Press Release - New Book Coming Oct 9th

Press Release

October 4, 2017

Contact:   Eric Wilson

Cell Phone: 859-983-5190

Email: ewilson1776@yahoo.com

                                                                                    

New Book changing the way people view the past, present, and prepare for the future.

Every culture goes through predictable cycles of abundance and catastrophic “resets.” Eric Wilson, the director of the Kentucky 9/12 Project and former leader in the Tea Party movement has released his latest book “Cultural Cycles” and warns the United States is on the brink of its next reset, with potentially disastrous results – and he backs it up with data.

Owensboro, KY –  "Cultural Cycles" is a book written by Eric Wilson who is also a professional business forecaster for a local international company and worked in the field of analytics for over twenty years.   Through an intriguing mixture of historical acumen and big-data analytics - Cultural Cycles examines the cyclical nature of history and applies it to the United States today. Basing his observations on repeating eras and cycles from the seventeenth century to the present, Wilson reveals that the United States’ next cultural reset is imminent and posits what the consequences will be for a nation already divided. 

Predicting the Future by Looking at the Past - Chapter 1

Exert of Chapter 1 from the book Cultural Cycles (Oct 9 2017) by Author Eric Wilson and contributions by Justen Collins available @ http://www.culturalcycles.com

For over twenty-five years now – in my “day” job of analytics and business forecasting – I use past results and forecast outlooks to predict future actions and events every day. I have thrived in the corporate world by observing patterns and correlations in events and attempting to explain – not necessarily “why” something occurred – but “what” might occur next. Most times – whether people realize it or not – I am far from alone in these pursuits.

While they may not get paid to do so, most people generally try to anticipate what is going to happen in their lives.  Of course, the majority do not fully understand the statistical probabilities or potential forecast elements involved. Regardless, they still spend their time guessing what might happen tomorrow or prognosticating to their peers about the future – even if it is just which team will win this Sunday’s game.

We all make these guesses, but what if we could see into the future? Would you not want to “peer under the shroud” and see what was to come? I am not talking about learning the next winner of the Super Bowl or Lord Stanley’s Cup, but more like knowing what type of culture shifts we will see in the coming years.

Are You Smarter Than a Forecaster - Chapter 2

Exert of Chapter 2 from the book Cultural Cycles (Oct 9 2017) by Author Eric Wilson and contributions by Justen Collins available @ http://www.culturalcycles.com

Even though what I do – and forecasting in general – may seem implausible at worst and unreliable at best to many, it is also intuitive to most. Look at the chart below (figure 1) and guess where the next point will fall.

(Figure 1)

Overwhelmingly, almost everyone predicts the next point will fall below the center line and answer “C.”

We Do Forget 9/11

Monday on 9/11 a day which one of its mantras is “never forget”.  I clearly remember where I was that morning when I saw the second plane fly into the World Trade Centers.  I will truly never forget the feeling and emotion I had as I watched in disbelief as the events unfolded.  Me, like many others, that day changed our lives and changed our perspectives.  For anyone that lived through this tragedy and has a heart you will never forget.

As I proclaimed the other day on 9/11 out of sorrow and actuality - sadly history has shown us and time is proving out "we do forget.”  While understandably many people took this as a criticism of the times we live, I was expressing a much bigger picture.  There are dates that should live in infamy and moments of history that should never be lost, that are relegated to the history books that nobody reads.  These events live in the past that we cannot relate to or empathize with.  And the further we are from them the more we have ease and tranquility, as if no such event had happened.

But what does this mean for our understanding of the past and actions in the future?

The Last Flower

“As for the winter, when the freezing rains
confine the farmer, he may employ himself
in preparations for serener seasons.”
- Virgil’s First Georgic by Robert Fitzgerald

Every year I play like I’m a backyard farmer and plant my gardens.  Every year I complain that despite my efforts nothing happens the way I think it should.  And every year I learn valuable lessons not just about agriculture but life.

