock the door to powerful and valuable writing. To be sure, they do not come automatically; nor are they easy to develop. But with them, one will turn out preeminent writing.

A common notion says that if one builds a better mousetrap, people will beat a path to one's door. This notion is misleading. In reality, getting one's product to others requires a strategy backed by continuous effort. Regardless how great one's product or service might be, one needs to repeatedly bring it to the public so they understand what one has for them, how they will benefit from it, and how they can buy it.

There is a key distinction concerning markets. One can bring one's product to existing markets and expand those markets. Or one can establish and develop entirely new markets.

Marketing products to existing markets is noticeably easier. One can duplicate methods that other successful businesses employ to bring their products to market. This requires far less thought and effort. One basically benefits by those who have gone before oneself.

But certain products require new markets. And developing new markets is incredibly difficult. This requires high-level integrated thinking and effort, usually across a long span of time. One cannot follow or benefit from someone who has gone before oneself because there is no such person. One is truly on one's own, forced to exercise independent thinking and judgment. One's own self is responsible for the success or failure of the venture.

The question, "Why create products that require new markets?" might come up. The answer is that mankind has to evolve; it cannot stagnate at its current level of prosperity. In order that conscious life continues to flourish, new products and services must continually be brought into the world. And some of those products will not have existing markets. Thus, entrepreneurs have to work very hard to establish and develop entirely new markets.

Those who successfully establish new markets receive rewards commensurate to their effort. They become financially and psychologically enriched. Such people will profit materially and spiritually for the rest of their life.

Before establishing a new market, one needs to know that one's product fulfills a real need. Then one has to identify the people who will benefit from one's product. Next, one needs to find out who among them can afford one's product and exactly how one can reach these people. Finally, one has to contact them in a persuasive manner—repeatedly—until they buy the product.

As one begins cultivating a new market, one will learn who is buying the product, why they are buying it, and how to reach more prospects. The more products one sells, the more knowledge one gains. And that knowledge enables one to expand one's business. This process culminates in limitless prosperity for oneself and one's customers.

Prospect to CEO? What are we talking about? We are talking about the flow of people in a business. Business prospects are the beginning point; CEO is the final destination.

The following list shows the flow of people in a business.

1. Prospects
2. Customers
3. Distributors
4. Employees
5. Management
6. CEO

Some prospects result in customers. Some customers result in distributors. And so on. For example, a business seeks out prospects for its products. Those prospects are people who could become customers. The business surveys its market to determine who are prospects: who wants or needs the product and can pay for it? Then the business works to convert prospects into customers. Not all prospects become customers, but hopefully some do.

Next, some of the customers—those customers who are enthusiastic about the business and its products—become distributors. Those distributors are the transmission-belt between the business's product and consumers.

Some customers and distributors decide to become employees of the business. This usually happens if the customers and distributors really like the business.

Some employees evolve into management that takes care of day-to-day operations. This occurs through advancements within the company.

Finally, an individual from management becomes the leader of the business—the Chief Executive Officer: the CEO. This completes the flow of people in a business.

In practice, there are many exceptions to this flow. For example, it does not occur in certain businesses, notably family businesses. Also, management and CEOs sometimes are recruited from outside a company. But this flow is applicable in those cases where a customer falls in love with a company's product, joins the company, and rises to the top. The glue that binds a person's rise to the top is enthusiasm. Some prospects become enthusiastic customers. Some customers become enthusiastic distributors. Some customers and distributors become enthusiastic employees. And so on.

Even though many exceptions do exist, the above dynamics give one a broad view of people in a business context, i.e., how they fit into the overall scheme of business.

Man's method of transportation has undergone a remarkable evolution. Today, that evolution is a revolution.

In his earliest days, after he came down from the trees, man's method of transportation was walking and running. That is to say, man used his feet as his only form of locomotion.

Later, as man advanced, he harnessed animals to fulfill his transportation needs. He figured out that he could ride on the backs of horses, donkeys, elephants, and camels. This greatly improved man's ability to transport himself and his goods.

Next came animal-drawn wagons. Here man used animal power to carry himself and his goods on carts rather than riding directly on the back of animals. This was a more efficient process of transportation than previous methods.

