Personal Observations Of Economic CollapseOp-Ed by Jeff Fitchett It is often said that its a recession when your neighbor loses his job, but its a depression when you lose your job. A collapse is often considered to be when a large percentage of the population becomes unemployed, underemployed, banks fail, government entitlement benefits are cut or reduced, systems that we rely on fail, fiat currency loses value and environmental degradation results in a large percentage of the population becoming displaced and not surviving. Many people are concerned with different aspects of collapse. For instance, our oceans are acidifying, fish stocks are collapsing and the carrying capacity of the ocean is degrading at an alarming pace. Debt and the broad-based global economy is unwinding at a scary rate. There is the real possibility in the near term that our entire global financial system could collapse. Geopolitical affairs are intensifying and there is a real risk of a new World War occurring. Our climate is changing and droughts are escalating. We are already seeing massive numbers of people starving because of the lack of food and water. The issues that I have highlighted above are being talked about and debated each and every day. There is a growing community of alternative media websites that discuss current affairs, prepping preparing, economic issues and so on. In this day in age we are lucky to be able to access information and see first hand what is transpiring in countries such as Venezuela that are currently experiencing collapse. We can learn from the Venezuelan population and make decisions today that will help us with our lives going forward. In Western nations, there are not many people who have experienced the seriousness of collapse. About 10 years ago a family member of mine, whom I am very close with, experienced what I would definitely classify as collapse. Witnessing it first hand impacted me beyond words and I feel emotional just thinking about it. The experience opened my eyes more than any article or documentary ever has. I remember like it was yesterday seeing his eyes. There was a darkness I had never seen before. His skin and hair changed color and looked a whitish grey color. The emotional damage he suffered was evident. I can only imagine the feeling of losing everything you have ever worked for. He was living in his foreclosed home without electricity, running water or his oil furnace working. He had hung blankets in the two doorways leading into the small den to keep the heat in. He heated that room with a fireplace. Northern Ontario in the winter is extremely cold. He had sold off most of his possessions at fire sale prices to have enough money for food. Eventually he was forced out of his house and had to rely on the government and a bit of help from me. I was in my twenties at the time and lived 4 hours away. I wish I could have done more to help. Now, he has bounced back and is happier than I have ever seen him. He told me not long ago that when you have everything, you worry about losing it, but when you have nothing, you no longer have anything to worry about losing. His life has been downsized considerably and his take on the world aligns with mine. He sees that our way of life is not sustainable and that the masses are in for a rude awakening. There is a permanent imprint in my mind of how my family member looked. I prepare because I know what a depression/collapse does to a person psychologically. My mind is already positioned for a way of life that does not include relying on employment income or the government supporting me. I am downsizing my existence and living a life of austerity, so to speak, in an effort to minimize the change that I know is coming. Interestingly, I feel more joy and happiness than one would think. I now pay attention, more than ever before, to the minute details in life. I notice a bee landing on a flower petal to collect pollen, the way snow collects on tree branches, the soil in my garden and the smiles on the faces of friends and family. Awakening has allowed me to see the world in a different light. I do not fear change or theunknown. I try to live my life to the fullest and I have the confidence to deal with whatever comes my way. One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today. Dale Carnegie Image Credit You can read more from Jeff Fitchett at Trivium Analytics Canada. I also went through rough times, a motorcycle accident (broke every limb and then some.) had my wife divorce me at the same time taking my 3-year old son away. lost a job because I couldnt work. Lost a home (could not make the payment when you cant work.) I made a promise to myself I would never go in debt again, never trust another person to the point I did my then wife, and that I would never live beyond my needs. If I couldnt pay cash for it, I didnt buy it. That was 20-years ago and have kept every promise I made to myself. Today Im happier then I have ever been and have a good life, I also a life of austerity and it has worked out well. Im self-employed as a handyman, I have a pile of silver built up a few ounces per week for the last 3-years or so, to the point of hundreds of ounces in the safe. I have lots of food and preps, a cash reserve. Im starting to go off-grid and will expand that in the next year to not needing the utility companies at all. But since I live a simple debt-free life I dont feel the need at all to cash in the silver or even use the cash reserve. Ive learned to live without them and am quite content, I wake up every day with a smile. I think you are right in that making the adjustment now is much better then having it forced upon us if the economy hits the fan. The countries that are failing are considered third world by now because of communism/ socialism/radical islam. Half of South and Central America have fallen because of this. Half of Africa and the Middle East is failing because of an ideology similar to communism . radical islam. Until the UN actually grows some cojones and a back bone, these areas will continue to fester and decline into anarchy. Whats needed is something on the order of WWII action where a massive force overcomes the evil in World affairs and takes responsibility after wards to stabilize the war torn zone and persecutes those responsible. We must do whatever the Crusades failed to complete. If not, the World will decay into random mass murder of innocence that we are seeing today. Those that are not innocent are the problem. Remember Karl Marx, V. Lenin, J. Stalin, Mao, Ho, Castro, Che. and others. Then remember those that fought them. 