Saving antiques, or saving an industry?

Last week I went to a summit - billed as a "Blue Skies Summit", and hosted at a great little auction venue:  Antiques Helper by Dan Ripley.  The nice folks at Antique Week put it together, bringing some very active and experienced industry professionals from the Midwest under one roof to brainstorm and share thoughts and ideas.  I brought my friend, Kent Anderson (a founder of one of our favorite antiques-related businesses, the hand-edited database known as p4a.com) along.  Kent is a true "Blue skies" thinker, in my opinion.  Talk to him for 10 minutes and you'll be as excited about the opportunities in the market as my 7 year old is about playdough.  "Amelia," Kent starts, "there's never been a better time to be a buyer!  So many great things available at the touch of your fingers and the speed of fiber-optic.  Prices are fair, and it's anyone's game."  I could not agree more.  With an average of 12% - 15% new bidders at each auction, and year-over-year increases of 40% at Garth's, we are witnessing an exuberance that hasn't been present in years.  Boy, is it refreshing!  The internet - and the roller coaster of impact it brings to our industry - has leveled the playing field among small and large venues and cities.  It's Main Street vs. Park Avenue, and the hassle to buy and sell on Park Ave. no longer seems worth the ego-trip.  Buyers are savvy, and they find the "stuff"...it's the old, "if you build it, they will come," right?  So, why all the doom and gloom?  Why are so many folks (including our summit organizers) calling for swift action to "save" our industry?  Turn on the TV and you'll see that we have become a society that thrives on the newest, most dire crisis.  Major news outlets feed us what we crave...natural disaster, financial crisis, heinous crimes and despicable deeds.  The end result is a constant need for hand-wringing and concern.  Call me Pollyanna, but I see Blue Skies all around; let's focus on saving antiques and the friendships we make along the way.  The business will take care of itself.