Preparedness

I have recently gotten in great shape, have lost a lot of weight, and am writing this to preempt any thoughts that I may be in ill health due to a sudden and pronounced loss of weight. Not only am I healthy, I am in the best physical condition in years. 

This is a before and after story. 

I sometimes wonder whether the “numb” in numbers was just waiting for the 21^st Century. As in what my friend Lee said to me over breakfast the other day, after a cursory discussion about the week’s stock market turbulence: “I try to keep up, but it’s pretty mind-numbing.”

Within a few minutes of that remark, the following sentence came from the radio: “Investors are struggling to make sense of this week’s volatility.”

Wild gyrations in the Dow. Joblessness claims. The national debt. The price of gold. The price of oil. Retail sales. The body count from Afghanistan. Yen to the dollar. The number of cities each day in August that had their hottest day on record. $24 billion (McDonalds’ 2010 revenue). 1,100 (McDonalds locations in China). One every 18 hours (number of Yum! Brands restaurants–KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, A&W–opening in China). One-fifth (per capita water consumption in China compared to that in the U.S.). 19,000 (average earthworm population per acre in Boone County, Iowa). 1.9 million (average earthworm population per acre on Thompson Farm, an organic farm in Boone County, Iowa). 5.79 billion (record number of NYSE shares traded on August 16, 2011). Three trillion (annual Ogallala Aquifer overdraft, in gallons). 2.7 (average annual rate of depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer, in feet per year). 200 (average thickness of the Ogallala Aquifer, in feet). Number of years until the Ogallala Aquifer is completely depleted (do the math).

So, how’s that morning coffee going down?

These are certainly mind-numbing numbers. They are the numbers that shout the Big Story of the 21^st Century: mankind heading towards a global population of 10 billion, and the global economy growing from $60 trillion per year to who-knows-what, and everywhere we look, stresses and strains on political, economic, cultural, and ecological systems.

Ready or not, if you live along the US east coast, Mother Nature has just announced a pop quiz. Subject: personal and community resiliency.

"When you ask any Argentinean person what concerns them the most, the first thing they’re going to be telling you is the crime problem. And the second one is the financial problem. Those are by far the top concerns the average Argentinean person has, and I think that eventually it will happen in the U.S.A., as well. I think that five years from now or so, you’re going to be talking to people, and the thing that’s going to be concerning them is that Joe down the street suffered a home invasion and got beaten up, maybe even got killed. All kinds of crime that didn't used to happen in the good parts of town. It’s going to be one of the greatest concerns people will have, eventually.

And, of course, the financial situation as well. If you look into what people are worried about right now they’re worried about losing their jobs not being able to put food on the table the next month. They see that if they lose their jobs it’s not as easy as it used to be to find another one as well. That’s terrible, because it’s very cold when you look at it in numbers, but it’s—I’m telling you—it’s so much different when it happens on a social level and you see that on the street . When you see the people picking up garbage on the streets to eat."

Hyperinflation survivor Fernando "FerFAL" Aguirre shares his observations of life during and after Argentina's currency collapse in 2001. He notes that the decline initally began slowly, with most of the populace slow to wake to the danger. But when the eventual collapse occured, it happened practiclly overnight – catching the country by surprise. In the wake of the collapse, dealing with poverty and violent crime became the dominant themes.

Worth our attention is his observation that he now sees the sames signs in the US and other major developed nations that he saw leading up to Argentina's collapse. In fact, he foresees a similar endgame as all but inevitable.

Click the play button below to listen to Part 1 of Chris' interview with FerFAL (runtime 31m:43s):

[swf file="http://media.PeakProsperity.com/audio/ferfal-2011-06-09-part1.mp3"]

A personal note

As a daily visitor of PeakProsperity.com, I first want to thank Dr. Chris, his staff and all members for the excellent job achieved in this community. I value the high quality articles backed by data and the informative member comments that are pleasant to read. All of you keep me on track. Up until I found Chris, his Crash Course and articles three years ago, I often was very unsure about my feelings, thoughts and fears about the future. Of course I still expect a different future, but knowing I’m not alone in making preparations and gathering knowledge and skills increases my personal resilience.

Like many members of the "Martenson Brigade" I am becoming less dependent on fossil fuel, high living standards and money. I gave up a very nice income ten years ago to move towards greater self-sufficiency. Investing in home gardening, livestock, solar, wind and biomass energy has made my life more simple, slow and sweet. Yes, I am a big fan of John Seymour. No rat race for me and my wife anymore. Unfortunately, community building is still tough since the local farmers here in the Netherlands have no idea what the world is turning into and I do not live in a city where contrarian thinkers are easier to find. Likewise thinkers are scattered all over the country.

After these three years of absorbing knowledge, I feel payback time has come. As it happens I know a little more about wood gasification compared to the average person.

Have we forgotten where our food comes from? The importance of a whole foods diet has become more and more vital to our overall health and well-being, because, well, we’ve strayed so far from food. Farmers’ markets bring honest food to us. However, I certainly get lost and frustrated while shopping for food at a grocery store because a) there are too many products on the shelves and b) the multitude of choices requires label-ready due-diligence.

I read a recent statistic that the average supermarket carries 48,750 items. Where have the days of the simple grocery list of eggs, apples, carrots, broccoli, fish, milk, and butter gone? Food today has been exploited and nutrient-rich foods exchanged for empty calories.

Now, more than ever, it’s time we get back to the basics; be resourceful, ask questions about where your food is coming from, shop farmers markets, know your grocery, plant a garden, buy bulk dry goods, prepare your food at home, and cook with fresh ingredients as much as possible. It will save you loads of stress, and if done right, money, too. 

As I share and encourage you to reconnect with your food, I hope you’ll explore new health-promoting hobbies, passions, and activities that can be enjoyed with family and friends.

Here are a few ideas and recipes to inspire you: