Will the world populace be happier poorer.

I propose the ruling 10% or 20% richest of the world crash the system and society basically and go hiding underground and leave the rest of us to it.

Now basically that's still alot of knowledge left on the surface to survive, will we belong no longer worried about money, clothes or social scenes in the way that we have we will downscale these to fit our needs as a society.

Basically i ask would we be able to find peace in a way without the rich manipulating everyone???

We would still have doctors, scientists, religious etc. etc. so i ask you's why couldn't we possibly as a race survive???

Would certain elements of the world try and replace the hidden rich and control the rest of us?????

Or would we just collapse as a whole out of bred laziness over time as my friends in the survialist forum can verify modern society is very out of shape for oncoming disasters.

I'm going to hypothesize that the world, of which you chronicle, SHOULD be happier, friendlier, more at peace. However, I don't think it actually would. History shows us that we are capable of, and would, survive such a crash. Being happy depends more on our expectations and perceptions of this world . . . that being said, this world would be a gloomy place under your scenario.

I'd say half the populus would not know how to survive without current technology . . . maybe more. This would cause panic, which would lead to crimes and rioting. Secondly, while I.Q.'s have gone up steadily since the turn of the 20th century . . . E.I.Q's (emotional intelligence) has gone down at a converse rate. So, while we are smarter . . . we are less social and able to deal with the social aspects of returning to an earlier time in economic evolution (barter, agrarian, et. al). Add to the fact that the vaccum created by the world's power elite "disappearing" would give rise to tyrants and warlords . . . even in the U.S.

These factors, while necessary to "weed out" the biologically unfit for such a world, would definitely cause the immediate future to be rather unhappy.

Not to mention the ego placation that a high cost of living has afforded the western world and the immediate crush to that ego that a fall would create.

I agree, selfless person that I am, I will accept your money and therefore all your unhappiness.

Anyone with excessive amounts of money causing them misery just PM me and I will tell you where to send it.