I’m becoming a fan of Charles Hughes Smith and his Of Two Minds blog. It may be because he agrees with me on a lot of things, or perhaps I should say, I agree with him.
He is, fundamentally, an optimist. There isn’t anything good coming out of the welfare/imperial/debt feudalism of the present system. Just as when the Roman empire passed, the serfs got a much better deal, so it will be when the American empire finishes its devolution. The signs are all around us – millions of people are learning the brutal lesson that the system is rigged against us and are deciding to work less, buy less, consume less, and live better, happier, and more fulfilling and generative lives. It is not an easy lesson, but that’s true of all the really good lessons we need to learn.
Charles finds hope, as I do, in the rapid surge of development at the grassroots of our society, as new organizations and networks emerge to meet needs that are falling through the cracks of the old system. As things get worse, these new institutions will become more and more important to our successful adaption to life without the American empire.
Alternet, btw, has a great article diserning the deeper meaning behind the various bailout schemes for Wall Street — The Economic Elite have engineered an extraordinary coup, threatening the very existence of the middle class. A lot of people continue to think, “Well, that was that” about the recent economic collapse, but the reality is, “We ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” Over the coming years, as the trillions of dollars in interest charges bloat the trillions of dollars in original capital expense, taxes will rise and government activities will be slashed. I think it is possible that our creditor nations may move to seize major national assets, like the interstate highway and national parks systems, entire fleets of the Navy, and major weapons systems, in order to pay our debts.
In any event, in response to a question from a college student, Mr. Smith has written an excellent essay, which at times reads a bit like my own infamous 20 resilient responses to troubled times. Read The Wider Context for 20-Somethings and send it to all the young people you know.