WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.379 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today is Monday, 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:07.320 February 2nd, 2026. And wow. I mean, if you've 00:00:07.320 --> 00:00:08.980 been following the news cycles at all or just 00:00:08.980 --> 00:00:11.119 looking at your own career trajectory lately, 00:00:11.380 --> 00:00:15.179 you know exactly why that date matters. It really 00:00:15.179 --> 00:00:17.699 matters. We are right in the thick of it. We 00:00:17.699 --> 00:00:19.660 are. We're living through the timeline we have 00:00:19.660 --> 00:00:22.480 been obsessing over on this show for months. 00:00:22.600 --> 00:00:25.160 It's not. theory anymore. No, not at all. It 00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:26.940 feels like we've been talking about this transition 00:00:26.940 --> 00:00:29.219 forever, doesn't it? But we're really only a 00:00:29.219 --> 00:00:31.420 few years into the specific timeline that Reed 00:00:31.420 --> 00:00:34.560 Multiplex laid out. We are deep, deep in what 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:37.500 he calls the abundance interregnum. Exactly. 00:00:37.820 --> 00:00:40.200 And that brings us to today. We're tackling part 00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:43.299 nine of the You Have 5 ,000 Days series. The 00:00:43.299 --> 00:00:46.240 title is The Artisan's Awakening. And I have 00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:47.960 to admit, right off the bat, when I first saw 00:00:47.960 --> 00:00:50.659 that title pop up in my feed, I felt a little... 00:00:50.939 --> 00:00:53.079 I don't know, resistant. Resistant. That's interesting. 00:00:53.240 --> 00:00:55.539 Why? What was the pushback for you? Well, just 00:00:55.539 --> 00:00:56.960 think about the journey we've been on. Look at 00:00:56.960 --> 00:00:58.820 the last few deep dives we've done on this series. 00:00:58.979 --> 00:01:01.340 We went through the de -skilling. We sat with 00:01:01.340 --> 00:01:03.159 the dark night of the soul. Those are heavy. 00:01:03.280 --> 00:01:06.959 They were brutal. We established really painfully 00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:10.000 that AI is essentially eating the white collar 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:12.980 world alive. It's dissolving the junior analyst, 00:01:13.140 --> 00:01:16.140 the coder, the marketer. It's genuinely scary 00:01:16.140 --> 00:01:19.260 stuff. Yeah. And now. Suddenly, part nine comes 00:01:19.260 --> 00:01:22.329 along and claims there's a solution. It felt 00:01:22.329 --> 00:01:24.390 a bit like a bait and switch. Ah, I see. Like 00:01:24.390 --> 00:01:26.250 everything is burning down around you, but hey, 00:01:26.269 --> 00:01:28.230 look over here. I've got a bucket of water. Yes, 00:01:28.310 --> 00:01:31.250 exactly that. I was expecting a high -tech solution 00:01:31.250 --> 00:01:33.689 to a high -tech problem. I thought the source 00:01:33.689 --> 00:01:35.609 was going to say, okay, the robots are smart, 00:01:35.709 --> 00:01:37.909 so you need to become a cyborg. You need to merge 00:01:37.909 --> 00:01:40.269 with the machine. Get a Neuralink, yeah. That's 00:01:40.269 --> 00:01:41.810 the standard advice you hear on every other tech 00:01:41.810 --> 00:01:44.090 blog. Learn prompt engineering or become an AI 00:01:44.090 --> 00:01:47.750 supervisor or pivot into synthetic biology. But 00:01:47.750 --> 00:01:49.909 this source, this one says the complete opposite. 00:01:49.950 --> 00:01:52.489 It says... Stop looking at the screen. Look at 00:01:52.489 --> 00:01:55.569 your hands. Look at your hands. It's such a massive 00:01:55.569 --> 00:01:59.349 pivot. It's a survival guide, but it's completely 00:01:59.349 --> 00:02:02.010 counterintuitive in today's world. The source 00:02:02.010 --> 00:02:04.650 is making this incredible argument that the safest 00:02:04.650 --> 00:02:08.150 place to be financially, psychologically, existentially 00:02:08.150 --> 00:02:12.090 isn't above the API. It's not in the cloud. It's 00:02:12.090 --> 00:02:13.569 in the mud. It's in the crawl space. It's in 00:02:13.569 --> 00:02:15.009 the workshop. We're talking about the trades. 00:02:15.620 --> 00:02:18.240 Actual physical blue collar traits, plumbing, 00:02:18.460 --> 00:02:22.060 welding, farming, electrical work. And before 00:02:22.060 --> 00:02:23.939 anyone listening rolls their eyes and thinks, 00:02:24.020 --> 00:02:26.479 wait, I didn't get a master's degree in economics 00:02:26.479 --> 00:02:29.039 to go fix toilets. We have to be super clear. 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:31.319 Absolutely. The source isn't framing this as 00:02:31.319 --> 00:02:34.520 a demotion. Not at all. They're framing it as 00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:36.659 an ascension. Exactly. This isn't a consolation 00:02:36.659 --> 00:02:39.159 prize for failing in the digital economy. It's 00:02:39.159 --> 00:02:41.139 not, oh, you couldn't hack it as a coder, so 00:02:41.139 --> 00:02:43.340 go carry some bricks. This is presented as the 00:02:43.340 --> 00:02:46.060 elixir. This is the next critical stage of the 00:02:46.060 --> 00:02:48.120 hero's journey that he's been mapping out. And 00:02:48.120 --> 00:02:50.520 to understand why that's not just, you know, 00:02:50.520 --> 00:02:52.840 poetic language, we have to respect the sheer 00:02:52.840 --> 00:02:56.439 boldness of this 5 ,000 Days series. I mean, 00:02:56.460 --> 00:02:59.159 the author is seeing things that almost no one 00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:01.229 else is seeing. especially with this timeline. 00:03:01.490 --> 00:03:03.430 Let's reestablish that context for a second, 00:03:03.469 --> 00:03:05.349 because if someone's just joining us now, the 00:03:05.349 --> 00:03:07.389 idea of 5 ,000 days might sound like a completely 00:03:07.389 --> 00:03:09.590 random number he just pulled out of a hat. Right, 00:03:09.669 --> 00:03:12.110 like some marketing gimmick. But it's anything 00:03:12.110 --> 00:03:14.509 but random. The author has identified a very 00:03:14.509 --> 00:03:18.250 specific 13 .7 -year transition period. That 00:03:18.250 --> 00:03:21.030 is the abundance interregnum. We are living in 00:03:21.030 --> 00:03:23.639 the gap. The gap between the old world, where 00:03:23.639 --> 00:03:25.900 you work to survive, and the new world, where 00:03:25.900 --> 00:03:28.840 AI and automation provide unprecedented plenitude 00:03:28.840 --> 00:03:31.740 and the cost of living just collapses to near 00:03:31.740 --> 00:03:34.419 zero. But the key phrase there is near zero. 00:03:34.479 --> 00:03:37.189 We're not there yet. No. We are in the turbulence, 00:03:37.430 --> 00:03:40.210 the messy, chaotic, often terrifying middle. 