We live in an Era of Chaos. We’ve probably been in this period for four or five years now, perhaps longer. Covid didn’t start it, but it did accentuate it. More instability. Less certainty.
One could argue we are in a time of fluctuation. Temperatures go way up. Then they do way down. Climate change is discussed repeatedly, and its salient characteristic is that there’s no stability. We don’t know what to predict.
If you talk to anyone past a certain age, let’s say 60 or so, you can get them to go off on “when I was young, it seemed like the weather” (insert your phrase here regarding the amount of snow, rain or cold)…. Someone that age has seen a lot and lived through a lot. Strictly on memory, they have knowledge of what it was like where they grew up, spent their twenties and thirties, and on through their forties and fifties.
It's not just weather that puts us in this Era of Chaos. Supply chain issues globally don’t appear like they will be rectified any time quickly. We will be living with varying amounts of the products we were used to get and have times where they are unavailable. We will have to get used to that, adjust, find other ways to source the product or replace it. That will take time. It means instability. People will get frustrated and angry.
The top two percent of income earners in the U.S. have benefitted repeatedly financially, probably since the 1970s. That appears to have accelerated. That gap with the rest of the people causes more disruptions – from economic instability for families to the lack of housing (or too costly housing) as the rich buy up two, three, four and five homes, causing an acceleration in prices for everyone else. The rich get richer.
Refugees span the globe. The homeless increase in the U.S. People want to find a better, safer place to live. Immigration into the U.S. has been a hot button for decades, perhaps longer. When people are desperate, they leave their homes and look for a better life elsewhere. That’s been going on since we were a tribal species, which, quite frankly, we still are. That’s gonna accelerate as well.
Where you live becomes a critical life choice when it comes to finding greater stability in the face of these issues – the changing climate, refugees, income inequality. Many of us will make situational living choices to benefit our families and careers.
Out of necessity, I foresee the redevelopment of much of the north’s urban centers in the U.S. which fell apart as our manufacturing facilities moved south, then overseas. Toledo, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Buffalo and Detroit are all examples of cities that lost thousands, if not millions, of jobs as industrial processes vacated their area or died. They will come back out of necessity because people will recreate through personal innovation livable communities that develop and attract others. That will be a very positive thing over the longer run, the next 25-50 years or so.
As we rumble and ramble through these changes, there will be a lot of finger-pointing and ranting (which we’ve been seeing reflected more intensely in our political dialogue the past 15-20 years). Predictability and stability go out the window. Air travel and changing energy prices and technologies reflect these inconsistencies.
The ability to assess, remain flexible and adjust to rapidly changing circumstances is incredibly important for all of us. As my older brother often says, “Batten down the hatches.”
One could argue we are in a time of fluctuation. Temperatures go way up. Then they do way down. Climate change is discussed repeatedly, and its salient characteristic is that there’s no stability. We don’t know what to predict.
If you talk to anyone past a certain age, let’s say 60 or so, you can get them to go off on “when I was young, it seemed like the weather” (insert your phrase here regarding the amount of snow, rain or cold)…. Someone that age has seen a lot and lived through a lot. Strictly on memory, they have knowledge of what it was like where they grew up, spent their twenties and thirties, and on through their forties and fifties.
It's not just weather that puts us in this Era of Chaos. Supply chain issues globally don’t appear like they will be rectified any time quickly. We will be living with varying amounts of the products we were used to get and have times where they are unavailable. We will have to get used to that, adjust, find other ways to source the product or replace it. That will take time. It means instability. People will get frustrated and angry.
The top two percent of income earners in the U.S. have benefitted repeatedly financially, probably since the 1970s. That appears to have accelerated. That gap with the rest of the people causes more disruptions – from economic instability for families to the lack of housing (or too costly housing) as the rich buy up two, three, four and five homes, causing an acceleration in prices for everyone else. The rich get richer.
Refugees span the globe. The homeless increase in the U.S. People want to find a better, safer place to live. Immigration into the U.S. has been a hot button for decades, perhaps longer. When people are desperate, they leave their homes and look for a better life elsewhere. That’s been going on since we were a tribal species, which, quite frankly, we still are. That’s gonna accelerate as well.
Where you live becomes a critical life choice when it comes to finding greater stability in the face of these issues – the changing climate, refugees, income inequality. Many of us will make situational living choices to benefit our families and careers.
Out of necessity, I foresee the redevelopment of much of the north’s urban centers in the U.S. which fell apart as our manufacturing facilities moved south, then overseas. Toledo, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Buffalo and Detroit are all examples of cities that lost thousands, if not millions, of jobs as industrial processes vacated their area or died. They will come back out of necessity because people will recreate through personal innovation livable communities that develop and attract others. That will be a very positive thing over the longer run, the next 25-50 years or so.
As we rumble and ramble through these changes, there will be a lot of finger-pointing and ranting (which we’ve been seeing reflected more intensely in our political dialogue the past 15-20 years). Predictability and stability go out the window. Air travel and changing energy prices and technologies reflect these inconsistencies.
The ability to assess, remain flexible and adjust to rapidly changing circumstances is incredibly important for all of us. As my older brother often says, “Batten down the hatches.”