The Year of the Snake Approaches

 Soon we'll be in the year of the snake.  The tail end of the dragon didn't end in diseaser like the Mayan calendar seemed to predict. That's not to say all is well and good. The world economy seems to be on the brink of a possible economic melt down. The unemployment rate in the U.S. is still high and probably more so than the offical stats seem to suggest.

 It's good to be prepared for diseaster should it strike and not limiting one's self to a single news source. In other words - the mainstream media is probably a good place to get information on the lattest pop culture craze,weather, or any new techno gadgets on the market but that's about it. The free press is a joke and probably always has been. It's  more so now than in times past.

 It's a shame that so few know how to farm,identify wild edible/medicinal plants,and lack basic hunting skills - especially in today's shaky economy. The rise in backyard gardens has been taking place for several years now and is likely to continue. The more we can be self sustainable the better.It's not a matter of if so much as a matter of when a major disaster strikes with pralyzing effects on the world at large - possibly leading to a world depression OR worse.

This could lead to a postponing of our way of life taking decades (or longer) to get back to where we are now if a more environmentally sound way isn't implemented on a global scale. Sadly, greed and complacency is what keeps us from being able to make the transition to a more sustainable way of life. It's likely that future generations will look back on this era with utter disdain at our lack of foresight and unwillingness to stand up and do what needs to be done.

That's not to say that these doom and gloom scenarios are unavoidable.Contrary to many naysayers I believe it's possible to avoid disenting into a dark age where technology and civilization disintegrates to dystopic proportions. It probably will require a paradigm shift in our way of thinking to avoid a total ecopnomic collapse but in the worst case scenario (should it lead to that); it's unlikely it would be permanant. Perhaps a massive shock causing a temporary ending to our way of life is exactly what's needed to snap people out of thier apathy and to realize how frivilous excessive consummerism is along with silly pop culture associated with it.

If I'm giving the impression that the people in general are at fault for how they think and live then I need to make it very clear that's not the case. Socio-economic engineering has done a thorough job of creating a society of complacency,shallownes,and utter depravity. This is exactly what the ruling elites want. They want people smart enough to be their slaves but dumb enough not to question; going along with the status quo.They work all angles of the political spectrum to their advantage.

You'll be hard pressed to find a group of individuals or an organization that truly embraces balance. A perfect example here in the U.S. is the Democratic and the Republican parties. Good luck finding a party that represents both gun rights and is also pro union or values the environment and likewise doesn't cater to special interest groups - liberal or conservate. It's not going to happen. It doesn't fit into their agenda of duality. They want us fighting amongst ourselves. It keeps us from focusing on the real manipulators of our collective "reality".

 What is the main tool used to control us? It's money. What's worse is that the worth of our currency has decreased leading many to work longer and more hours to bring home less than those in previous generations. I can't emphasise that enough. Many don't realize just how serious this is. When my parents (and more so their parents and their parents before them) were my age the average job paid enough to live on.

 It used to be the norm that a one income family was sufficent and could afford a man a house paid off in less than a decade, a vehicle,children,a stay at home wife (domestic engineer) with money left over for savings,recreation, and etc. Not anymore. In addition to the currency loosing buying power; most of our manufacturing jobs have gone overseas leaving this a service oriented nation. The typical mcjob just doesn't pay enough to live on.

 Forget about paying rent and having enough money left over for other necessities like food,transportation,and clothing - much less starting a family of your own. The days of owning your own home, having reliable transportion,and being able to start your own family are just not feasible anymore. What's amazing about it all is how so few people realize this. Is it any wonder why more people are single and living with their parents (or other family) well past their 20s and even 30s? Still think hard work pays off? Think again. All you'll get for your hard work is exploitation. There's simply too many people and not enough jobs to go around but even if that wern't the case you'd just have more employed people working their butts off and not making ends meet.

   It makes more sense now than ever to just let it all go. I'm not saying that we all have to quite our jobs. If everyone did that mass starvation would sky rocket. Better methods of living need to be discovered (or re-discovered) and implemented. Long gone are the days that we could be rugged individualists earning our own way with little to no help from others. For most people it costs too much just to live. Busting one's butt off at some mind numbing job that pays sub human wages doesn't work and it's long overdue that we stopped fooling ourselves into thinking it does.

People shouldn't be expected to work 2 or even 3 jobs just to get by. That's ridiculous. Humanity in general deserves better than this.We're constantly being told (inone way or another) that we're lazy and not worth our salt just because we demand to be treated decently and paid a living wage.

We should question it all as it's not working for the well being of humanity at large. The rift between the "haves" and the "have-nots" continues to widen. Perhaps more of us should just cut back to one full time (or even part time) job and accept the fact that we're not living in an age of prosperity any more. If that means saving up for a small travel trailer and parking it in our parent's backyard then so be it. The truth may hurt but it's more hurtful pretending that kissing our boss's ass or going into debt for a college degree will magically provide us the opportunity that was once standard for the typical highschool drop out not so long ago.

Allthough I've never had much I've already downsized quite a bit and I plan on doing more. Eventually, I might just let it all go and wander into the wild blue yonder - working odd jobs,panhandeling,and just enjoying life in the here and now. Perhaps I'll go moneyless. I'm not sure. I'll cross that bridge when it comes. With that I bid everyone a happy new year and I hope this year proves to be better than the one before.