00:03:40.430 --> 00:03:42.710 And the journey so far has been brutal. Part 00:03:42.710 --> 00:03:45.449 one was the call to adventure, just waking up 00:03:45.449 --> 00:03:47.469 to the fact that traditional work is dissolving 00:03:47.469 --> 00:03:49.349 underneath our feet. And parts three and five 00:03:49.349 --> 00:03:51.469 were the heavy hitters, the player piano and 00:03:51.469 --> 00:03:53.909 discilling. That was the gut punch. The realization 00:03:53.909 --> 00:03:57.469 that these AI feedback loops are moving on 19 00:03:57.469 --> 00:03:59.909 -hour cycles. I still can't get my head around 00:03:59.909 --> 00:04:02.750 that. 19 hours. It's impossible for a human to 00:04:02.750 --> 00:04:05.500 compete. If you're trying to reskill in the digital 00:04:05.500 --> 00:04:07.159 realm, you know, you go take a course in the 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:09.280 new hot coding language or some new software. 00:04:09.460 --> 00:04:11.979 By the time you finish the six week course, the 00:04:11.979 --> 00:04:14.939 AI has already mastered it, integrated it and 00:04:14.939 --> 00:04:17.899 made your new skill obsolete. You can't outrun 00:04:17.899 --> 00:04:21.459 a 19 hour feedback loop with a human brain. It's 00:04:21.459 --> 00:04:23.939 just not possible. Which led us directly to part 00:04:23.939 --> 00:04:26.959 six, the dark night of the soul, that deep existential 00:04:26.959 --> 00:04:29.720 dread, the if I don't type into a spreadsheet, 00:04:29.899 --> 00:04:32.560 who even am I moment. Yeah, that one hit home 00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:34.639 for a lot of people. Yeah. And then part eight, 00:04:34.680 --> 00:04:37.060 saving your wisdom, was about trying to preserve 00:04:37.060 --> 00:04:39.399 human knowledge in the face of all this. But 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:42.180 part nine, this artisan's awakening, it really 00:04:42.180 --> 00:04:44.800 is the turning point. It is. We are finally moving 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:47.860 from lamenting the loss of the desk job to actively 00:04:47.860 --> 00:04:50.399 celebrating a reskilling into the physical world. 00:04:50.540 --> 00:04:52.519 So we're done mourning the spreadsheet? Is that 00:04:52.519 --> 00:04:54.040 what you're saying? We are done mourning the 00:04:54.040 --> 00:04:56.519 spreadsheet. We are picking up a wrench. Okay, 00:04:56.600 --> 00:04:59.199 I'm ready. Let's get into section one. The blue 00:04:59.199 --> 00:05:01.139 -collar renaissance and the hero's departure. 00:05:01.860 --> 00:05:05.139 The source uses this fantastic metaphor of crossing 00:05:05.139 --> 00:05:07.660 the threshold. It's classic Joseph Campbell, 00:05:07.740 --> 00:05:10.160 the hero's journey. The hero has to leave the 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:12.459 ordinary world to find his power. And in our 00:05:12.459 --> 00:05:15.519 case, the ordinary world is, well, it's the modern 00:05:15.519 --> 00:05:18.579 office. Fluorescent lights. Endless Zoom calls, 00:05:18.839 --> 00:05:21.220 Slack notifications pinging you at 10 o 'clock 00:05:21.220 --> 00:05:24.079 at night. The algorithmic drudgery, which, let's 00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:26.579 be honest, feels less like an ordinary world 00:05:26.579 --> 00:05:28.759 and more like a trap these days. It absolutely 00:05:28.759 --> 00:05:30.860 is a trap because of the villain we identified 00:05:30.860 --> 00:05:34.139 back in part five. De -skilling. The source really 00:05:34.139 --> 00:05:36.620 hammers this home again. AI is systematically 00:05:36.620 --> 00:05:39.860 destroying the value of data entry, of coding, 00:05:40.019 --> 00:05:42.319 of mid -level analysis. If your job involves 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:44.860 sitting at a screen and processing abstract information, 00:05:45.300 --> 00:05:47.560 you are in the blast zone. There's no way around 00:05:47.560 --> 00:05:50.019 it. The algorithms are eating the cognitive middle 00:05:50.019 --> 00:05:52.660 class for lunch. So the special world, the place 00:05:52.660 --> 00:05:55.300 the hero has to go to find safety, is the world 00:05:55.300 --> 00:05:58.040 of tangible creation. The world of the trades. 00:05:58.180 --> 00:06:00.779 The source calls them fortresses against the 00:06:00.779 --> 00:06:03.939 machine onslaught. That is such a strong image, 00:06:04.120 --> 00:06:07.480 a fortress. It is. And it's based on a very practical, 00:06:07.620 --> 00:06:10.759 very grounded analysis of what robots can and 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:13.180 cannot do right now and for the foreseeable future. 00:06:13.519 --> 00:06:16.180 This is the logic of robot resistance. OK, now 00:06:16.180 --> 00:06:18.959 I need you to steel man this for me because I 00:06:18.959 --> 00:06:21.279 open my phone, I go on social media and I see 00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:24.120 these videos of robots from Boston Dynamics folding 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:26.339 laundry. I see them doing backflips. I saw the 00:06:26.339 --> 00:06:28.519 Atlas robot doing parkour. Of course, the viral 00:06:28.519 --> 00:06:31.100 videos. Right. And if a robot can do a perfect 00:06:31.100 --> 00:06:34.579 backflip. Why is a plumber safe? A backflip seems 00:06:34.579 --> 00:06:37.259 way, way harder to me than just tightening a 00:06:37.259 --> 00:06:39.459 nut on a pipe. This is such a crucial point, 00:06:39.560 --> 00:06:43.019 and it's a classic cognitive trap. We anthropomorphize 00:06:43.019 --> 00:06:44.980 intelligence. We assume that because we find 00:06:44.980 --> 00:06:47.139 calculus hard and walking across a room easy, 00:06:47.319 --> 00:06:50.420 computers must feel the same way. But they don't. 00:06:50.439 --> 00:06:52.519 They feel the exact opposite. It's a concept 00:06:52.519 --> 00:06:54.500 in computer science called Moravec's paradox. 00:06:55.259 --> 00:06:57.279 Moravec's paradox. Okay, break that down for 00:06:57.279 --> 00:07:00.569 me. Hans Moravec, a brilliant roboticist, pointed 00:07:00.569 --> 00:07:03.529 this out decades ago. It turns out that high 00:07:03.529 --> 00:07:05.970 -level reasoning, things like playing chess, 00:07:06.290 --> 00:07:08.970 writing poetry, diagnosing a rare disease from 00:07:08.970 --> 00:07:11.709 a text description, calculating complex stock 00:07:11.709 --> 00:07:14.889 market trends, that stuff is computationally 00:07:14.889 --> 00:07:17.470 very cheap. So the smart stuff is actually easy 00:07:17.470 --> 00:07:20.250 for them. Incredibly easy. An AI can become a 00:07:20.250 --> 00:07:22.949 grandmaster at chess in a few hours. But low 00:07:22.949 --> 00:07:25.850 -level sensorimotor skills, things our bodies 00:07:25.850 --> 00:07:28.939 do without thinking. walking across a cluttered 00:07:28.939 --> 00:07:31.279 room without tripping, feeling a bolt to know 00:07:31.279 --> 00:07:33.819 if it's cross -threaded, perceiving the subtle 00:07:33.819 --> 00:07:36.240 difference between a shadow and a damp spot on 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:38.139 a wall. That's the hard stuff. That requires 00:07:38.139 --> 00:07:41.120 a staggering, almost unbelievable amount of computational 00:07:41.120 --> 00:07:43.720 power. It's the easy stuff for us that's hard 00:07:43.720 --> 00:07:45.800 for them. So that back -flipping robot. That 00:07:45.800 --> 00:07:48.040 robot is almost always in a highly controlled 00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:50.759 environment. It's a lab. The floor is perfectly 00:07:50.759 --> 00:07:52.720 flat. The lighting is perfect. The variables 00:07:52.720 --> 00:07:54.839 are limited. Now contrast that with the real 00:07:54.839 --> 00:07:56.680 -world environment of, say, a plumber. Okay. 00:07:56.899 --> 00:08:01.019 A damp, musty basement in a 1920s Victorian house. 