As is often the case, the public is frequently presented with stats that are inappropriately used as a launching pad for a PUSH (a campaign to drive an agenda). An example of a PUSH would be, “There are lots of obese adolescents, therefore – we need to get these kids on a statin drug ASAP!”
We read and hear stats that are incorrectly (yet conveniently) correlated to statements – via frequently incorrect “deductive” reasoning.
STAT:
“By 2025, as the U.S. elderly population nearly doubles, the number of working-age adults and children will increase by only 15 percent, says the U.S. Census Bureau analysis.”
PUSH:
“Because the U.S. elderly population will nearly double by 2025, more people will need chiropractic care.”
Pure chiropractic care is the optimization of the nervous system to allow for the maximum expression of life (aka optimal function). Unfortunately – for pure chiropractors, what most people associate with chiropractic care is the cessation of musculoskeletal pain.
The suggestion, in the above example, is that the WHAT (elderly people) will desire chiropractic care (the WANT).
Is that true?
Hell NO!
Just because someone gets older and experiences more aches and pains, does not mean that there is a greater desire for PURE CHIROPRACTIC care, or any chiropractic care for that matter. In fact, while the population has become progressively older, utilization of chiropractic care has dropped.
Nevertheless, data specific to the aging population has been used over and over again to support the claim that more people are going to require certain professional services – even if current data relative to the utilization of those services speaks to the contrary.
When I was a kid, I remember hearing a PUSH for more libraries. The statement at the time was that, with the ever-expanding birth rate, more libraries will be required to serve the needs of the growing population. Was that statement true? Actually…NO. Why? Well…let’s just say that the internet and ebooks have rewritten the way in which we access information. While no one could see into the future, the assertion that A = B, B=C, therefore, A = C is simply not always true.
WHY IS THIS TOPIC IMPORTANT?
For many professional service providers, and entrepreneurs looking to create products that people NEED, the fact is that they can be swayed by inaccurate deductions. In other words, one’s analysis does not equate to FACT.
Going back to our chiropractic example, based on the false premise that aging population is going to be breaking down the doors of chiropractors around the world, with high hopes of pain removal, does not mean that chiropractors who are practicing PURE CHIROPRACTIC are left without a market. Naturally, it would be up to the PURE CHIROPRACTORS to create their market.
Using a different example, one could suggest that – with the increased number of people desiring organic foods, stores like Whole Foods will continue to experience expansion and growing profits. True or not so much? Well…the fact of the matter is that stores like Costco and Walmart are carrying more and more organic foods, steering business away from places like Whole Foods. As a small organic food company looking to get into the public eye, the typical path would likely have lead to doing a dance for Whole Foods – in hopes of finding a way onto their shelves. With the growth of organic in other stores (like Costco and Walmart), there are now more paths from which to choose.
POINTS:
1). Don’t bet the farm on everything you hear or see. False assumptions (for or against your circumstance) always lead to LOSS.
2). Create your own path by looking at the ever-changing face of the game board.
Have A GREAT Day!
…Dr. Marc (the Dark Lord) & The Mind Virus Team