Living in the awkward stage

Are you ready for what's coming?

Over the past decade, our societal structures of finance and government have suffered hard blows.

Fiat currencies have weakened, governments have moved with a heavier hand in all manner of areas where governments tend to operate while expanding into others. Talk of corporate cronyism is now used in both left and right leaning political circles, but at the highest levels, both left and right continue to embrace and encourage the corporate cronyism they claim to despise...

I could go on and on with micro examples, but our rising national debt, now standing at more than $17.5 trillion dollars, with no plans or prospects for paying it back, should make the case these are unprecedented and perilous times.

At a blog called the Woodpile Report,  a guy going by Ol' Remus writes:

"Societies are normally this badly wounded coming out of catastrophes, not entering them. Which means we're in no condition for what's coming, and what's coming is something not seen since feudal times. Everything's on the table including civilization itself."

This week's Woodpile installment also borrows a quote from Charles Hugh Smith, who writes at Of Two Minds:

"People constantly ask me for solutions to our all-too visible ills. You want solutions? Here's the solution for every systemic, structural problem we face: Avoid getting hurt when it collapses, then start over."

We're in an awkward stage after much of the damage likely to trigger collapse (or, at best, nasty displacements or disruptions) has already taken place. Compounding abuses to the world's economies and governments pile on layer after layer, but the consequences of this damage aren't yet apparent to most onlookers.

Presently, too many people remain distracted by frivolity, entertainment or other trapping of perceived affluence to even notice there's been damage done. Many even cheer damaging steps because they believe insincere or naive promises that these changes are some sort of solution to fix things.

But little to nothing's been fixed. At best, by my estimation, there have only been delays.

How do you prepare for what's to come?

Strike a balance. Make the most of opportunities presented while things still have the appearance of normalcy. But stretch your mind and begin to add skills or provisions that will bring aid and comfort for when it's clear the present normalcy has passed away.

The change may happen quickly, or it may trickle out slowly. But by all indications, course direction is clear. And there's nothing on the horizon to change it.


Don and I will explore this subject further on Friday's webcast.