00:08:01.569 --> 00:08:04.750 Exactly. Let's really visualize that. You, a 00:08:04.750 --> 00:08:07.990 human plumber, walk in. It's dark. There are 00:08:07.990 --> 00:08:10.389 cobwebs everywhere. The pipes aren't standard 00:08:10.389 --> 00:08:12.709 PVC you buy at Home Depot. They're cast iron 00:08:12.709 --> 00:08:14.930 that has settled and warped over 80 years. They're 00:08:14.930 --> 00:08:16.569 not where the blueprints say they should be. 00:08:16.750 --> 00:08:18.870 The blueprints are a work of fiction at this 00:08:18.870 --> 00:08:21.110 point. There's a leak, but you can't see it. 00:08:21.209 --> 00:08:23.550 You have to smell the dampness or feel the humidity 00:08:23.550 --> 00:08:26.129 change on your skin as you move around. You have 00:08:26.129 --> 00:08:29.290 to move a precarious pile of old boxes your client 00:08:29.290 --> 00:08:31.069 stored down there without knocking - them over 00:08:31.069 --> 00:08:33.809 and the robot in that scenario what does it do 00:08:33.809 --> 00:08:37.289 the robot is fighting entropy the real world 00:08:37.289 --> 00:08:41.730 is pure unadulterated chaos to a robot that basement 00:08:41.730 --> 00:08:44.750 is a data overload of noise it tries to grasp 00:08:44.750 --> 00:08:46.990 a pipe but the pipe is slippery with slime and 00:08:46.990 --> 00:08:49.769 condensation the robots sensors slip it doesn't 00:08:49.769 --> 00:08:51.750 have that human touch so it applies too much 00:08:51.750 --> 00:08:54.669 torque and cracks the brittle old iron game over 00:08:54.669 --> 00:08:56.730 game over you've just flooded the basement the 00:08:56.730 --> 00:08:59.649 messiness of reality is actually our armor it's 00:08:59.649 --> 00:09:01.840 our protection That's the fortress the source 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:04.059 is talking about. The more chaotic, the more 00:09:04.059 --> 00:09:06.500 dirty, the more non -standard the environment 00:09:06.500 --> 00:09:09.919 is, the safer the job is from automation. Precisely. 00:09:10.559 --> 00:09:14.379 Robots love order. They love the sterile, predictable 00:09:14.379 --> 00:09:17.559 world of the factory floor. They love spreadsheets. 00:09:17.659 --> 00:09:21.240 They hate rust. They hate mud. They hate what 00:09:21.240 --> 00:09:23.600 the source calls gravity's whims. And there's 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:25.580 an economic argument here too, right? It's not 00:09:25.580 --> 00:09:28.220 just, can they technically do it? It's, is it 00:09:28.220 --> 00:09:30.250 even worth building a robot to do it? Exactly. 00:09:30.669 --> 00:09:33.269 This is the scaling problem. Could we, with enough 00:09:33.269 --> 00:09:36.470 money and time, build a bespoke robot to go in 00:09:36.470 --> 00:09:39.649 and fix that one specific Victorian toilet? Maybe. 00:09:39.990 --> 00:09:42.450 But it would cost millions of dollars in R &D. 00:09:42.570 --> 00:09:43.889 And it wouldn't work on the toilet in the house 00:09:43.889 --> 00:09:46.039 next door. Because that one has a completely 00:09:46.039 --> 00:09:48.259 different problem in a slightly different, equally 00:09:48.259 --> 00:09:51.240 chaotic environment. Scaling specialized robots 00:09:51.240 --> 00:09:53.840 for every single nook and cranny of society is 00:09:53.840 --> 00:09:56.779 just ridiculously prohibitively expensive. So 00:09:56.779 --> 00:09:58.600 while the white collar world is crumbling because 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:01.299 software scales instantly and for free, the physical 00:10:01.299 --> 00:10:03.559 world has this built in friction, this economic 00:10:03.559 --> 00:10:05.960 and physical barrier that protects us. Correct. 00:10:06.139 --> 00:10:08.519 And that's why the source argues that while these 00:10:08.519 --> 00:10:10.639 white collar domains are crumbling right now 00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:14.019 as we speak, these trade jobs are safe for an 00:10:14.090 --> 00:10:18.590 Another 10, 20 or even 30 years. 30 years. That 00:10:18.590 --> 00:10:21.129 is a massive bridge. We're talking about a 5000 00:10:21.129 --> 00:10:24.330 day transition, which is roughly 14 years. A 00:10:24.330 --> 00:10:27.110 30 year window is more than enough time to ride 00:10:27.110 --> 00:10:29.970 out the entire storm. It is. It buys you safety 00:10:29.970 --> 00:10:32.110 through the whole interregnum. You don't just 00:10:32.110 --> 00:10:35.330 survive. You thrive because you are doing the 00:10:35.330 --> 00:10:37.830 one thing the machines can't touch. You become 00:10:37.830 --> 00:10:40.570 indispensable. OK, so this isn't just about survival. 00:10:40.690 --> 00:10:43.289 It's a genuine strategic pivot. Let's talk about. 00:10:43.309 --> 00:10:46.049 the specific roles the source curates this amazing 00:10:46.049 --> 00:10:48.690 list of the top 22 vocations he calls them the 00:10:48.690 --> 00:10:50.330 pillars of the renaissance and i love that he 00:10:50.330 --> 00:10:53.190 gives them these incredible exalted titles it's 00:10:53.190 --> 00:10:54.889 not just plumber it's well let's go through a 00:10:54.889 --> 00:10:56.529 few and i want to really dig into what these 00:10:56.529 --> 00:10:58.549 jobs feel like because i think so many of us 00:10:58.549 --> 00:11:00.529 have lost touch with what it means to work with 00:11:00.529 --> 00:11:03.529 our hands i agree what's so powerful is that 00:11:03.529 --> 00:11:06.509 these aren't framed as dirty jobs they're framed 00:11:06.509 --> 00:11:09.110 as heroic archetypes let's start with the plumber 00:11:09.110 --> 00:11:12.360 the source describes the plumber as a master 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:16.059 of fluid dynamics. Commanding the lifeblood of 00:11:16.059 --> 00:11:19.059 civilization. That sounds like a superhero, not 00:11:19.059 --> 00:11:21.980 a guy fixing a clog. But it's true, though, isn't 00:11:21.980 --> 00:11:24.179 it? We take it for granted, but clean water flowing 00:11:24.179 --> 00:11:27.080 in and waste flowing out is the absolute bedrock 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:29.799 of public health. Civilization collapses without 00:11:29.799 --> 00:11:32.379 it in about three days. It's that fundamental. 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:36.259 But let's get really specific. Why is this job 00:11:36.259 --> 00:11:38.559 so hard for AI? We talked about the Victorian 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:40.820 basement, but what about the day -to -day thinking 00:11:40.820 --> 00:11:43.710 involved? It's the diagnostic intuition. It's 00:11:43.710 --> 00:11:46.309 a multisensory investigation. A good plumber 00:11:46.309 --> 00:11:48.789 listens to the pipes. They hear a specific thunk 00:11:48.789 --> 00:11:50.929 and know, ah, that's a water hammer issue in 00:11:50.929 --> 00:11:52.970 the west wall. They look at the color of the 00:11:52.970 --> 00:11:54.750 water coming out of a tap and know the water 00:11:54.750 --> 00:11:56.710 heater is starting to rust out from the inside. 