What Would You do if Unemployment Hit 30%? A Three-Part Look at 1932's "Flight from the City"

You know you're living in interesting times when Ron Paul's amendment to audit the Federal Reserve gets passed out of committee 43-26.  But then again, 10% unemployment has prodded a lot of people to start questioning some fundamentals.

When unemployment hit 31.2% in 1932, an economist named Ralph Borsodi wrote one of the most important utopic works of the 20th century, "Flight from the City."  And he didn't just write "Flight" -- he lived it.  Ralph looked at the depression around him and decided to pack up the family, buy a farm, and make his own economic way in the world. And it mostly works.  He's not a socialist, though he finds a lot of flaws with capitalism. And he's not a "return to the earth" kind of person, noting many times he hates backbreaking labor and finds many ways to have machines do the work for him.

Like most utopias, "flight" says more about the times in which it was written than those that came to pass.  And yet it's worth reading because the eerie similarities to today reveal how darned constant and consistent our utopic hopes are. Hopes that go back for thousands of years.  Understanding the intricacies of this dynamic is the key to laying out a CONVINCING vision of tomorrow.

Plus, it's just really fun to read.

This week kicks off a special 3-post look at "Flight." I hope you enjoy.