Then came the discovery of boats. Such a form of transportation let man traverse large bodies of water. To be sure, these initial boats were crude, human-powered vessels.

Then man invented the steam-powered engine that made its way into various applications. Among those applications was the steamship.

Soon, locomotive trains appeared. Then the bicycle appeared, which provided individualized transportation.

Finally, man invented the internal combustion engine. That made possible automobiles, motorcycles, modern boats, and more. Man could transport himself and his goods very efficiently using gasoline-powered cars and other motor vehicles.

Next came the airplane with its turbojet engine. Such transportation literally opened up the world to man, letting him transport his person and goods virtually anywhere. The airplane reduced travel time between any two points on earth to hours instead of days or weeks.

Later, Magnetic Levitation trains were developed to provide clean, efficient transportation for people around the world. This is a much more efficient form of transportation than steam-engine locomotives.

Now man has a new form of transportation poised to dominate the future. That is the Internet and World Wide Web, also known as cyberspace. The great work of the Department of Defense and Tim Berners-Lee gave rise to cyberspace. Technically, man does not physically travel through cyberspace. But he does transport knowledge, information, pictures, photographs, audio clips, and video clips through cyberspace. This drastically reduces the need to use existing forms of transportation. Why? Man can now engage in numerous activities—e.g., work, shop, and meet people—in cyberspace without having to traverse physical space.

In the future, man will probably transport his person and property via instant electronic transfer, somewhat like what happens in Star Trek. This will further increase the efficiency of man's transportation. But for now, man will optimize his newest tool: cyberspace.

There are basically three components of commercially successful books, tapes, and related information products. Those three components are (1) study notes, (2) journal work, and (3) the commercial product itself. The following is a description of each of these components.

1. Study Notes: This is the foundation for commercial knowledge products. One engages in research, usually by reading books, listening to tapes, attending lectures, surfing the Net, and so on. During this research, one takes notes, which includes noting new concepts, valuable ideas, and relevant information. These notes become an invaluable source for one's knowledge products.

2. Journal Work: This is where one integrates one's research with one's own ideas to come up with new intellectual material. Such journal work might be done on loose sheets of paper, in a bound journal, or on a computer. Whatever the case may be, the object of journal work is to formulate new concepts, ideas, and knowledge to be used in the commercial product.

3. Commercial Product: In the case of a book, for example, one writes the book after one has conducted sufficient research and clarified one's own thoughts about the subject. Writing flows smoothly after one completes these steps. Why does this happen? Because one is clear about what one wants to say. One has the foundational knowledge and the basic formulations worked out. This last component consists of, in essence, formatting and editing one's material for commercial consumption. This means organizing and polishing the material into a compelling product.

In certain cases, a person can skip one of these components and still produce a commercial product. For instance, a person's journal work itself might become a commercially successful product—especially if that person is famous. But in most cases, utilizing all three of these components will culminate in the most powerful and valuable knowledge products.

What is the AC System? It is the power system of the anticivilization. It functions through purposely integrated dishonesty. Elements of the AC System include weapons, subjective laws, partial judges, political prisons, and cemeteries. Because of the AC System, every man and woman on planet Earth stagnates and then dies.

One does not need much knowledge to see that today's governments, religions, legal profession, media, and public education are integral parts of the AC System. What about business? How does the AC System affect business?

Essentially all businesses in the anticivilization structure themselves into specialized units that prevent workers from generating money. The AC System keeps workers from becoming rich or financially independent by subverting them into specialized jobs. These are dead-end jobs: they are remarkably boring, routine tasks that require little if any creative integration. These dead-end jobs prevent each worker from integrating the numbers of business to advance into new realms of value production and prosperity. Without the possibility of integrated thinking, workers stagnate—intellectually, psychologically, romantically, and financially. Then they die.

Those who lead and orchestrate the AC System cash in on the subversion of workers. How? Top-level management—in collusion with government—prevents everyone from rising with integrated power and challenging management's high-pay/low-effort existence. Top-level management purposely withholds vital knowledge and money from workers to insure they remain in a dependent following mode. Thus, management steadily profits from workers while financially chaining them to the status quo.