00:11:56.929 --> 00:11:58.429 They're like a doctor for the house. Exactly. 00:11:58.730 --> 00:12:00.710 It's Sherlock Holmes with a wrench. It's about 00:12:00.710 --> 00:12:03.009 interpreting these tiny, subtle clues that a 00:12:03.009 --> 00:12:04.950 robot's sensors would just register as noise. 00:12:05.210 --> 00:12:09.070 I love that. Sherlock Holmes with a wrench. Okay, 00:12:09.149 --> 00:12:12.049 let's move to the electrician. The weaver of 00:12:12.049 --> 00:12:14.649 energy. Harnessing lightning to illuminate homes. 00:12:14.889 --> 00:12:16.909 Now, this one feels different to me. Plumbing 00:12:16.909 --> 00:12:20.789 is messy, but electrical work feels dangerous. 00:12:21.070 --> 00:12:23.149 And that's the crucial differentiator, the stakes, 00:12:23.370 --> 00:12:26.370 the consequence of failure. If you make a mistake 00:12:26.370 --> 00:12:28.250 in a spreadsheet, maybe you lose a client or 00:12:28.250 --> 00:12:31.289 some money. If you make a mistake wiring a high 00:12:31.289 --> 00:12:34.250 -voltage panel, people die. Houses burn down. 00:12:34.610 --> 00:12:37.110 So the barrier to entry isn't just skill. It's 00:12:37.110 --> 00:12:40.740 about liability and trust. Precisely. Insurance 00:12:40.740 --> 00:12:43.299 companies, regulators, building inspectors, they 00:12:43.299 --> 00:12:46.059 are not going to sign off on an AI wiring a hospital's 00:12:46.059 --> 00:12:48.259 ICU anytime soon. But let's look at the work 00:12:48.259 --> 00:12:50.879 itself. You open a junction box in an old building. 00:12:51.059 --> 00:12:53.899 What do you see? A rat's nest. A total rat's 00:12:53.899 --> 00:12:56.440 nest. Wires from the 1950s mixed with wires from 00:12:56.440 --> 00:12:59.240 the 90s. The color coding is wrong or it's faded. 00:12:59.639 --> 00:13:01.860 Nothing matches the schematic. The robot looks 00:13:01.860 --> 00:13:03.779 at the schematic, the model of the world it was 00:13:03.779 --> 00:13:05.500 given, and the schematic doesn't match reality. 00:13:06.039 --> 00:13:09.899 And the robot freezes. It's a fatal error. But 00:13:09.899 --> 00:13:13.320 the human electrician uses what the source calls 00:13:13.320 --> 00:13:17.000 kinesthetic intelligence. They trace the wire 00:13:17.000 --> 00:13:19.179 with their fingers. They interpret the intent 00:13:19.179 --> 00:13:21.759 of the previous electrician from 40 years ago. 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:24.620 They think, oh, I see. This guy used the green 00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:26.779 wire for the hotline because he must have run 00:13:26.779 --> 00:13:29.399 out of black wire that day. You have to get inside 00:13:29.399 --> 00:13:31.460 the head of the person who did the work before 00:13:31.460 --> 00:13:33.799 you. Exactly. It's anthropology as much as it 00:13:33.799 --> 00:13:35.820 is engineering. It's a human -to -human connection 00:13:35.820 --> 00:13:39.019 across time. Let's talk about the HVAC technician. 00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:41.919 The source calls them the alchemist of comfort. 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:45.779 I love that one. Balancing air and heat. Again, 00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:47.840 it sounds poetic, but think about the technical 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:50.759 complexity. You are managing thermodynamics in 00:13:50.759 --> 00:13:53.299 real time. You're up on a scorching hot roof 00:13:53.299 --> 00:13:55.580 in the middle of July, or you're in a freezing 00:13:55.580 --> 00:13:57.980 cold crawlspace in January. And you're dealing 00:13:57.980 --> 00:14:00.740 with pressurized refrigerants, with airflow dynamics, 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:02.620 with pressure differentials. You're trying to 00:14:02.620 --> 00:14:05.059 figure out why one room in the house is 10 degrees 00:14:05.059 --> 00:14:07.259 colder than all the others. It's a puzzle with 00:14:07.259 --> 00:14:09.279 invisible pieces. And then there's the welder, 00:14:09.299 --> 00:14:13.269 the forge god. Fusing metals. Creating structures 00:14:13.269 --> 00:14:16.370 that withstand time and enormous forces. There 00:14:16.370 --> 00:14:18.830 is a permanence to welding that you just do not 00:14:18.830 --> 00:14:21.269 get in the digital world. I feel like welding 00:14:21.269 --> 00:14:23.629 is the ultimate example of this kinesthetic intelligence 00:14:23.629 --> 00:14:25.470 you're talking about. Yeah. You have to control 00:14:25.470 --> 00:14:28.149 the puddle of molten metal, the speed of your 00:14:28.149 --> 00:14:30.990 hand, the angle of the torch, the distance of 00:14:30.990 --> 00:14:33.450 the arc, all at the same time. It's a dance. 00:14:33.950 --> 00:14:36.250 And you're doing it by feel. You feel the heat 00:14:36.250 --> 00:14:38.330 through your gloves. You see the subtle color 00:14:38.330 --> 00:14:40.929 changes in the metal. A robot can be programmed 00:14:40.929 --> 00:14:43.970 to weld a perfect, straight line on a car chassis 00:14:43.970 --> 00:14:46.590 in a factory, sure, over and over. But can it 00:14:46.590 --> 00:14:49.129 weld a broken railing on a rusty fire escape? 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:51.519 hanging off the side of a five -story building 00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:54.600 fighting the wind and awkward angles no absolutely 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:57.700 not that requires constant microsecond adjustments 00:14:57.700 --> 00:15:00.299 based on a flood of sensory data that we're not 00:15:00.299 --> 00:15:02.740 even conscious of processing now there's a key 00:15:02.740 --> 00:15:04.519 addition to this list that i found really moving 00:15:04.519 --> 00:15:06.840 and honestly it surprised me a little yeah the 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:09.779 source includes farming and ranching yes this 00:15:09.779 --> 00:15:12.700 is a vital expansion of what we think of as a 00:15:12.700 --> 00:15:15.929 trade Usually when we hear learn a trade, we 00:15:15.929 --> 00:15:19.009 think of construction or mechanics. But the source 00:15:19.009 --> 00:15:21.009 is arguing that the farmer and the rancher are 00:15:21.009 --> 00:15:24.190 also a protected class in this age of AI. They're 00:15:24.190 --> 00:15:26.789 the stewards of the soil and custodians of herds. 00:15:26.789 --> 00:15:29.710 But my first thought was, isn't farming already 00:15:29.710 --> 00:15:33.389 super automated? I see those giant combines driven 00:15:33.389 --> 00:15:36.990 by GPS that can harvest a field with inch perfect 00:15:36.990 --> 00:15:40.080 precision. That's industrial monoculture. Miles 00:15:40.080 --> 00:15:42.600 and miles of corn or soybeans. Robots can do 00:15:42.600 --> 00:15:44.840 that. That's a predictable factory like environment. 