Dmitry Orlov is an American who used to be a Soviet. He writes a blog called Club Orlov. George found an old Energy Bulletin, which is basically a powerpoint presentation by Orlov and it's a good read. Here's the link: Closing the 'Collapse Gap': The USSR Was Better Prepared For Collapse Than The US. Here's a quote:
Certain types of mainstream economic behavior are not prudent on a personal level, and are also counterproductive to bridging the Collapse Gap. Any behavior that might result in continued economic growth and prosperity is counterproductive: the higher you jump, the harder you land. It is traumatic to go from having a big retirement fund to having no retirement fund because of a market crash. It is also traumatic to go from a high income to little or no income. If, on top of that, you have kept yourself incredibly busy, and suddenly have nothing to do, then you will really be in rough shape.
Economic collapse is about the worst possible time for someone to suffer a nervous breakdown, yet this is what often happens. The people who are most at risk psychologically are successful middle-aged men. When their career is suddenly over, their savings are gone, and their property worthless, much of their sense of self-worth is gone as well. They tend to drink themselves to death and commit suicide in disproportionate numbers. Since they tend to be the most experienced and capable people, this is a staggering loss to society.
If the economy, and your place within it, is really important to you, you will be really hurt when it goes away. You can cultivate an attitude of studied indifference, but it has to be more than just a conceit. You have to develop the lifestyle and the habits and the physical stamina to back it up. It takes a lot of creativity and effort to put together a fulfilling existence on the margins of society. After the collapse, these margins may turn out to be some of the best places to live.
It's worth checking out. I've been thinking a lot lately about how our government is reminding me of the Soviet Union we learned about in 5th grade American History. All the bad bad bad things the Soviets did--propaganda, scaring the people into compliance, cooking the books, torture, imprisonment without trial, etc.--we seem to be doing now. All because of the "terrorist threat". It makes me very sad. We used to stand for something. Something called Liberty. Equality. Freedom. Oh, I know America has never been the perfect place we sometimes make it out to be, but at least we were trying.
EDITED TO ADD: Sorry the quote type is so small. You should be able to go to your "page" dropdown and enlarge the type.
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