The effect of the AC System applied to business is specialization. The combination of government regulations and management's withholding of key information prevents workers from discovering integrated thinking. As a result, workers go into the specialized mode of survival. Once in this mode, they cannot discover genuine power, limitless wealth, abiding romance, and profound happiness. Instead, workers remain dependent on top-level management for their physical and psychological survival.

However, top-level management is not immoral for specializing workers. They do not initiate force, threat of force, or fraud against workers. Each worker has the choice to continue working in the specialized job or walking out. The immoral agents in this case are government leaders and bureaucrats who initiate force and coercion against those who break out of specialization and rise through integrated thinking. Government smashes these independent businesspeople via beautiful-sounding non sequiturs that are ingrained in everyone's mind. Such non sequiturs include the "legitimacy" of regulations, the notion of higher authorities, "harmful" immigration, and similar fallacies. These non sequiturs fulfill one overall mission: keep workers specialized so they remain dependent on the A C System.

How can one bypass the above scenario? Simple. One can develop the perfect mind and body. By recognizing the absurdity of the AC System, anyone can separate from it. Once free, one will tap into the unlimited power that flows from the perfect mind. And when that happens, one will control reality for permanently prosperity and happiness.

Ideas as such are not worth much to anyone, despite non sequiturs to the contrary. Why is this so? Because essentially anyone with a functioning brain can come up with ideas. The value of ideas arises when a person integrates ideas into a commercial knowledge product and successfully markets that product to the broadest range of prospects.

Customers do not want to buy ideas or products per se. They want to buy a solution to a specific problem or something that will help them get what they want. That is why ideas by themselves are not enough to be successful in the marketplace. One needs to integrate ideas into a knowledge product and market that product to an appropriate audience.

In order to integrate ideas into a universal product, one needs a valid epistemology. With a valid epistemology—a fully developed conceptual faculty—one can form concepts and integrate those concepts into new knowledge without limits. This is the process of valid knowledge building and it is a genuine value. Valid knowledge building provides long-range values for individuals and society; it is the prime mover of the world.

Turning products into commercially successful values requires that one begin in the marketplace, not in some isolated room. Essentially every long-range commercially successful value arose from the free marketplace. Such intense, non-stop pressure drives out inefficiencies while driving in maximum value at minimum cost. This, for example, explains why tax-funded governments cannot offer citizens services they would voluntarily purchase in the free marketplace.

Beginning in the marketplace, one can determine market trends and opportunities. One can literally let the marketplace shape one's product. Then, through testing, one can refine the product and offer. To be sure, some products, no matter how diligently researched and developed, will not be commercially successful. This is not a tragedy. But, by operating with a financial bottom line and continuously testing products in the marketplace, one can turn products into commercially successful values. Great companies no doubt have created products that failed in the marketplace. But they have also created products that succeeded in the marketplace.

Take a landscape design as an example. An idea for a landscape design is of little value. One can make that idea more valuable by turning it into a complete landscape design. However, by converting that design into a presentation drawing, one makes it much more valuable. Finally, selling the landscape design to the customer and installing it is the value transfer, which is the ultimate purpose of the landscape design. At this point, a genuine value has been created: both the customer and designer benefit.

Likewise, one needs to integrate ideas into commercial products and market those products to appropriate people. From this perspective, knowledge products are the same as other products in the marketplace, e.g., clothes, computers, and cars. One would approach the production and marketing of knowledge products like one would approach the production and marketing of cars, houses, and so on.

Some people do not consider that a system of ideas—such as a philosophical system—can be a business product. Many people think that ideas need not be subjected to free-market dynamics to which other business products are subjected. What is the result? Ideas do not mature into valid business products on which new knowledge products can be built. Rather, such ideas stagnate. They become impotent; they fail to give offspring to evermore valuable knowledge products.

When this happens, originators of ideas usually end up living off followers via contributions, grants, and gifts. Such followers are subtly subverted into a following mode. This provides a steady income on which idea-people survive. These dynamics not only stagnate followers; they stagnate idea originators and their idea systems. This is entirely unnecessary.

As stated above, the typical yet well-camouflaged means of survival for idea generators is to live off follows. This turns idea generators into leaders. All such leader-follower and live-off-the-follower dynamics are dependency creating, stagnating, and incompatible with a rational civilization. In a rational civilization, each person is his own leader—a sovereign with no followers or leaders.

