Re: Orwell's nightmare is our reality
Avoiding Apocalyptical Paralysis.
What is "apocalyptical paralysis"? It is a condition brought on by a belief "the end is near". It results in a form of paralysis, where a person fails to do much of anything actually productive because "the end is near, so what difference will it make, anyway?"
It occurs among liberals and progressives, when they come to believe that due to overpopulation and global warming and Trump's election the end of the world is near, and as a result they fail to get married and raise a family. Because, after all, "the end is near" so they see their efforts would be futile.
It occurs among Christians who have bought into the errors of futurism, because "the end is near, Jesus could come at any moment". And as a result, they see no need to build a family and improve their position in the world. It's like a person who, thinking the end of the world is just around the corner, never bothers to get educated, start a business, get married, and have a bunch of kids, because they think the Second Advent, the rapture, the tribulation, or some other apocalyptic event is going to interrupt their plans and make their efforts nothing but wasted time.
I see this also among even non-Christians who nevertheless are "preppers". They think the economic collapse is just around the corner, so they fail to invest in anything except more toilet paper and buckets of cheesy rice.
This apocalyptic paralysis causes people to be living on the edge of destruction at all times, even though their paralysis extends for years and decades. Thus, they wind up wasting their lives doing not much of value, all because they were afraid of some catastrophe coming their way and rendering their plans and efforts moot.
If I told 10 people to improve their financial condition by starting or buying a business, or by investing in income producing properties, for example, 5 would dismiss the advice as impossible for them to achieve just because, and 4 would dismiss the advice because "the economy is about to crash so putting my efforts in that direction would be futile and wasteful!"
Meanwhile, those of us NOT afflicted by this paralysis will be busily managing our affairs and improving our positions. Who, in ten years, do you think is going to be in a better position to weather any "storms" that may come?
The guy who got his talent of money and hid it in the ground because he knew his Lord was a "hard man" wound up being scolded and losing what had been given to him, and suffered even greater loss than if he hadn't been given anything to begin with.
Five years ago it was all doom and gloom, the end of the world was at hand, the economy was probably going to crash that year, the only thing you should be putting money into was gold and silver, food, guns and ammo, and DVDs and newsletters sold by people who also sold gold and silver, guns and ammo, and buckets of garbage cheesy rice that would last 25 years because even the rats wouldn't eat it.
I took some money, almost all I had, put it in real estate, and within 24 months made a 140% return on my initial cash investment. Others put their money in "prepper items" and today they are right where they were five years ago.
Now, "stocking up" on needful items is certainly smart. But being paralysed by an expectation of sudden doom right around the corner is exactly where the system wants you to be, because they can sell you stuff based on emotion.
So, I advise folks to improve their position, not merely by stocking up on stuffs, but by taking the necessary steps to become as financially independent as possible. It doesn't have to be real estate, or buying or starting a business, necessarily. It can be anything, If you have no real marketable skills, learn welding, or plumbing. At the very least plan for the future, not just your own, but your family's.
Think big. If an economic apocalypse happens resulting in Mad Max conditions (highly unlikely, by the way), then you will be in bad shape no matter what "preps" you've made. All bets are off at that point. But if you've been working on a long-term plan to increase your family's position, you will be better off overall than if you just hibernated in a bunker stocked up on beans, butter, bullets, and bandaids.
One last thing - do NOT fall prey to the gold bugs. When someone is telling you to give them your federal reserve notes (paper money) for gold, ask them "If paper money is so worthless and useless, then why do YOU want it? Why in the world would you sell your gold in exchange for paper?" And remember, you can't eat gold bars, coins, or rings. If you think you need gold (and silver) in order to buy the necessities of life during a catastrophic time, then you will actually be better off if you take the money you WOULD have spent on gold and silver, and just buy the end products you think you will need. during a total collapse inflation will be outrageous, not because of the expanded money supply (like now), but because of SCARCITY. So stock up on your toilet paper now, and put your money into assets that will actually do something for you both now and in the future.
Last edited by Esaias; 09-08-2018 at 08:23 PM.
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