One line of thinking says: We’ve always had problems, and we've gotten by fine so far. The issues before us are more or less the same as we've always faced. Some perhaps more concerning than others at the moment, but they'll all get resolved, as they always have been. Economic growth, food, water, energy — we'll find a way through whatever challenges we encounter with these.
Yes, this line of thinking is right more often than not. And, yes, it has the weight of historical probability on its side. But it's often a lazy way of thinking; resting on the idea that true crises happen only rarely, so one probably won’t happen anytime soon.
There’s another line of thinking — one that we ascribe to here at PeakProsperity.com — that says today’s problems are far more complex and numerous than those we've dealt with in the past. In fact, some of them are actually predicaments — meaning they have no solutions, only outcomes that we'll need to manage. Robust economic growth of the past was an artifact of the time, an is only barely hanging around in the stall zone due to massive debt binging (otherwise it would decline). Ecological and energy predicaments are accelerating, and will for sure rear their heads at inopportune times not of our choosing.
Said another way: Eventually we're going to have to pay the bill.
This line of thinking explains why I think 2017 is going to be a bumpy ride. Perhaps very much so.
Rackets and Complexity
In the recent piece Mad As Hell, I noted that one of the more insidious features of the rackets that most “civilized” societies now share is increasing complexity. The calling plan options for just cell phones alone are such a confusing morass of price points and features that it’s virtually impossible to objectively weigh them against each other.
Would it be better to have 3Gb of data and unlimited calling for $39.95/mo, or should I go for 4Gb of data and unlimited messaging with call restrictions for $48.45/mo? There’s no way to logically figure this out.
by herewego 