Intuitively I know gardening enhances our quality of life in numerous ways: providing fresh food, exercise and health benefits, and opportunities for life-long learning. A garden experience fosters ecological literacy and stewardship skills - enhancing an awareness of the link between plants and cycles of life.  

Cultural Cycles - The End is Neigh

message from the Author Eric Wilson:

After five years, I have recently completed my latest book of an in depth look at the Cycles that move a culture and the next looming reset. Stay tuned for the new book coming this fall “Cultural Cycles: A Story of the History of the United States - Why It Repeats Itself, and the Next Looming Reset”.  This book uses history and analytics and most of all the readers own intuition and logic to explain the seemly rhythmic nature of history. We answer many of the questions of why various well-known historic events took place when they did and what we might be able to expect in the future.  After extensive research of historical patterns, I not only show how and why history does repeat itself but also provide insight to how America may be on the verge of the next cataclysmic reset. 

COMING THIS FALL LEARN MORE @ http://www.cultrualcyles.com

Charlottesville is Only the Beginning

Recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia have shined a renewed light on our culture, where we have come from, and where we still must go. Not surprising this has set off a firestorm of emotional responses and actions from all sides.  More than thirty cities either have removed or are removing Confederate monuments, according to a list compiled by The New York Times. In Baltimore during the dead of night three statues the mayor and city council deemed offensive were lifted from their moorings.  As both for and against - protests and counter protests are being organized in cities across America.  

President Trump even weighed in as well a few times adding to the banter.  While there are many issues, one of the underlying debates over the Confederate monuments espoused by Mr. Trump and others is a fight between those who wish to preserve history and those who wish to “erase” it.  I actually think the President was partially correct – this is about history.  We are in a fight, but this just may be a fight between those who wish to learn from history and those who wish to “relive” it.

The history behind many of the Confederate monuments is not what most people may think. 

What Are The Georgics

Re-Posted by Dr. Shanon Brooks on Aug 24, 2015  monticellocollege.org/

CHICKENS ROAMING THE YARD AT MONTICELLO COLLEGE

“What are the Georgics?,”  is a really good question.  Let me qualify myself before I attempt to answer this.

I grew up on a 40-acre farm with 1,000 chickens, 30 head of cattle, 10 pigs and an assortment of ducks, geese, cats, and dogs etc.

So I understand farm life and nature’s birth, growth and death cycle, puny man’s dependence on Providence for hay crops, 3:00am calving emergencies, the untimely death of a beloved animal, the threat of coyotes–you see where I am going with this.

I am also a self-styled entrepreneur.  I have not worked anywhere for the last 20 years that I did not take a hand in creating the company or institution of my employ. So when I was introduced to the concept of Georgics, it made sense to me right away. But as our culture has moved away from the concept of the Georgics, fewer and fewer people understand what this is and why it is important.

Prosperity verses Adversity

“In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.” Ecclesiastes 7:14

The use of the word “day” tells us that the time of prosperity and adversity is short in the grand scheme of things.  In the day of prosperity, when everything seems to be going well… health, money to pay bills, no conflict, good relationships, peace…  be joyful for this is the gift of God for you to enjoy.  But there will also be a day of adversity… sickness, sorrow, trouble, debt, strained relationships, conflicts and great wars.  Consider… God is the author of both, and has set them one against the other so we will not be able to find true satisfaction in anything but God Himself!  Consider prosperity and adversity for what they really are… vanity!  The only truly satisfying thing there is, is being in Christ and beholding His face.  May we find nothing in anything else!

-          Todd Nibert (Todd’s Road Grace Church Lexington, KY)

Book Review - Conflict of Visions by Thomas Sowell

Conflict of Visions, by Thomas Sowell

In this classic work, Thomas Sowell analyzes the two competing visions that shape our debates about the nature of reason, justice, equality, and power: the “constrained” vision, which sees human nature as unchanging and selfish, and the “unconstrained” vision, in which human nature is malleable and perfectible. He describes how these two radically opposed views have manifested themselves in the political controversies of the past two centuries, including such contemporary issues as welfare reform, social justice, and crime. Updated to include sweeping political changes since its first publication in 1987, this revised edition of A Conflict of Visions offers a convincing case that ethical and policy disputes circle around the disparity between both outlooks.