So, then, how can one generate much-needed ideas without compromising human relationships? The answer is for idea generators to live off knowledge products, not followers. This sounds simple enough, but this is hard work. Here is why:

An idea-only person can attract followers and persuade followers to support him or her. When this happens, the idea person is no longer subjected to the relentless yet healthy pressures of the free market. Thus the idea person, his ideas, and his followers can and do go anywhere—ranging from the notion of reincarnation a la Buddha to the notion of mass suicide a la Heaven's Gate. Such a survival mode requires little effort and produces few if any objective values.

Instead, an idea person needs to look at idea systems as one would look at any other business product. Thus, the idea person would need to generate ideas, integrate those ideas into a knowledge product, and then market that product to appropriate people. This is hard work. But so is producing any other commercial value, be it a refrigerator, television, computer, or truck.

Once the idea person has a commercial knowledge product, he or she can exchange it like any other business product. That is, the idea person can exchange the knowledge product for an equivalent amount of money. Such a dynamic (1) integrates the idea generator with the free market to produce the greatest values at the lowest cost and (2) enables the idea generator to live off the income of his products rather than contributions from sympathetic people.

The above point can easily be overlooked, but ultimately cannot be avoided. Because the forthcoming rational world is a business-based world, nearly everyone will be subjected to the dynamics of the competitive marketplace. Those that live off the income of their products will succeed. Those that attempt to live off the contributions of others will eventually fail.

What is the most moral act? Is it sacrificing oneself for the welfare of one's country? Does it reside in worshipping God? How about protecting the environment? No. All such acts are based on anticivilization protocols. These and similar actions lead to stagnation and then death.

What, then, is the most moral act? The most moral act is something that the Establishment—government, religion, the media, and public education—will never proclaim. The most moral act is not producing and delivering objective values to others, although this certainly is admiral and heroic. Nor is the most moral act creating traditional jobs for others. The most moral act is creating entrepreneurial jobs for others. And that act is more moral and beneficial than all the philosophical-and-religious edicts combined. Why? Because providing entrepreneurial jobs for others not only lets people survive, but lets them control their own destiny. Entrepreneurial jobs enable individuals to prosper in every area of their life. In short, such jobs liberate individuals to think, act, and survive using their own mind.

To be sure, many people will resist such jobs. Most people have non sequiturs drummed into their heads leading them to believe employers are responsible for the economic well-being of employees. In reality, each individual—from garbage man to technological genius—is responsible for his or her economic well-being.

In the anticivilization, everyone knows that jobs are dead-end traps that severely limit a person's growth, wealth, and happiness. This can be expected from a dead-end world. But in the forthcoming rational world—the wide-open Civilization of the Universe—boring, stagnating jobs are unknown. Instead, most people flourish in entrepreneurial jobs.

In essence, entrepreneurial jobs enable employees to build limitless wealth for their company and themselves. Employees develop new products or services and market these to others. Rather than having set wages, employees' earnings reflect their productivity. This puts the employee in control of how much money he or she earns. Such an employee earns a percentage of the profits he or she creates; the company retains the rest.

Providing this kind of employment for others is damn hard; the employer's risks are high. But if successful, the employer can build a vast engine of value production. Also, providing this kind of employment gives employees a wide-open future to build wealth commensurate with their abilities and effort. Thus, employees can control their own destiny. And providing others with the opportunity to seize control over their own destiny is the most moral act a person can perform.

Cyberspace has arrived. Cyberspace, which comprises the Internet, World Wide Web, email, newsgroups, and chat rooms, is now transforming life on planet Earth. That transformation is more radical than was the development of the printing press.

One of the most profound implications of cyberspace is this: essentially everything that can be digitized will be digitized. Paper and pens probably will fade in importance. But that is not the most radical result of mass digitization. Perhaps the most radical implication of the forthcoming mass digitization lies in business.

Today, most people conduct business as it was designed in pre-cyberspace times. This means, for example, that a company would produce a music cassette, package it, promote it, and put it on shelves at brick-and-mortar stores where it would sit until consumers came to purchase it. The consumer would be drawn into the store by an advertising and promotional campaign. The consumer would pick up the package, pay for it at the cash register, carry it home, remove the packaging, and play it in a cassette player. This is a well-established practice.

The point here is that mass digitization of products will overturn established business practices. Let's look at some products that will be digitized and then look at one specific example to show how its business model probably will change. The following are some items that most likely will transform from physical products into digitized information products.

* Computer software
* CD-ROMs
* Compact disks
* Audio cassettes
* Video cassettes
* Books
* Documents
* Paintings
* Classroom lectures
* Stereo systems
* Telephones

Take, for example, books. Today, an author writes a book. Then a publisher edits, typesets, prints, binds, and packages it. The book is sent to a distributor who puts it on the shelves at bookstores, libraries, and retail stores. Then some combination of author, publisher, distributor, and bookstore promotes the book. The consumer goes to the store, picks up the book, pays for it at the checkout counter, has it put into a bag, and brings it home. Once home, the consumer removes the book from the bag and eventually reads it. After the consumer reads the book, it typically ends up on a bookshelf or in a box. No one seriously questioned if this was the most efficient way to sell knowledge prior to cyberspace. But look at what happens when books become digitized.

The author writes a book directly online at a web site. The publisher prepares the online book for consumers. The author and publisher promote the book throughout cyberspace using various web-promotion techniques. Customers then go to the publisher's web site and perhaps pay a small price or membership fee to read the online book. Customers read the book, leave a comment, and move on to other cyberspace activities.

In this scenario, everything is much more efficient than in the pre-cyberspace scenario. The publisher uses far fewer resources to get the book from the author's head to the customer. This results in a more economical product—a product that gets to market quicker and costs less than its physical counterpart. The customer also benefits from the digitized product: the customer gains access to the product faster, easier, and with less money.

Mass digitization provides obvious economic advantages both to producers and consumers. That is the main reason why everything that can be digitized will be. Businesses that deal with digitized products can outcompete those businesses that only deal with their physical equivalents. Some stores offering physical products, which already have been digitized, will probably be around for a long time. But the inescapable trend is that many items, including those listed above, will become digitized. As that happens, entire business models will be overturned and replaced by new, more efficient dynamics that benefit everyone.

John D. Rockefeller knew it. So did Ray Kroc and Sam Walton. What did these giants of power and wealth know? Among other things, these giants knew how to work at maximum efficiency.

Working at maximum efficiency is a function of producing maximum values and wealth for others while personally consuming minimum values and wealth. Each of the above men did just that during crucial points in their business careers.

The reason this dynamic is so effective is because the producer can focus all his or her attention to productive work rather than diversions. Today, many people do just the opposite: they intentionally cultivate numerous diversions. For example, a businessperson might buy a fabulous home, exotic cars, have a high-maintenance wife, several children, a boat, a vacation home, and engage in activities such as skiing, traveling, golfing, and more. To be sure, these things are not bad per se: each can be incredibly fulfilling. But the point here is that all these things take the businessperson's focus off his or her work and onto diversion activities.

No doubt, the temptation is great to engage in diversion activities—things that divert one's attention away from productive work. Billions of dollars go into promoting a life of never-ending consumption. Yet, anyone who lives to consume knows that happiness does not come from consuming values. Happiness comes from producing values for oneself and other people.

Once one grasps the dead-end route of diversion activities, one can get down to high-effort business. With 100% focus, a person discovers that he or she does not need all kinds of diversions in life to feel satisfied. Instead, satisfaction—as well as self-esteem—comes from constantly expanding value production.

By consuming only those things one needs to competitively produce values, one will be operating at maximum efficiency. In such a mode, one does not need to draw a salary or paycheck. One does not accumulate wealth or material values in such a mode. Instead, one builds a value producing empire that generates millions of dollars a year in profits. Then, later, when one chooses to do so, one can switch out of this austere mode of living and begin drawing an income. Since one owns or controls the empire of wealth creation, one can become tremendously rich in a short period of time.

