Change; What is your associated fear ?

Foregoing the definition of change, I've been thinking about why human beings are fundamentally afraid of it, generally speaking. Theoretically, it would appear it relates to one, or more, of the 6 main fears, plaguing the individual human psyche and they are:

fear of poverty
fear of criticism
fear of ill health
fear of loss of love
fear of old age
fear of death

It would appear, there are few people who have dealt with what they fear most in order to deal with change from the most beneficial mental/spiritual place during changing times. I have one left to deal with and, of course, it has the most aggressive hold on me, so again, I have some work to do !

Caveat: Even if we find we are excited by an upcoming change, there is generally, one or more of these ghostly fears lurking in one corner of the mind or another. Ergo, it would behoove each of us to search out our ghosts and deal with them accordingly.

Considerations not to be put off for another day:

A few things you can do now, aside from stocking up (which goes without saying). Get a dog; one the appropriate size for your living situation. They make lots of noise when you're home and someone may be thinking about breaking in to loot and possibly harm you. They are an effective alarm system and are great companionship. Yes, there are associated costs but the benefits far outweigh them. Having a cat doesn't hurt either. (Can be an outdoor cat.) They eat mice which could be an annoying problem in coming times. Mice like to eat through packaging to consume stored grain/edible goods. (If you don't want a cat, stock up on the old fashioned mouse traps and store all foodstuffs, in a cool place, in plastic mice proof containers.) And last but not least, make sure you have some kind of weapon in each room of your home for each adult in the household. The kitchen is no problem; generally, there are lots of things here from the kitchen knives to a heavy duty frying pan. Baseball bats are good too, if you have enough room to swing one, in a close encounter of the 'bad kind'. Take a self defense course. It might be a good idea to get as much stocking done now before hyperinflation sets in and the price points become impossible for anything but the absolute necessities.

Tidbit preps:

Get some old fashioned fly papers to hang and lots of fly swatters. Fly swatters are good for insects too. Old newspaper, folded and rolled will fill in nicely for fly swatters but newspaper may be hard to come by eventually.

Learn how to set up a few easy to do, noisy, booby traps for the weak, entry points of your home (windows, especially ground floor). Add an extra deadbolt to your doors, if you live in an apartment, and someone else has a master key for the regular doorknob lock. Learn to live in a state of awareness, even in your own home.

Think about teaming up for errands and shopping. It saves gas and adds an extra element of safety as opposed to wandering around alone. This is an important issue and will become more important as more services are cut back and more people are angry and desperate. Practice becoming more aware of your surroundings and who is near and/or approaching. Have an exit strategy planned ahead of time to avoid confrontations. Watch for anyone appearing to follow you home or someone loitering near the entry to your home while unloading purchases.

Learn how to make some wonderful, hearty, inexpensive soup and feed some hungry folks now and again. Just sharing the recipe along with the basic principles could save a few lives. (It's all in the bones !)

PS If you have a sliding glass door, make sure you have a bar to insert in the track when the door is closed and locked. (if you don't want to buy a bar, cut down the handle from an old broom to fit the space with no more than 1/2" opening between the end of the handle and the sliding glass door.)......................... and don't forget to get some old fashioned handkerchiefs; paper goods may eventually reach a premium in cost .

Talking heads are amazing aren't they ?

I've been watching, learning and preparing since I last posted. Here is what I'm thinking:

It's truly amazing how long the troubled economy has been propped up thus far. Like hot air spewing forth from the earth in geyser form, TPTB keep pumping it up on falsehoods, skewed statistics and the masses have no clue what to do about it or haven't yet awakened from their sorry slumber. Sooner or later, floating the economy precariously atop a mountain of hot air, and freshly printed dollars, won't work anymore. How long can the picture be made to look as though something 'good' will happen in the short term ? I say: just until everything is in place to defend the ruling elite from the angry masses, when the economic avalanche reaches the front doors of 80% of the American population and there are so many with no roof over their heads and no means with which to continue filling their heads with propaganda. (Well, I suppose, the homeless camps could install PA systems to keep everyone 'updated'.) When will that be ? That would be when more people lose jobs, go on unemployment, the current unemployed find no jobs but run out of unemployment benefits and the newly unemployed run out of theirs. There will be a tipping point as the cycle continues. When hyperinflation arrives, hits the food prices and bellies go empty, watch out. This depression will be much worse than the 1929 - beginning of WW2. Why ? Because there is generational 'selfism' well in place; it's in the bones. It's all about the 'I' with little left over for others/community. And sharing for the purpose of safe community will be a difficult, if not an impossible transition for many. None of it bodes well for survival of all. Perhaps 40% will make it through alive. That's not terribly optimistic, is it? Well, remember in 1929 people still knew how to survive, doing without alot of what we are used to today. They had their own wells, gardening skills, knowledge of pre-industrial living and savings. Some still hadn't torn down their outhouses yet. Today, we live in a precariously built civilization. What would you do without the electricity that brings water to your home, powers your gadgets, and lights your nights ? What would you do if your means of communication is no longer available ? Do you have a plan in place for emergency meeting up with your loved ones ? Satellites have a bit of trouble with solar flares if no one closes the protective shields in time or hasn't the time needed to close them. The power grid is old and susceptible to cyber attack, natural cause shutdown of regions, large or small. Alternate means of transportation: do you have something planned or purchased when gasoline is beyond your budget and/or means ? Believe the talking heads and don't prepare at your own peril. A word to the wise.