Eric Wilson’s Review: This book is not about Democrats or Republicans, conservatives or liberals. It is far more fundamental than that. This gets to the heart and minds of people’s ideological thinking and why. Not sure if I am naive or arrogant but I did disagree silently in the absolutes of the two “visions” but this is still an absolute must read and amazing perspective into politics and reason. Must admit it reads a lot like a textbook (which I enjoy) but like a good novel, wherever you put the book down you are anxious to learn what is coming next. This is a book not only for the serious student of political science, but for anyone who wants a better understanding of what leads honest and sincere individuals to hold extraordinarily divergent views.


Find this and other books  reading list: Click here

Book Review - The Fourth Turning by Howe & Straus

The Fourth Turning, by Howe and Straus

Strauss and Howe will change the way you see the world--and your place in it. In The Fourth Turning, they apply their generational theories to the cycles of history and locate America in the middle of an unraveling period, on the brink of a crisis. How you prepare for this crisis--the Fourth Turning--is intimately connected to the mood and attitude of your particular generation. Are you one of the can-do "GI generation," who triumphed in the last crisis? Do you belong to the mediating "Silent Majority," who enjoyed the 1950s High? Do you fall into the "awakened" Boomer category of the 1970s and 1980s, or are you a Gen-Xer struggling to adapt to our splintering world? Whatever your stage of life, The Fourth Turning offers bold predictions about how all of us can prepare, individually and collectively, for America's next rendezvous with destiny.


Eric Wilson’s Review: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” Everything has a purpose and in everything you may discover a cycle. This book lays out a chilling cycles that continue to play themselves over and over again much like the season spring, summer, fall, and now winter. Much like the Tyler Cycle this is a wakeup call of where we are and where we are heading. Admittedly it starts a little slow but you need to pick this book up and keep reading through it. Pay attention because if you get half way through you will be hooked. Read this, take lots of notes, and recommend it to a friend. It is one of the essential reads of our time.


Find this and other books in our recommended reading list: Click here

Killing Alexander Tytler

Eric Wilson - 2014

Self-determination is fleeting for any culture.  It follows a historically well-established cycle of rise and fall.  Looking at the Alexander Tytler he believed the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years and all of them move from bondage to freedom and affluence and back to bondage again. 

 The concept from Alexander Tytler is an intriguing one. Understanding that there are cycles that do seem to repeat, the Tytler Cycle as an explanation of civilizations is plausible.  Second placing our current situation and understanding of current events into perspective to our known history of our society it does give rational for what we are experiencing and explanations for parts of our past.

In his cycle societies starts out in bondage, meaning no or very limited freedoms. Now faced with a very difficult situation (bondage), they turn to religion and religious faith (awakening). Through this they achieve the (courage) they need to fight for and win their freedom (Liberty). Next, through the benefits of freedom they achieve (abundance) in material things.  With abundance we get (selfishness) and laziness setting in. Then we get (apathy) and finally (dependence). Then we arrive back up at the top with (bondage) again.

 It is easy to fall into the trap of looking at this cycle and comparing it to the current headlines and placing us somewhere at the time this was written between dependence and bondage.  We see a record amount of debt, fundamental rights being taken away, and we just topped a majority of citizens receiving more from the government than they contribute.  We register our cars, land, boats, and even need to get a marriage license so technically we register our spouse as well. If this is not bondage at minimum we are heading there from apathy allowing this to occur. 

Predicting the future looking at the past

Eric Wilson - 2014

In 1960, Heinz von Foerster calculated that the world’s population at any given time could be approximated by the simple equation

N(t) = C / ( t(0) – t )

N is the population

t is time

C is a constant

t(0) is a “doomsday” when the population becomes infinite ( FYI the formula worked out, doomsday will be November 13, 2026).