00:15:45.059 --> 00:15:47.600 But the source is talking about the artisan farmer. 00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:50.019 Regenerative agriculture. Permaculture. Exactly. 00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:52.340 What's the difference? Technically, permaculture 00:15:52.340 --> 00:15:54.840 is an ecosystem. It's a complex, integrated system. 00:15:54.980 --> 00:15:57.559 You have apple trees next to berry bushes next 00:15:57.559 --> 00:16:00.399 to nitrogen fixing ground cover. You have ducks 00:16:00.399 --> 00:16:02.399 that are there to eat the slugs. It's a three 00:16:02.399 --> 00:16:04.460 dimensional puzzle of biology. It's chaotic. 00:16:04.600 --> 00:16:08.259 It is intensely, beautifully chaotic. You can't 00:16:08.259 --> 00:16:10.190 program a rope. bought for it you have to observe 00:16:10.190 --> 00:16:12.250 it you have to walk the land every day and see 00:16:12.250 --> 00:16:14.809 oh the aphids are bad on the kale this year i 00:16:14.809 --> 00:16:17.009 need to introduce more ladybugs into that patch 00:16:17.009 --> 00:16:21.070 it's a constant complex strategic game played 00:16:21.070 --> 00:16:25.409 with nature itself and the rancher the custodian 00:16:25.409 --> 00:16:28.179 of herds Animals are not machines. They have 00:16:28.179 --> 00:16:31.200 moods. They get sick. They have complex social 00:16:31.200 --> 00:16:34.240 hierarchies. A good rancher can look at a cow 00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:37.120 from 100 yards away and just sense that something 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:39.759 is wrong. How, though? It's the way it's standing, 00:16:39.860 --> 00:16:42.059 or the look in its eye, or the way its tail is 00:16:42.059 --> 00:16:44.779 twitching. It's a million tiny data points that 00:16:44.779 --> 00:16:47.379 a human brain evolved over millennia to read 00:16:47.379 --> 00:16:49.360 other living creatures can process instantly. 00:16:49.779 --> 00:16:52.600 A sensor might pick up a fever 24 hours later, 00:16:52.659 --> 00:16:54.379 but the rancher knew yesterday. It's empathy. 00:16:54.799 --> 00:16:57.559 It is empathy as a technical skill. An algorithm 00:16:57.559 --> 00:16:59.639 can simulate empathy, but it cannot feel the 00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:02.039 herd. That connection to life, to life cycles, 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:04.480 is something purely biological. So we have this 00:17:04.480 --> 00:17:07.539 incredible list of 22 vocations. We have the 00:17:07.539 --> 00:17:09.819 alchemists, the guardians, the stewards, and 00:17:09.819 --> 00:17:11.720 the common thread running through all of them 00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:14.180 is this kinesthetic intelligence. It's about 00:17:14.180 --> 00:17:16.960 being in the world, really truly in it. It's 00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:19.819 about being corporeal. It's about having a body. 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:22.519 We have neglected the body in favor of the brain 00:17:22.519 --> 00:17:25.960 for so long in our economy. The artisan's awakening 00:17:25.960 --> 00:17:28.759 is really the body striking back. It's the body 00:17:28.759 --> 00:17:31.799 saying, hey, remember me. I am useful. I can 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:34.599 do things the mind alone cannot. This leads us 00:17:34.599 --> 00:17:36.660 perfectly into section three, the psychology 00:17:36.660 --> 00:17:39.180 of craft. Because the source isn't just saying 00:17:39.180 --> 00:17:41.339 do this for the money. It's saying do this for 00:17:41.339 --> 00:17:43.220 your sanity. This is where we connect all the 00:17:43.220 --> 00:17:45.319 way back to part six, the dark night of the soul. 00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:48.180 The crisis so many people are feeling right now 00:17:48.180 --> 00:17:52.359 that deep unease is alienation. Alienation. That's 00:17:52.359 --> 00:17:55.279 a heavy word, but it feels right. It is, but 00:17:55.279 --> 00:17:58.380 it's accurate. In digital work, your output just 00:17:58.380 --> 00:18:00.900 vanishes into the ether. You spend all day crafting 00:18:00.900 --> 00:18:03.359 the perfect email. You hit send and it's gone. 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:05.839 You write a brilliant piece of code. It runs 00:18:05.839 --> 00:18:07.900 in the background on a server in Virginia that 00:18:07.900 --> 00:18:10.920 you will never see. You don't see the fruit of 00:18:10.920 --> 00:18:13.559 your labor. I feel that so deeply. You close 00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:15.799 your laptop at the end of the day and nothing 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:17.740 in your physical environment has changed at all. 00:18:17.940 --> 00:18:20.579 The room looks exactly the same. You're just 00:18:20.579 --> 00:18:24.819 tired. And empty. Exactly. That profound disconnect 00:18:24.819 --> 00:18:27.579 between effort and tangible result creates a 00:18:27.579 --> 00:18:30.440 gnawing existential anxiety. The source argues 00:18:30.440 --> 00:18:32.900 that physical work cures this dread because it 00:18:32.900 --> 00:18:35.240 offers tangible proof of existence. Tangible 00:18:35.240 --> 00:18:37.569 proof of existence. I like that. When a welder 00:18:37.569 --> 00:18:40.670 finishes a seam, that seam is there. It is solid 00:18:40.670 --> 00:18:43.269 metal. It will hold weight for 50 years. You 00:18:43.269 --> 00:18:45.069 can run your hand over it and feel the texture. 00:18:45.289 --> 00:18:47.730 When a carpenter builds a table, that table exists 00:18:47.730 --> 00:18:50.789 in space. It takes up room. It has weight. The 00:18:50.789 --> 00:18:53.410 feedback loop is immediate and physical. It's 00:18:53.410 --> 00:18:55.650 not a like on a post. It's a thing in the world 00:18:55.650 --> 00:18:58.170 that says, I was here, I did this, I changed 00:18:58.170 --> 00:19:01.660 the world, even in this one small way. Exactly. 00:19:01.779 --> 00:19:04.480 It proves you have agency. It proves you matter. 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:07.380 And psychologically, that kind of visible achievement 00:19:07.380 --> 00:19:10.259 bolsters mental health in a way that a performance 00:19:10.259 --> 00:19:13.279 review never, ever can. And is the mindfulness 00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:16.079 aspect, too. The source talks about getting into 00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:19.380 flow states. Yes. Hands -on work forces you to 00:19:19.380 --> 00:19:22.079 be in the present moment. If you are soldering 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:24.319 a copper pipe, you cannot be doom scrolling in 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:26.619 your head or worrying about your mortgage. You 00:19:26.619 --> 00:19:29.339 have to be right there watching the heat, watching 00:19:29.339 --> 00:19:32.420 the metal flow. Your entire focus is on that 00:19:32.420 --> 00:19:35.059 single point in space and time. If your mind 00:19:35.059 --> 00:19:36.920 wanders during a Zoom call, you miss a slide. 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:39.400 If your mind wanders while you're using a table 00:19:39.400 --> 00:19:42.339 saw, you lose a thumb. Chuckles. Exactly. And 00:19:42.339 --> 00:19:44.380 that danger, or at least that requirement for 00:19:44.380 --> 00:19:46.799 total focus, actually quiets the noise in your 00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:49.720 brain. It's an enforced mindfulness. It stops 00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:52.579 the anxiety loops. It grounds the worker in physical 00:19:52.579 --> 00:19:55.980 reality. It's an active meditation. So in a way, 00:19:56.059 --> 00:19:58.920 the trade isn't just a job. It's a therapy. It's 00:19:58.920 --> 00:20:01.440 a practice, like yoga or martial arts. It's a 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:04.059 way of being. There's also the social value. 00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:07.059 We've talked so much about how lonely and isolating 00:20:07.059 --> 00:20:09.920 remote work can be. The source describes the 00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:13.630 artisan as a community hero. This is such a beautiful 00:20:13.630 --> 00:20:17.329 and important point. Think about the HVAC technician 00:20:17.329 --> 00:20:20.890 who shows up and restores the heat in a family's 00:20:20.890 --> 00:20:23.230 home on the coldest night of the year. You are 00:20:23.230 --> 00:20:25.890 literally saving the day for them. You are. You 00:20:25.890 --> 00:20:28.190 walk into someone's home. They're in real distress. 00:20:28.450 --> 00:20:31.049 Their kids are cold. And you use your skills, 00:20:31.250 --> 00:20:33.750 your knowledge, to fix their immediate physical 00:20:33.750 --> 00:20:36.650 problem. The gratitude you receive is real. The 00:20:36.650 --> 00:20:38.970 connection is face -to -face. Or the local farmer 00:20:38.970 --> 00:20:40.750 at the market who feeds the neighborhood. Right. 00:20:40.829 --> 00:20:42.809 It creates a power. powerful sense of belonging. 00:20:43.109 --> 00:20:45.789 You are woven into the physical fabric of your 00:20:45.789 --> 00:20:48.349 community. You aren't some ghost living in the 00:20:48.349 --> 00:20:51.269 cloud. You are a neighbor who helps other neighbors. 00:20:51.490 --> 00:20:54.170 That's a deep human need that has been stripped 00:20:54.170 --> 00:20:56.869 away. So we have the financial safety, we have 00:20:56.869 --> 00:20:58.769 the psychological grounding, and we have the 00:20:58.769 --> 00:21:01.390 community connection. It sounds perfect. I have 00:21:01.390 --> 00:21:03.309 to play the skeptic again. Please do. The source 00:21:03.309 --> 00:21:05.109 is honest. It doesn't say this fortress lasts 00:21:05.109 --> 00:21:07.069 forever. We talked about the timeline. 30 years, 00:21:07.210 --> 00:21:09.269 maybe? No, and that's the integrity of the 5 00:21:09.269 --> 00:21:12.910 ,000 Days series. It never sugarcoats. It acknowledges 00:21:12.910 --> 00:21:15.150 the inevitable. This brings us to section four, 00:21:15.349 --> 00:21:19.650 the long game, because eventually the robots 00:21:19.650 --> 00:21:21.710 will catch up, won't they? The source admits, 00:21:21.950 --> 00:21:25.250 eventually, yes. Sometime in the late 2030s, 00:21:25.250 --> 00:21:28.089 we will likely have swarms of dexterous, adaptable 00:21:28.089 --> 00:21:31.029 bots that can master chaos. Material science 00:21:31.029 --> 00:21:33.670 will advance. Sensors will get cheaper and better. 00:21:33.789 --> 00:21:36.069 The Victorian house problem will eventually be 00:21:36.069 --> 00:21:38.430 solved. So wait a minute. If I spend the next 00:21:38.430 --> 00:21:40.609 10 years becoming a master plumber, learning 00:21:40.609 --> 00:21:42.789 all the nuances, building a business, and then 00:21:42.789 --> 00:21:45.750 in 2038, a robot can do my job better and cheaper, 00:21:45.930 --> 00:21:50.089 was it all a waste? Did I just delay my obsolescence 00:21:50.089 --> 00:21:53.170 by a decade? That is the pivotal question, and 00:21:53.170 --> 00:21:56.069 the source gives a resounding, emphatic no. Why 00:21:56.069 --> 00:21:58.690 not? Because of the twist. This isn't a tragedy. 00:21:58.809 --> 00:22:01.329 In the hero's journey, this is the return with 00:22:01.329 --> 00:22:03.390 the elixir. Okay, you have to explain the elixir. 00:22:03.410 --> 00:22:05.390 What is it? The elixir is the transformation 00:22:05.390 --> 00:22:09.049 of work into exalted hobby. Exalted hobby. That 00:22:09.049 --> 00:22:12.589 sounds nice. But what does that actually mean? 00:22:12.869 --> 00:22:15.369 Remember, we are moving toward an age of true 00:22:15.369 --> 00:22:18.829 abundance. The abundance interregnum ends. We 00:22:18.829 --> 00:22:21.509 enter a period where we no longer work for survival 00:22:21.509 --> 00:22:24.349 because the machines provide the basics for everyone. 00:22:24.710 --> 00:22:27.480 Energy is nearly free. Food is cheap. Housing 00:22:27.480 --> 00:22:30.619 is 3D printed. Exactly. So in that world, we 00:22:30.619 --> 00:22:33.859 will work for joy, for self -expression, for 00:22:33.859 --> 00:22:36.440 meaning. So I'm not plumbing because I need to 00:22:36.440 --> 00:22:39.980 pay my mortgage. I'm plumbing because I just 00:22:39.980 --> 00:22:41.859 love pipes. That feels like a stretch. You are 00:22:41.859 --> 00:22:44.359 plumbing because it has become an art form. The 00:22:44.359 --> 00:22:46.559 source paints these absolutely beautiful visions 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:48.839 of the future hobbyist. Give me the examples, 00:22:49.019 --> 00:22:51.380 because recreational plumbing sounds like a really 00:22:51.380 --> 00:22:53.599 hard sell. It does, doesn't it? Yeah. But listen 00:22:53.599 --> 00:22:56.079 to how they describe it. Plumbing becomes aquatic 00:22:56.079 --> 00:22:59.599 artistry. You aren't fixing clogs anymore. The 00:22:59.599 --> 00:23:02.559 nanobots do the sewage. You are designing beautiful, 00:23:02.740 --> 00:23:05.200 sustainable eco -fountains for public parks. 00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:08.140 You are creating interactive water features for 00:23:08.140 --> 00:23:10.759 private homes. You are mastering the flow of 00:23:10.759 --> 00:23:13.319 water for beauty and tranquility. Okay, I have 00:23:13.319 --> 00:23:16.269 to admit, that's actually really cool. And electricians 00:23:16.269 --> 00:23:18.970 become inventors of custom light installations. 