You see I consider things in terms of risk and impact; so something like getting drunk and kissing an ugly girl is high risk(as it has been known to happen) but low impact(im so drunk im unlikly to remember in the morning) so for years I have been banging on about something that is very low risk(the colapse of our civilisation) but high impact(it would change my world compleatly) so it is something I have always thought about a lot.
Oh god I hear you say, Ben the world is not going to collapse; and I agree with you I dont think it is, but I also dont think it is impossible either.
When I was a kid I used to believe that there was a secreat underlevel running our world, that the polliticians, DOD, FBI the president were somehow special people; who had some kind of special power or understanding that I would never have access too; but as I have grown older and started to move in the same circles and meet the people I always thought were chosen to lead us I have realised something very fucking scary; they are just falible human beings with no more skill or understanding than anybody else!
So what does it mean? We are probably buggered.
I really dont believe anybody really knows what is going on in the market's today or how to solve them; ecominists that missed the single biggest downturn maybe in history failed to spot it coming and they are now the people trying to solve the issue; but if they knew how to solve the issue they would have seen it coming.....
So over the next few weeks I am going to explore what would happen if this was the beggening of the end.........
9 comments:
I sometimes wonder which is more dangerous..
Severe recession
OR
Fear of recession and media-induced panic!
They are but one in the same, recession/depressions and collapses are fulled by fear
I wonder if it really so scary to realise that we've only ever muddled through? That many of our elected leaders didn't have a clue either?
For years Brown's been taking been taking credit for the things that are causing such havoc. What kind of an idiot tries to defy economic cycles? Brown and Greenspan for a start. Let's abolish gravity. Or only breathe in.
Perhaps now that we realise that we are mostly clueless and that that's the way it's always been, we might be less willing to trust our 'leaders' to make all the decisions?
Time to trust some of the thinkers, scientists, entrepreneurs and others who can build from here. And tip the career politicians into obscurity.
Well a true democracy would allow the people to decide all the decisions of that country down to a macro level - that would be one hell of a social network/decision making platform.
WOW ... I've always described Blogs as rants! A rant never the less, a very enjoyable read indeed - especially hearing how you had faith in your own prediction to act upon it to such an extent is remarkable. Nice1.
Would love to hear more about your plans in america and how corporate law differs etc ...
Take care,
Glen.
Ben: I have had the same thoughts for years. Things are going to get far worse. I have been telling everyone for 2 years, stock pile food. Have a two year supply for every family member, pets/livestock included. Then try to put enough away for the people that live in your street. Food will be the next form of currency. Just random thoughts...... LOL.... I think the world of you Ben. My husband and I believe you to be one of the most intellectually gifted people in the world. At some point, you will be brought forward for your ideas and concepts. When this happens, let me know if I can support and help you.
I think what's more useful is to establish some kind of perspective. Economies have been in extremis before and recovered.
This time last year peak oil was going to finish us off. Before that the Millennium Bug. New Scientist suggests most of humanity will die this century because of global warming. Change is normal. That makes an ability to adapt, to reinvent yourself a very useful skill.
I think that what may have really changed is that a culture which had become refined to the point that accumulation of money as an end in itself, rather than a means to an end, had simply lost it's way badly. Individual priorities were so confused that we were spinning out of control, but persuaded that it was all OK.
Paper money and indeed banks rely upon mass hypnosis to work. As trust is removed, people notice again that money is really only an IOU and if you don't trust the counterparty (i.e. government, banks) to be there to cover the debt, you don't want the paper. But whether hoarding food is the answer who knows? Not many people are in a position to put away a two year supply.
The adjustment could be traumatic. Our dependency culture, which includes faith in large employers to look after you is unravelling. But people with skills, education, adaptability will surely thrive. Even in a recession (and even in a depression) most people still will be working.
Many of us will also finally review what's really important to us. I suspect it won't be the high powered job or the million pound mortgage.
Great post Roger, I agree with you in some respects, but I suppose I am looking at it from a long term history perspective that by definition every great civilisation fails, and there is nothing to suggest that ours is any different, in fact in my next post I think we are in a more fragile time now than at anytime in history because the systems we rely on to keep civilisation working are so fragile.
Also from a personal perspective having managed to live through all the so named doom sayers predictions above I do feel this is different, of course I hope I am wrong!!!
I thought this was gonna be about horses
Post a Comment