My sinus dilation procedure went well yesterday and I am recovering nicely. I think. But since I am not quite up to speed, I thought I would share a post with you from about a year and a half ago.
The dramatic drop in the stock markets yesterday have made headlines around the globe. This is yet another example of the roller coaster ride that will eventually grind to a halt, or go out with a bang. It reminds me regularly of James Howard Kuntsler's book The Long Emergency. If you haven't read it, I would highly recommend it. Even though it is a novel, it is great food for thought and may give you some ideas of things you may want to acquire that you haven't thought of, or purchased yet.
The current state of the world economies continue to reinforce our decision to invest in tangibles instead of increasing our savings. There are still a number of things we are considering and weighing. Things that will not only increase our comfort, but the ease at which we can perform daily tasks that will be necessary for survival. Because once the final curtain closes and the end of life as we know it arrives, it will no longer be how to survive, but how to live. We talk often of surviving the coming collapse and that's exactly what we plan on doing. If we are blessed with the option then life will go on and become a new normal, a new kind of life.
Consider your life, when all else about you has changed. That's what it will continue to be. Life. There may be many things about that life that have changed dramatically, but it will still be your life. What you make of it will be up to you.
Until next time - Fern
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Originally published February 3, 2014
I was reading over the news and ran across a link from the Drudge Report that went to Alex Jones.
The gist of the article was the small scale rioting after the Super
Bowl, none of which was of much interest to me. At the very bottom of
the article was this quote.
"While
their entire country is being bankrupted, hollowed out, and flooded
with illegal immigrants as Obama announces that he will ignore Congress
and pursue his agenda via dictatorial executive fiat, Americans remain
unmoved.
The only things
that get them in the least bit animated are Black Friday sales and NFL
football games. When a civilization reaches this point of decadence, a
Roman Empire-style collapse is soon to follow."
As the day went on the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell over 300 points, today alone (February 3, 2014). This was after the "worst monthly loss since May 2012 on Friday."
I don't pretend to know much of anything about the stock market, but I
do know that is not the norm. Frank follows the markets very closely. I
have also read enough to know that the stock market is being propped up
in our fragile, artificial economy, somewhat like a house of cards.
When, not if, will a strong enough wind come along and blow this house
down? Remember the story of the Three Little Pigs? Is 'your house' built in such a way that the Big Bad Wolf will not be able to 'huff and puff and blow your house down'?
The events in the world comprise a complexity that is impossible to comprehend in it's entirety. "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. Edmund Burke"
Is this where we are today? Is that why many people don't take notice
of the more significant events going on around them? Or is it an escape
of sorts? Or are people afraid to say or do anything due to retaliation
from our government? When things are too big to accept and
conceptualize, is it better to distract yourself with the fantasy world
presented on television or at the ballgame?
We
have read many people that talk about those they know who think
everything is fine. Prices may be higher, health insurance may be
changing or disappearing, but everything is fine. We've had these types
of things happen before and everything turned out fine, you'll see.
Really? I don't think so. But I only mention some things in passing to
some people because, otherwise, I will draw too much attention to
myself, which I do not want to do. I would rather be somewhat
un-memorable. Plain, simple. Do not talk, act, dress or live in a way
that draws attention. I definitely do not want to be part of the 'look
at me' crowd. I would rather be somewhat invisible.
There is a growing stress in the world. People on the
phone at a variety of businesses are becoming rude and condescending.
Why? Don't they need the business? Most businesses I frequent in person
are hurting. Does management want to say something to these rude employees, but feel
their
hands are tied? Are they afraid of being charged with some kind of a
hate crime in court? Or, does the person answering the phone think this
is normal behavior since that is the way it is on television? You know,
that big make believe screen that for the last 50 to 60 years has been
teaching Madison Avenue values and morality. For the life of me, I
cannot understand why anybody would want to watch television. I can find
no value in that big make believe screen. But everybody I listen to,
asks the same question, "Did you see ______ on television?" Just
unbelievable to me. Not to mention how hypnotizing it is. Just look at a
room with a television and see how everyone is drawn into staring at
it. You can't hardly keep from it. It's creepy.
The Roman Empire didn't collapse overnight. I'm sure
there were many, many people then that couldn't conceive the fall of
that mighty Empire. It was just TOO BIG TO FALL. Hmm...doesn't that
sound familiar? Too big to fail. What does that mean for us? It worries
me when I read that many of our government agencies have stocked up
on
millions of rounds of ammunition and weapons. It worries me when banks
start questioning why people want their money. It worries me when
executive orders become the standard way of running the government. It
worries me when lying and cheating and spying become the norms of our
day. It worries me that many police forces appear to be more concerned
with controlling and intimidating people instead of serving and
protecting them. It worries me when there are millions of people running
around singing 'All is well' when I know there is no chance of our
nation recovering and resuming our previous 'eat, drink and be merry'
way of life. It is impossible. It will never happen. We are in for a
major correction in the way we live. It is inevitable.
The almost instant availability of everything from donuts
to pedicures to brain surgery will soon be a thing of the past. We now live with a new
generation
of people that have never even considered living without cell phones,
computers and big screen TVs, not to mention refrigeration and air
conditioning. We live with a generation of people that have been taught
it's okay not to work, but don't worry, we'll feed you and house you and
make sure your standard of living is better than many who still choose
to work hard every day for the clothes on their backs and the food on
their tables. I cannot even begin to imagine what this generation will
think when there is no longer anyone there to 'take care of them'. This
worries me, too.
"When a civilization reaches this point of decadence, a Roman Empire-style collapse is soon to follow." How
soon? I don't know. I only know that God has given us the task to warn
our neighbors. Please heed this warning. Hold your family close. Try to
get them ready.
Until next time - Fern
Fern,
ReplyDeleteI "m sending prayer for a speedy recovery. Take it easy, let Frank play nurse.....I mean take care of you.
Hugs,
Sandy
Thank you, Sandy. I'm getting better, just not quite as quickly as I would like. (-:
DeleteFern
I am struck by the fact that so little has changed in the year and a half since you first posted this article. People I know are still claiming that everything is fine. No problem here. They get excited about their acquisition of bigger houses and newer cars and the latest fashion. They can talk for hours about the vastly overpaid sports figures and movie stars. They talk of TV programs like we would talk about friends and neighbors. And they still ridicule those of us who continue to prepare. I honestly don't know what it will take to wake people up to the fact that we are circling the bowl. I fear that when those I care about finally get it, it will be too late.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if most people are still accepting the platitudes the media is putting out today about the market crash just being a typical, small correction? I just can't see how they can be so blind, but at the same time, they just can't see how I can be so serious about preparing for the inevitable. I really don't think most people will wake up, Vicki, and it just breaks my heart. Thank you for sharing.
DeleteFern
Fern, can you help? I tried to order a copy of The Long Emergency from Abe Books. I like dealing with them as they support small book stores. They have no record of the book which is unheard of for them. Is it a new book? Any idea what the problem might be? Thanks for your help. Julia
ReplyDeleteJulia, the book was published in 2006, so it is not new. The entire title is:
DeleteThe Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century by James Howard Kuntsler
Maybe that will help. Thank you for asking.
Fern