Perhaps the most fun in business is generating massive values and wealth for others while one consumes very few values. This lets one work at maximum efficiency with minimum distractions. It also lets one stay ahead of the competition, especially those who are wining and dining in expensive settings. While they are relaxing and enjoying today's success, oneself is crafting tomorrow's success. One leaves the competition behind—even those competitors who run to the government for gun-backed protection.

Since everyone admires power and prosperity, and since the sexiest women seek men of wealth, the pressure is on to accrue and reveal one's power and wealth. Avoiding massive wealth certainly is not glamorous, especially in the western world. And those men that do avoid wealth and power do not get the beautiful women. But, if one holds perspective and operates from the widest context possible, one will understand that this dynamic is unbeatable. One can quietly build a Ray Kroc/Sam Walton-like fortune without interruption. Then, after one assembles an empire, one can begin drawing a salary. At this point, one will command immense power and wealth. A person who does this can have anything he or she wants, including the romantic-love partner of one's dreams.

What is the downfall of the parasitical-elite class? Their downfall is failing to regulate the computer industry. Yes, they never regulated the computer industry. And that is their fatal error.

Objectivist philosophy will eventually vanish the anticivilization. But the wide-open, super competitive computer industry will greatly accelerate the collapse of the anticivilization and its criminal-minded rulers. In fact, the unregulated computer industry will shave decades off the time required to liquidate the anticivilization.

Why is the unregulated computer industry the nemesis of the anticivilization? Two reasons. First, the world is watching what is happening in this unregulated industry. An unprecedented number of millionaires and billionaires are rising as a result of little or no government interference. Second, without government regulations, the most competitive people race ahead and deliver ever-greater technology at ever-lower prices to consumers. That puts mind-boggling computing power in the hands of average people and links people through their computers—all for prices that are racing toward zero dollars.

What does this mean? This means that as people realize they could get rich in the absence of government interference, people everywhere will reject government regulations in favor of becoming rich. Moreover, as aggressive, hard-driving computer entrepreneurs link up the masses with computers, everyone will migrate into cyberspace. And the anticivilization has no meaning in cyberspace. The anticivilization simply vanishes in cyberspace; initiatory force is impotent in cyberspace.

As the masses migrate into cyberspace, the traditional pre-cyberspace world will be left behind. People will be free to exploit their most profitable attributes—all free from harmful governments and religions. Individuals will literally leave the anticivilization behind as they enter the Civilization of the Universe through the unregulated computer industry.

Most people do not understand the real reason why leaders of the computer industry became giants of power and wealth. The Gates', the Grove's, the Ellison's, the Jobs' rose to mega-wealth because they created the infrastructure for Earth-beings to escape the anticivilization and enter the Civilization of the Universe. They built the bridge that everyone will cross to escape mortality and capture immortal life.

Parasitical-elites are not ignorant, however. They, at least implicitly, sense what is happening. They do not know of the Civilization of the Universe, or how to get there. But they do know that the unregulated computer industry is freeing people at an alarming rate. Thus, for survival reasons, the parasitical-elite class must stop the computer industry. Parasitical elites must smash progress in the computer industry. Their means? Government force.

Not surprisingly, parasitical elites have targeted the leader of the computer/technology revolution: Bill Gates. They have moved in on Gates and ordered him to stop his market-driven business activities. The world is now witnessing an unhappy professional parasite—Janet Reno—controlling and draining a happy, professional producer—Bill Gates.

Yes, the parasitical-elite class must stop Bill Gates, his peers, and every market-oriented computer entrepreneur. Their survival—as well as the future of the anticivilization—depends on it. But, the criminal mind is too late. Cyberspace and Objectivist philosophy are now converging. And that means the pre-cyberspace world and the anticivilization are out; cyberspace and the Civilization of the Universe are in.

Competition is an inherent part of life. Plants compete with each other for sunlight and nutrients. Animals compete with each other for food and mates. And human beings compete with each other for power, money, and sexual love. Those facts exist regardless what anyone says.

Certain people attack competition by saying it harms individuals and societies. Such people sometimes seek to eliminate competition; they attempt to use government force to prevent competition. Every such person who works to obviate competition conjures up brilliant-sounding rationalizations. These people manipulate their rationalizations to justify initiating force and threats against innocent people.

However, these dynamics do not change the nature of reality. They merely create chaos in society and the economy.

