hey guys check out
www.chrismartenson.com it has a great video series called "The Crash Course" which presents the argument that the next 20 years are going to be completely different from the last 20 years, not only because of the economy, but also due to future problems with energy production and environmental concerns, which unfortunately are being given little attention due to everybody focusing on the economy and trying desperately to return to "growth".
What our leaders fail to realize is that growth is the problem, not the solution. Anything that grows a fixed percentage each year grows exponentially, and continued exponential growth is the most absurd, insane model to follow, when we are confined within a world of limited resources, limited space, and (somewhat) limited energy (solar panels, wind turbines, dams, etc. all still require huge amounts of resources and energy to make them, before even one watt of electricity is produced. These renewable energy sources are nowhere near enough to replace fossil fuels, and by the time that people realize that there isn't much left, where will the energy come from to produce all the equipment necessary to harness these "renewable" sources? Especially if the global economy is in shambles so there's no money to be invested in R&D)
To be honest, I'm tired of the world we live in. I'm tired of all the worthless consumption, the dependency on our infrastructures, the media telling us who we should be and how we should think. I'm tired of having my freedoms taken away in the name of "security" and "protection", when Ben Franklin said that those who make that decision deserve neither freedom or safety. I'm tired of money, and how it corrupts people.
I for one am welcoming the economic crash, for people will realize that there is a life beyond corporate America and new cars and fancy houses and other crap. As global economies fall, local economies will emerge and thrive. Money will become worthless. Trade and bartering will be king. Life will be much simpler and less complicated. All the bureaucracy and paperwork will be washed away.
It's funny how somebody that thinks that the economy will get worse (or collapse completely) is labeled as a "doom and gloom" type of person, yet most that I talk to acknowledge that collapse is the most likely scenario, but do NOT believe that this means certain doom and armageddon. In fact it's quite the opposite. This could be the best thing that's ever happened to us as a society. It will encourage people to not use banks, not use money, trade locally for what you need, and punish the ones responsible, the bankers, Wall Street, the government...
It will inspire people to reduce wasteful consumption, to live a more sustainable life, to be closer to nature, to have a better sense of community, and though there will be a lot of pain in the next few years, what will (hopefully) emerge from the rubble is a better, more simple, sustainable way of life.
Otherwise, what will we leave for our children? More debt? A depleted planet? A totalitarian government?
do some research on permaculture