I was just a sparkle in my mother's eye when the world as we know accepted that communism was not longer sustainable and as the Berlin Wall fell many believed that since communism failed, then capitalism must have won. However, if we look at the current state of the economy, including but not limited to, volatile stock markets, privatization of every public good imaginable and an overall majority of people living below the poverty line, then one must beg the question... who really won?
I believe we are standing at a pivotal time in our lives when we must critically examine our lifestyle and if we want to flourish in this tumultuous paradigm shift (i.e. the fall of neo-capitalism as we know it) then we must look to other to figure out how to survive ourselves.
I'm writing this to warn those who are unaware that the way we are living is not only inefficient, but it won't last long. Those that choose to continue to live this frivolous life based on market rises and falls and truly believe that happiness and well-being can be summed up in $$$ signs will be the ones that fall the hardest.
If you are relatively young (18-30) then take the time to read these guides if only to understand that the environment you have been living in will not last forever. Just like we have learned in history, empires rise and fall and unfortunately the "American dream" is unattainable in the 21st century. This, however, does not mean we are doomed.
1) Thriving in the Age of Collapse: Start here. This author grew up in the USSR in its final days and saw first hand those who were able to survive the collapse and those who were not. This man is not a conspiracy theorist he is using his first-hand experiences abroad and putting them in a 21st century western world context. He is pin pointing what will continue to work in the western world and what will inevitably collapse. It's very insightful and he uses a couple examples to show how someone like yourself can flourish in a post-consumerist society. Kudos to my girl Louise for giving me this article.
Collapse: This man is amazing. Michael Ruppert blew my mind as a teenager with his DVD entitled, The Truth and Lies of 9/11. What about him blew my mind? Well, he tells everyone in 2001 what was going to happen in the next decade, and although many people believed he was just trying to get a rise out of people...he was dead on. This is his newest film and it will be mental preparation what is in store. Here is a trailer to motivate you to see it. Or it might scare the crap out of you, whatever works right?!
6 Reasons why people can't change and what to do about it: Everyone wants to change. Change their hair, change their body, change their outlook, but changing the lifestyle you know and love will be hard. That is why I included this little guide to see where you and I are on the "ability to change" scale.
Now, I'm not a self-hating American I just have so many family and friends still living in the U.S. and clinging to that last bit of sanity not realizing that everything will be ok if we all just accept that nothing will be the same. Gone are the days when we can over consume, under produce, over function our military might while under appreciating our citizens as workers and students. I write this not to criticize but to inspire small changes from individuals. If we cannot unite as a nation and change the system then let's start with ourselves. Revolutionize yourself and others will follow. Success starts when someone is brave enough to break the mold and dare to be original.
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