This simple formula with 99% of the micro-variation could predict the world population from the year 1000 to 1970. Furthermore, a quadratic-hyperbolic equation of the same type accurately represented the increase in the GDP the same years.

Looking Back

Eric Wilson - 2014

“The farther backward you look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” Winston Churchill

We have been conditioned both by nature and nurture to view and define things in a linear fashion.  This causes people to not fully comprehend the connections between the past and present and also fall short in identifying the similarities.  We continue placing everything on a straight line – or continuum – polarizing one moment of time from another.  Blinded by the habit of categorizing and arranging events as we encounter them, most people never examine where the impetus or stimulus for what is happening today came from (or that it has happened before).

 It is not by chance that history truly does repeat itself.  For generations you can generally look back a century and find similar issues, concerns, and archetypes driving the day.  In people’s lives they go through turnings and seasons that many of their great grandparents went through. For societies you can do more than trace a beginning and end but with each end a new awakening.  Civilizations live like people in cycles with one influencing the next and leading back to the beginning.

 We live in a world surrounded by cycles. Years have repeating season, months cycle and we celebrate every year as we start the cycle again, our days of the week progress to a weekend only to start over again, and our hours of the day beat to a continuous rhythm with the morning following every night. We have business cycles, cycles in nature and biology, life cycles, electrical cycles, news cycles, emotional cycles, financial cycles, fashion cycles – but history is just unsystematic events?

12 Step Program to Liberty

Eric Wilson - 2014

I’m Eric Wilson and I am in bondage in our nation. 

Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over the bureaucracy - that it had become unmanageable. You need to admit you have a problem; the system is not only broken but actively working against you on both sides of the aisle.

Step 2: We understand we have been duped by the political propaganda and allowed it to influence our actions.  You must recognize the power the system has over you. If you believe voting for a “letter” for the sake of a “letter” or “not to lose a seat” then you not only have been lied too but you may be the problem yourself.

Step 3: We admit to ourselves and others the exact nature of our wrongs. You need to understand the consequences. This country is where it is today because you lost the meaning, power, and privilege of liberty.  That your’ s and people’s actions or lack of actions are the reason for our bondage and a nation under tyranny.

Renaissance not Revolution

Eric Wilson - 2014


Sadly, we have people from both ends of the political spectrum converging now to “storm the Bastille” from different sides.  On one side, we have progressives in favor social reengineering and redistribution while the other side is the “establishment” who promote global empires and are the corporate welfare system.  No matter which side you think is here to “save you,” the truth is they are both here to destroy the foundation of our nation, and government will get bigger and more powerful as a result.

 Among the crowds are anarchists and useful idiots that are crying for a revolution.  They are clearly against something but have no clear vision of what they are for – and even less clarity on ideas or virtues.  The time for the action they so desire is now, but we do not need a revolution…we need a renaissance.

 After decades of attempting to change things from the top down, we must now realize that the answer is not a revolution but a renaissance.  We require a renaissance of people and ideas, not one of systems or policies.  Any revolution without a guiding “compass” – a foundation of morals and ideas – ultimately becomes all about power.  It creates the followers and useful idiots demanding the immediate overthrow of a system.  By contrast, a renaissance is based on personal responsibility and personal enlightenment.  It empowers leaders that will transcend to the eventual changing of a system.

Cycles of Liberty Circles

Eric Wilson - 2013

We have been conditioned both by nature and nurture to view and define things in a linear fashion.  This causes people to not fully comprehend the connections between ideas and also to fall short in identifying the similarities between positions.  We continue placing everything on a straight line – or continuum – polarizing one extreme from another.  Blinded by the habit of categorizing and arranging ideas as we encounter them, most people never examine where the two ends of the spectrum truly lie.  In many cases you end up with only two popular or accepted options: Right versus Left, Republican versus Democrat, Faith versus Reason, Ford versus Chevy.