00:23:19.529 --> 00:23:21.910 They aren't just wiring outlets. They are using 00:23:21.910 --> 00:23:24.369 their deep knowledge of energy to create art. 00:23:24.609 --> 00:23:27.250 They are lighting up cities in new ways we can't 00:23:27.250 --> 00:23:30.009 even imagine. And welders become sculptors. Making 00:23:30.009 --> 00:23:33.250 massive kinetic art. The forge god becomes a 00:23:33.250 --> 00:23:37.410 true artist. In 2040, a human welder isn't welding 00:23:37.410 --> 00:23:40.549 a structural I -beam for a warehouse. A robot 00:23:40.549 --> 00:23:43.509 does that perfectly every time. The human welder 00:23:43.509 --> 00:23:46.250 is creating a gate. for a garden that is a masterpiece 00:23:46.250 --> 00:23:49.069 of intricate design. And the farmers and ranchers, 00:23:49.150 --> 00:23:51.309 what happens to them? This is perhaps the most 00:23:51.309 --> 00:23:53.869 profound transformation of all. They become regenerative 00:23:53.869 --> 00:23:55.930 homesteaders. They aren't worried about yield 00:23:55.930 --> 00:23:59.049 efficiency for the global market. The giant robot 00:23:59.049 --> 00:24:02.250 farms handle that. The human farmers are biohackers 00:24:02.250 --> 00:24:04.470 and artists. They are experimenting with heirloom 00:24:04.470 --> 00:24:07.089 crops purely for flavor, not for durability or 00:24:07.089 --> 00:24:09.029 transportability. They're growing the tomato 00:24:09.029 --> 00:24:11.390 that actually tastes like a tomato. Exactly. 00:24:11.390 --> 00:24:13.089 The one that bruises if you look at it wrong, 00:24:13.109 --> 00:24:15.670 but tastes like heaven. That's a human luxury 00:24:15.670 --> 00:24:18.609 in a world of perfect, tasteless, machine -grown 00:24:18.609 --> 00:24:21.730 food. And ranchers focus on conservation breeding 00:24:21.730 --> 00:24:24.549 of rare animals and on animal companionship. 00:24:24.690 --> 00:24:28.390 So the idea is you learn the trade now to survive 00:24:28.390 --> 00:24:31.930 the chaotic transition. But in doing so, you 00:24:31.930 --> 00:24:35.390 are also saving the human touch for the coming 00:24:35.390 --> 00:24:38.210 era of machine perfection. You become the master 00:24:38.210 --> 00:24:40.390 of two worlds. That's the final stage of the 00:24:40.390 --> 00:24:42.910 hero's journey. You have bridged the gap. You 00:24:42.910 --> 00:24:45.150 survived the chaos of the interregnum and you 00:24:45.150 --> 00:24:47.589 arrived in the age of abundance with a rare, 00:24:47.670 --> 00:24:50.269 valuable skill that allows you to express your 00:24:50.269 --> 00:24:53.289 humanity. That is a deeply, deeply hopeful vision. 00:24:53.450 --> 00:24:56.109 It completely reframes the whole robots are taking 00:24:56.109 --> 00:24:58.130 our jobs narrative. It's not that they take our 00:24:58.130 --> 00:25:00.029 jobs and we all sit around doing nothing. It's 00:25:00.029 --> 00:25:01.589 that they take the drudgery and we get to keep 00:25:01.589 --> 00:25:03.789 the craft. We get to keep the joy of making. 00:25:03.970 --> 00:25:06.109 Exactly. We keep the connection to the physical 00:25:06.109 --> 00:25:08.329 world. I want to pause here for a second because 00:25:08.329 --> 00:25:11.130 I feel like we breezed past a few of the other 00:25:11.130 --> 00:25:13.390 vocations on that list of 22 that I really want 00:25:13.390 --> 00:25:15.210 to highlight. We hit the big ones, but there 00:25:15.210 --> 00:25:17.049 are some deep cuts in there that I think are 00:25:17.049 --> 00:25:19.130 fascinating and really illustrate the point. 00:25:19.269 --> 00:25:21.710 Oh, absolutely. The list is incredibly well thought 00:25:21.710 --> 00:25:24.589 out. Let's do it. Okay. For example, the locksmith. 00:25:24.750 --> 00:25:27.690 Ah, the secret keeper. Yes. The source calls 00:25:27.690 --> 00:25:30.609 them secret keepers. Unlocking mysteries while 00:25:30.609 --> 00:25:34.130 fortifying security. Now, why is that resilient 00:25:34.130 --> 00:25:37.490 to AI? It seems like it's all about precision, 00:25:37.730 --> 00:25:40.430 which robots are good at. Think about the integration. 00:25:40.690 --> 00:25:43.410 A locksmith today isn't just filing metal keys 00:25:43.410 --> 00:25:46.230 anymore. They are installing complex smart locks 00:25:46.230 --> 00:25:48.309 that have to integrate with home automation systems. 00:25:48.890 --> 00:25:52.130 But the purely physical act of retrofitting a 00:25:52.130 --> 00:25:55.170 50 -year -old warped wooden door to accept a 00:25:55.170 --> 00:25:57.450 brand new digital lock. Right. It's never a clean 00:25:57.450 --> 00:26:00.890 fit. It never is. That requires drilling, chiseling, 00:26:00.990 --> 00:26:03.170 aligning strike plates on frames that have settled. 00:26:03.289 --> 00:26:06.490 It's custom work every single time. A robot might 00:26:06.490 --> 00:26:08.410 be able to hack the software of the lock, but 00:26:08.410 --> 00:26:10.670 can it physically install the hardware without 00:26:10.670 --> 00:26:13.369 completely ruining the mahogany door? Not easily. 00:26:13.799 --> 00:26:15.980 And there's a massive element of trust there 00:26:15.980 --> 00:26:17.839 too. You're letting someone into your most secure 00:26:17.839 --> 00:26:20.579 spaces. A huge element. That human factor of 00:26:20.579 --> 00:26:23.140 trust is very hard to automate. What about the 00:26:23.140 --> 00:26:24.960 glazier? That's one you don't hear about every 00:26:24.960 --> 00:26:27.039 day. The source calls them the glass visionary. 00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:30.849 Framing views that connect inside to out. This 00:26:30.849 --> 00:26:33.269 is a great example of the intersection of energy 00:26:33.269 --> 00:26:36.210 efficiency and aesthetics. As we move toward 00:26:36.210 --> 00:26:38.990 a greener world, which is a huge part of the 00:26:38.990 --> 00:26:42.049 background of the 5 ,000 Days series, retrofitting 00:26:42.049 --> 00:26:44.190 old buildings with new energy -efficient glass 00:26:44.190 --> 00:26:47.210 is a massive, massive job. And glass is heavy, 00:26:47.349 --> 00:26:50.880 awkward. and incredibly fragile extremely imagine 00:26:50.880 --> 00:26:54.079 handling a 10 foot by 6 foot pane of triple glazed 00:26:54.079 --> 00:26:56.819 glass on a windy construction site 30 stories 00:26:56.819 --> 00:27:00.000 up in a city that requires a level of tactile 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:03.299 feedback and minute team coordination literally 00:27:03.299 --> 00:27:05.680 sensing the wind and the weight shift with your 00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:07.839 partner that is so far beyond what a machine 00:27:07.839 --> 00:27:10.220 can do right now it's that kinesthetic intelligence 00:27:10.220 --> 00:27:12.400 again it just keeps coming back to the body it 00:27:12.400 --> 00:27:14.140 always does okay what about the auto mechanic 00:27:14.140 --> 00:27:17.789 the vehicle healer Reviving mobility with mechanical 00:27:17.789 --> 00:27:20.490 empathy. This one is really interesting because 00:27:20.490 --> 00:27:23.349 of the massive shift to electric vehicles. You 00:27:23.349 --> 00:27:26.250 might think, well, EVs have fewer moving parts, 00:27:26.329 --> 00:27:28.869 so mechanics are doomed. That's the common wisdom, 00:27:28.990 --> 00:27:32.029 right? No engine, no transmission, no job. But 00:27:32.029 --> 00:27:34.089 the source points out the importance of adaptability. 