If competition is inherent in life and a person tries to suppress it in a certain area, then competition will arise in another area. One way or another, competition will prevail. It might take a while—even many years—to arise. But eventually, it will arise. And when it does, those who try to prevent competition will be the least prepared to deal with it.

The point here is that one might as well plan for competition. One would benefit greatly by preparing for competition—in all areas of life. By having a clear vision of where one wants to go in life, developing a plan to achieve one's vision, setting specific goals to get there, and formulating a strategy to surpass the competition, one will be well prepared. This does not mean that one will win every battle; this is not necessary. One needs to operate from a sound strategy and self-correct as needed. This way one will not be intimidated or paralyzed by competition.

Even if one enters a new territory where at present there is no competition, one can be sure that if one succeeds, the competition will move in. Competitors might move in immediately or at a later date. But they will move in—even if they do not yet know the new territory exists. Why? Competition is inherent in life. And success breeds competitors.

A common fallacy in the anticivilization is that one needs to engage in work that one dislikes. Moreover, the mystical notion that one should suffer in one's work is widespread. These notions imply that work should be distasteful.

The notion that one should dislike and suffer through one's work is a product of the traditional mind. That unstable mind conjured up such fallacies to keep everyone from thoroughly enjoying their life. Many people spend much of their waking hours doing their work. If they can be led into doing work they hate, they probably will dislike their life.

What is the purpose of leading everyone into work they hate? That purpose is singular: to undermine self-esteem and love of life. What, then, is the purpose for undermining everyone's self-esteem and love of life? Those who have a low self-esteem and hate their life can easily be controlled and drained. Drained by whom? Drained by the pinnacle traditional mind: the dishonest integrating mind, which is the criminal mind.

By eliminating the absurd notion that one should dislike one's work, one becomes free to think in a wider perspective. And from that wider perspective, one can see that doing the kind of work one loves is the most benevolent and productive approach to work.

The following are three reasons why doing what one loves is the most effective way to approach work. Doing what one loves to do:

1. culminates in maximum productivity
2. is the basis for lasting motivation, and
3. unleashes the creative spirit within.

A person is most productive when he does work he loves. Rather than trying to discover new ways to escape work, he discovers new ways to bring his work to the next level of quality and value.

Long-range motivation arises within oneself as a result of knowing what one wants—clearly knowing one's prioritized values. One then discovers that one experiences happiness upon achieving one's self-chosen values. Thus, one becomes motivated to achieve. However, the process of achieving one's values requires work—usually hard work. But, when one works toward something one wants to achieve, one has the necessary internal motivation to persevere to complete one's projects.

The creative spirit within does not function very well under conditions of anxiety, hatred, or fear, i.e., the traditional approach to work. But when one loves one's work, a sense of calm, love, and security pervades self. One feels that one is doing work that is right for oneself. This internal environment of serenity and security induces the creative spirit to "come out and play." The more one enjoys one's work, the more often one's creative spirit will "come out." Eventually, one will be creative on a daily basis. This leads to the best possible results in one's work and a deep fulfillment in one's life.

Anticivilization writing is dead writing. Civilization-of-the-Universe writing is living writing. Dead writing consists of close-ended prose. Living writing consists of open-ended prose.

In the anticivilization, much writing is dead. Prose is physically printed on paper, which is frozen knowledge. That is, it does not grow, improve, or expand. Instead, it just sits there on the page, year after year.

In the Civilization of the Universe, writing is alive. Prose is electronically published in cyberspace, which results in ever-growing knowledge. Living writing grows into ever-wider identifications and finer distinctions. It never rests; it keeps moving in both directions.

Making anticivilization writing dynamic is very difficult. Continually editing, upgrading, and expanding anticivilization writing requires much money. Moreover, the effort required to constantly reprint and bind revised knowledge products is enormous. Compared to Civilization-of-the-Universe writing in cyberspace, reprinting anticivilization writing is incredibly inefficient.

There is another dimension to living writing besides its format. And that is its content. Living writing comes from living minds—minds that are always advancing in knowledge, power, and control. This is in stark contrast to dead writing. With dead writing, authors have a dead-end psychology that remains trapped in closed-circle rationalizations and non sequiturs.