 For social movements and liberty circles, this line of thinking manifests itself in the development of “relative deprivation.”  People are motivated to act as a result of changes in their perception of those with whom they compare themselves – not by absolute changes in their conditions.  Although relative deprivation has been used to explain the origin of a social movement, it may better define an element of a movement and the gap – whether real or perceived – between where the collective or individuals are and where they believe they should or are entitled to be.  This usually includes a reinterpretation of history, a vision of the utopia that the success of the movement will achieve, and a projection of the disastrous consequences if it fails or the opposition succeeds.

Optimism Kills

Eric Wilson - 2013


With just a glimpse of the headlines, anyone can clearly see that things are bad and getting worse.  Unfortunately – as people keep fighting to preserve liberty and to change policies and institutions – truth is (and facts are proving out) that the cycle has progressed forward and is already beyond repair.  It is no longer a matter of if American society is going into bondage but rather how long it will be enslaved.

 Yes, this is tough to come to grips with and requires a different perspective that many do not want to concede.  There are many that continue to say “just one more thing (policy, election, protest, etc.) is going to turn everything around.”  Sadly, though, the next election comes, bill gets debated, and liberties get lost.  They do not want to face that the best days for a generation may be behind us and that every season must come to an end.  For these people – as the next headline comes out and the next band is tightened around our wrists and ankles – it becomes more difficult to accept.

 It was from this place of despair that a friend asked how I handle what is happening.  The problem was that he was stuck in a paradigm of choosing between optimism (hoping to change things back to the way they were) and fear (giving up and becoming pessimistic about where we are today).  In a book by Jim Collins, “Good to Great,” he talks about a principle called the Stockdale Paradox (named after the highest-ranking American prisoner of war in Hanoi, Vietnam).  In summary, the Stockdale Paradox states there is a different paradigm and one which we should be realistic about our current circumstances while maintaining faith about the future.

Time is Running Out

Eric Wilson - 2013


“Whilst the last members were signing it [the Constitution] looking towards the Presidents Chair, at the back of which a rising sun happened to be painted, observed to a few members near him, that Painters had found it difficult to distinguish in their art a rising from a setting sun. I have said he, often in the course of the Session, and the vicissitudes of my hopes and fears as to its issue, looked at that behind the President without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting: But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting Sun.”  - Remarks from Benjamin Franklin, recorded by James Madison at the close of the Constitutional Convention.

 In these last several years, this story of Ben Franklin at the Continental Congress has continued to keep coming back to me and haunting my thoughts.  Like Franklin, I am observing everything that is happening in our nation today and – in the alternating of my hope and fears – wonder now if that same sun is setting or rising still.

 Staring at the glimmer of light on the horizon, I continue to have a sick feeling in my stomach that the darkest hours of our nation may lay just ahead.  Though we have tried to hold back the hands of the clock for as long as we could, the cycles of time have brought us to the dusk.

 Continuing this analogy of a rising and setting sun what does the cycle of a day in the life of our republic look like? Oh, if we could once again be looking instead at the dawn of a great nation…if we could once again see this through Franklin’s eyes…

Lessons From Greece

Eric Wilson - 2013

Dr. Brooks recent article “Return of the Manual Arts” really made me think and inspired this week’s article from me.

Many of us know or have heard of the influence ancient Greece had on the founding of America.  It is true they made a huge impact on America, which is evident even today.  The ancient Greeks helped to lay the foundations in practically every area of American life from art, literature, theater, math, science, architecture, engineering to even warfare.

What we learned in Forms and Government:

With any cursory study of history you will discover that our founding fathers were heavily influenced by the Greeks.

 The American political system is profoundly influenced by ideas from ancient Greece and Rome.  Our ideas about democracy and republican government come from these ancient governments.  Our values of citizen participation and limited government originate in these ancient societies.