00:27:34.569 --> 00:27:37.609 First, there's a huge body of work in adapting 00:27:37.609 --> 00:27:40.130 to electric and autonomous vehicles. But even 00:27:40.130 --> 00:27:42.269 more interesting is maintaining the classic models 00:27:42.269 --> 00:27:45.460 for enthusiasts. The classic cars. Of course, 00:27:45.480 --> 00:27:48.619 in the age of abundance, collecting and driving 00:27:48.619 --> 00:27:51.579 vintage internal combustion engine cars will 00:27:51.579 --> 00:27:54.539 be a huge hobby. Keeping those beautiful, complex 00:27:54.539 --> 00:27:57.619 machines running requires a very specific, almost 00:27:57.619 --> 00:28:00.440 lost art of mechanics that robots won't be programmed 00:28:00.440 --> 00:28:03.319 for because it's a niche, passion driven market. 00:28:03.710 --> 00:28:06.069 So you become the specialist who keeps the 67 00:28:06.069 --> 00:28:08.609 Mustang rumbling down the road when everything 00:28:08.609 --> 00:28:10.869 else is a silent, self -driving pod. Exactly. 00:28:10.869 --> 00:28:14.289 You are a historian as much as a mechanic. You 00:28:14.289 --> 00:28:16.329 are preserving the rumble. You're preserving 00:28:16.329 --> 00:28:18.509 a piece of culture. It's funny. As we go through 00:28:18.509 --> 00:28:21.670 these, I realize how much creativity and design 00:28:21.670 --> 00:28:25.029 is actually embedded in these so -called blue 00:28:25.029 --> 00:28:27.630 -collar jobs. Yeah. Our culture has stripped 00:28:27.630 --> 00:28:29.970 them of that dignity. We think of them as rote 00:28:29.970 --> 00:28:32.259 labor. that was the fundamental mistake of the 00:28:32.259 --> 00:28:34.640 industrial age we treated humans like machines 00:28:34.640 --> 00:28:37.640 we told the plumber to just fix the pipe we told 00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:40.440 the welder to just join the metal now that we 00:28:40.440 --> 00:28:43.539 have actual machines to do the machine work humans 00:28:43.539 --> 00:28:46.819 are finally free to be artisans again that is 00:28:46.819 --> 00:28:49.519 the headline right there Waking up from the nightmare 00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:52.019 of being biological robots. And returning to 00:28:52.019 --> 00:28:54.019 being creators. I want to touch on the economic 00:28:54.019 --> 00:28:56.299 reality one more time to ground all of this. 00:28:56.539 --> 00:28:59.279 Because while the exalted hobby future is beautiful, 00:28:59.579 --> 00:29:02.880 our listeners have bills to pay today in February 00:29:02.880 --> 00:29:06.339 2026. The source talks about salaries. It does. 00:29:06.500 --> 00:29:09.019 It notes that median salaries often eclipse $50 00:29:09.019 --> 00:29:11.920 ,000 to $80 ,000 annually. And that's for journeymen. 00:29:12.099 --> 00:29:15.059 Master tradespeople can earn significantly more. 00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:18.779 Which, in 2026 dollars, is a very solid living. 00:29:18.920 --> 00:29:21.900 But the entrepreneurship angle is key. Boundless 00:29:21.900 --> 00:29:24.460 horizons, as the source says. Starting your own 00:29:24.460 --> 00:29:27.319 contracting firm. Specializing in high -demand 00:29:27.319 --> 00:29:30.559 areas like eco -friendly installations or smart 00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:33.140 home integration. Because when you have a trade, 00:29:33.220 --> 00:29:35.359 you own your own means of production. You are 00:29:35.359 --> 00:29:38.670 your own asset. You have power. You do. Think 00:29:38.670 --> 00:29:40.309 about it. If you get laid off from a corporate 00:29:40.309 --> 00:29:42.910 job, you lose your access to the company's data, 00:29:43.069 --> 00:29:45.109 their proprietary software, their client lists. 00:29:45.349 --> 00:29:47.670 You're left with nothing. If you're a plumber 00:29:47.670 --> 00:29:50.170 and you get fired, you pick up your tool bag 00:29:50.170 --> 00:29:52.009 and you walk down the street to the next house 00:29:52.009 --> 00:29:54.230 that needs help. You still have your power. That 00:29:54.230 --> 00:29:57.210 is true. Anti -fragility. It is. You are robust 00:29:57.210 --> 00:30:00.589 to shocks. You're not fragile. And in the abundance 00:30:00.589 --> 00:30:04.200 in a regnum, shocks are the only guarantee. Turbulence 00:30:04.200 --> 00:30:06.819 is the new normal. You want to be a sturdy boat 00:30:06.819 --> 00:30:09.500 in that storm, not a delicate house of cards. 00:30:09.660 --> 00:30:12.160 So the message of part nine is crystal clear. 00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:14.920 Don't be a house of cards. Be a fortress. Be 00:30:14.920 --> 00:30:17.859 a forge. Be a garden. Be an artisan. Okay, let's 00:30:17.859 --> 00:30:19.559 pull it all together. What does this mean for 00:30:19.559 --> 00:30:22.859 you, the listener, right now, today? Yeah. In 00:30:22.859 --> 00:30:25.880 2026? It means you have a fundamental choice 00:30:25.880 --> 00:30:29.349 to make. You can cling to the old world of the 00:30:29.349 --> 00:30:32.490 desk job, which is actively crumbling. You can 00:30:32.490 --> 00:30:35.089 keep refreshing your email, hoping the layoffs 00:30:35.089 --> 00:30:38.309 don't hit your department next. Or you can accept 00:30:38.309 --> 00:30:40.470 the call to adventure and get your hands dirty. 00:30:40.690 --> 00:30:43.390 The source is telling us, in no uncertain terms, 00:30:43.670 --> 00:30:46.789 that craftwork is the elixir. It's the thing 00:30:46.789 --> 00:30:49.049 that stalls the loss of a job right now. But 00:30:49.049 --> 00:30:51.450 ultimately, it's the thing that lets your job 00:30:51.450 --> 00:30:53.690 become your art. And you have to remember the 00:30:53.690 --> 00:30:55.940 timeline. We are living through this specific 00:30:55.940 --> 00:30:59.319 13 .7 year transition right now. The clock is 00:30:59.319 --> 00:31:02.039 ticking on those 5 ,000 days. This isn't a problem 00:31:02.039 --> 00:31:04.460 for the next generation. It's for us. I want 00:31:04.460 --> 00:31:06.460 to leave everyone with a final provocative thought, 00:31:06.519 --> 00:31:08.720 something to really chew on from all this. We 00:31:08.720 --> 00:31:10.700 talked about abundance, about a future where 00:31:10.700 --> 00:31:13.299 money is no object. Right. The post -scarcity 00:31:13.299 --> 00:31:15.890 world. So. Ask yourself this question and be 00:31:15.890 --> 00:31:17.990 really honest. If money were truly no object, 00:31:18.190 --> 00:31:20.029 if your housing, your food, your health care 00:31:20.029 --> 00:31:22.690 were all guaranteed, which of these trades would 00:31:22.690 --> 00:31:24.450 you choose to do purely for the satisfaction 00:31:24.450 --> 00:31:26.410 of the act itself? Would you want to work with 00:31:26.410 --> 00:31:30.809 wood? With metal? With soil? With water? With 00:31:30.809 --> 00:31:33.690 energy? That answer. Whatever pops into your 00:31:33.690 --> 00:31:36.710 head right now, that might just be your lifeboat 00:31:36.710 --> 00:31:39.670 today. And your joy tomorrow. We really want 00:31:39.670 --> 00:31:41.769 to hear from you on this one. Are you making 00:31:41.769 --> 00:31:44.119 this shift? Have you already traded the keyboard 00:31:44.119 --> 00:31:47.460 for a hammer? Go to the forum at readmultiplex 00:31:47.460 --> 00:31:50.400 .com. Share your own hero's journey into the 00:31:50.400 --> 00:31:52.519 trades. We'll be there reading every one of them. 00:31:52.799 --> 00:31:55.359 This has been The Deep Dive. Thanks for listening. 00:31:55.579 --> 00:31:57.079 Keep building. See you in the future.