Predictions by financial and technology experts tell us our world is headed for a cashless society, and that’s not for our benefit. There might be merit to the claim, but we probably won’t know until it may be too late.

The signs are generally pointing in that general direction, however, so it would be a smart idea to stay informed about the developments.

RFID tags were the first signal

At the RFID tags were introduced as a convenient way to keep track of pets, it seemed like a reasonable move. When someone brings a lost dog to the vet, if the owner can’t be found, the animal gets sent to a shelter.

If the dog has been microchipped, it can be reunited with its owner fairly easily. But then people began to tag their children and even themselves, which raised some concerns.

Those red flags were subsequently validated when RFID tags became mandatory for employees of Cincinnati’s video surveillance company CityWatcher.com. Since then, RFID tags have been pushed as an easy way to manage one’s finances: the suggestion has been made that an implant in your body may make your physical bank card superfluous someday.

The idea would be to implant everyone with an RFID chip that not only serves as a locator, but also connects you to your individual bank account wirelessly. If you don’t pay your taxes or behave responsibly, access to your funds may simply be shut off.

The second signal: cash is becoming scarce and restricted

Many people assume the Federal Reserve is printing money as if it’s going out of style. The truth is, it’s not really printing money but doing something potentially more risky.

The Fed has been allocating $4 trillion to support investment errors and economy-sapping ideas, which some experts have asserted is blocking a true economic recovery. Regardless what the agency is doing, some have noticed it’s becoming increasingly difficult to use cash in our society.

For example, banks like JPMorgan Chase no longer allow cash deposits unless the person seeking to make the deposit has a Chase account in good standing. If your friend overdraws his account by $20, you can’t assist him with a cash infusion unless you have a Chase account as well.

And if your account is in negative numbers, you must make up the deficit before you will be allowed to deposit funds on behalf of your friend.

Though it’s not yet illegal to possess cash, it’s almost as if we’re headed in that direction. Banks are being instructed to file a “Suspicious Activity Report” when a customer withdraws $5,000 or more from her own account.

The Combating Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Counterfeiting Act of 2017 has inspired even greater concern. According to this bill, it’s illegal to possess more than $10,000 in unregistered assets of any kind, including cash, Bitcoin, bonds, and even prepaid phones and gift cards.

If you don’t fill out a form to report your assets to the government, the authorities can take everything you own, even if your assets were obtained legally.

The one thing all the signs have in common is that, on some level, each was presented initially as a useful idea, and the public accepted it in some form. For example, microchipping pets was accepted, and evolved from there.

Such examples are reasonably obvious to the average person, though. A greater worry is when the signs aren’t obvious.

One that seems to have slipped below the radar is the rapidly growing popularity of Bitcoin. Profit potential aside, Bitcoin is the embodiment of the cashless society predicted by those who sought to warn citizens for years.

How do we know that Bitcoin and similar cybercurrencies are not being activated to persuade us willingly to accept the final step of moving to a cashless society? The only way to stay on top of coming developments is to pay attention to the cycles.

Everything moves in a cycle, and Bitcoin is no exception. First, it was largely unknown. Now it’s being embraced in certain circles. Next, it could become mandatory for particular types of transaction. It looks as if Visa may already be on that.

Our lives work in harmony with cycles and rhythms

Every facet of our lives is governed by specific and reliable cycles and rhythms. Food grows in a cycle, and when it’s eaten, the body breaks down food in a cycle.

For instance, your circadian rhythm -- the cycle that governs the biology of sleep -- adapts to natural fluctuations of available light. Natural sunlight is essential for producing Vitamin D3. The less light you’re exposed to, the more your body’s cycles can be altered, and not necessarily for the best.

Similarly, the more we are exposed to mechanisms of control that are implemented in cycles, the more we’re likely to adapt to those limitations as the new normal. Bitcoin may be the latest and most influential… and there’s no denying its usefulness (for now).

The question is whether or not it may take an unexpected sharp turn in another direction.