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Men in the city are bracing for impact. The slow boil of cultural, socio-economic, and spiritual decay inside a broken system is sliding into Hobbesian anarchy. Signs of distress are ubiquitous: natural disasters (Earthquakes, Pandemics), industrial accidents (Ohio Train Wreck), Ponzi schemes (FTX, SVP), roiled markets (housing, stocks, bonds), inflationary shocks (food, energy, rents), Great Power conflict (Taiwan, Ukraine) and new alliances (BRICS + SCO). Panicked and paranoid bureaucrats inside the hobbled power structure are lashing out at phantom enemies and doubling down on censorship of rebellious voices.
Defections against legacy media, slippery politicians, and discredited authority figures are spreading from all corners. Pop icons like Kanye West and Dave Chappelle, comedians like Bill Marr and Woody Harrelson (see SNL clip), and talk shows on Instagram and YouTube (Valuetainment, Redacted) are sowing the seeds of distrust and doubt. Millions of suspicious minds are turning to alternative media, the Cryptoverse, and the Manosphere where they can gorge on podcast pulp and feast on newfound facts and iconoclastic ideas. Once the lights are switched on it is impossible to unsee what you have seen; loss of faith cannot be reversed.
Consciousness brings an acute sense that we are at a tipping point; the nuclear blast has detonated and all we can do is take shelter to escape the mushroom cloud.
Deep in the imagination of red pilled men in the city is a synthesis of alarm and excitement conjured in fantasies of what comes next. Blissful ignorance is much easier than heightened awareness. Consciousness brings an acute sense that we are at a tipping point; the nuclear blast has detonated and all we can do is take shelter to escape the mushroom cloud. As chaos theory teaches, strange attractors in unstable systems slingshot normal life in unimaginable directions. No one knows how things will turn out except that the age of prosperity is over, and the age of scarcity has arrived. The only way out is through – life will get harder before it gets easier – significantly so for the unprepared. Men in the city will have to grind our way through, adapting where we can, and join others to help us through the dark times.
How bad will it get?
Empowered men are not bystanders in the human drama nor are we victims desperately clenching onto comforting narratives like maternal bosoms. What the future holds cannot be determined by mere mortals and yet agency remains the best protection against the whims of ill fortune. When governments lose control, power outages bring darkness, and desperation strikes the individual decisions we make become more consequential than before. Mental preparation is paramount so accepting the breadth and depth of the crises we face (government corruption, drug addiction, oil shortages, food lines, homelessness) – while daunting – can also prepare us for anarchy.
In many ways, the strain of what is to come has already been laid bare. A few weeks ago, Lebanon (see Banks burn in Lebanon) gave us a glimpse into the coming fiat frenzy. Hyper-inflation wiped out savings, ATMs dried up, banks closed, and the people rioted. Anarchy swept the streets and disillusioned commoners incinerated buildings in an explosion of vengeful wrath. Losing what little savings they had forced their hand. The World Bank cried malfeasance, locals stormed the banks, and economic tragedy scarred yet another generation. Where does it end?
Virtue signaling cannot slake the thirst of a dehydrated population, it cannot feed the famished, or replenish empty coffers.
Sri Lanka’s slide into anarchism in late 2022 showed the world what happens when virtue signaling becomes public policy (see Doomberg's piece here). The first principles of government are threefold: to feed the population, shelter the population, and protect the population. When these three core competencies are disrupted as they are all over the world – from Amsterdam to Johannesburg – nations radicalize in record time. Virtue signaling cannot slake the thirst of a dehydrated population, it cannot feed the famished, or replenish empty coffers. Do not mistakenly assume that Sri Lanka is so different from Western countries because it is not.
Scarcity exposes vulnerability. Scarcity is usually measured in barrels of oil, crates of eggs or scant bank lending. However, scarcity also unleashes psychological demons, long suppressed frustrations, and dark depressions that pop to the surface as if freed from inner sanctums. The rate of change is what starts to pick up like a Ford Mustang Cobra rounding the track (see here). The tyrant’s tyrant Vladimir Ulyanov Lenin summarized it well: “There are decades where nothing happens and there are weeks where decades happen.” Launch sequence initiated so buckle up.
What can we do?
Suspicion is a close cousin of paranoia and the mind can play tricks on even the keenest of intellects. To avoid becoming Mel Gibson in Conspiracy Theory go back to basics. Focus on practical actions of immediate concern. View the list below as a starter kit. Above all – stay flexible and open to new ideas, new approaches and avoid the trap of authority bias at all costs. Spreading the word is what a good Samaritan does, just remember Thomas Paine’s Common Sense: “time makes more converts than reason.”
Get Prepared!
Cash on Hand (for gas + groceries)
Community (family, friends and neighbors)
Divest from Big Banks (BofA, JP Morgan etc.)
Diversify Cash Accounts (use multiple banks)
Emergency Food (recommend 90 day supply)
Gold + Silver (coins and bars)
Learn about Crypto (Bitcoin + Ether)
Pay Down Debt (credit cards, loans, mortgages etc.)
Cut Back on Spending (only necessary items)
It has become an aphorism on Wall Street that “This time is different” are the four most dangerous words in investing. In truth, times are virtually always different. Past performance is often the worst predictor of future success in all human endeavors: investing, politics, sports etc. I encourage you to read Jack Schwager's interview with Marty Schwarz for sage advice we should all remember.
Turn to alternative voices and news sources like Benjamin Cowen, Datadash, and Stoic Finance. Read newsletters from Alastair Mcleod, Doomberg, and Lynn Alden. Follow smaller news outlets like Kitco or One America News. Look up podcasts like the Duran and the Gray Zone for better insight into Ukraine and international news. Find new platforms like Bitchute, Brave, Nostr and Presearch to decouple from Big Tech as much as possible. A lot to digest so trust your intuition and migrate toward voices who resonate the strongest.
The Purge in real life?
For some, the information above sounds like a Hollywood production. It is wild conjecture based on a macabre screenplay like The Purge come to life. They could be right. Many inside the system remain safely cocooned in good jobs with high salaries and a properly diversified 401K to boot. They see little cause for concern and won’t bother to scrutinize cracks in the glass house. These folks have yet to feel the sting of harsh realities and perhaps some of them never will? My guess is their time will come.
For the rest of us who have a plan the adjustment period will be less of a Hollywood disaster flick than the path to new riches, higher self-actualization and possibly a much better world. Like the Tao, we will flow downstream with the current. Lao Tzu’s wisdom serves us well: “that which offers no resistance overcomes the hardest substances.” Or as Bruce Lee put it: "Be water my friend."
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