In case you were dwelling under a rock (or out of any sort of news cycle) last week, we may or may not have avoided Armageddon.
Yes, as usual, the point of this reminder is not to discuss politics around here (recall, that is something that we do not do). What I thought was remarkable - and worth discussing - was the speed with which everything happened.
In approximately a seven day cycle, we went from the initiation of the event (a missile strike) to the end of the event (missile strikes). In a seven day cycle, we went from "The world is over" to "Well, maybe the world is not over. Our bad. Carry On."
The reminder to me - hopefully the reminder to you - is that by the time something significant and potentially life shattering can happen - a war, an economic collapse, heck - even a serious weather event - there will be little to no time to do anything about it.
For those that put aside getting ready for any kind of emergency on the basis of "When it is time, I will know it", you logic is flawed. If we are extraordinarily lucky, you may get a few days of a grace period. But that will be it - and to be clear, the grace period is really just the time to finish off with the last little bit of what needs doing, not start from scratch for what needs to be done.
It was a good reminder to me - and hopefully to you - to recall that when you really need the time, it will not be there. The only way to have it will be to be ready so you do not really need it.
That's an excellent take-away and a good reminder.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you can really keep politics out of it though, TB. At the end of the day, certain demographics and individuals fully expect the govt (i.e., you and I) to take care of them no matter what happens. It’s staggering when you think about it.
ReplyDeleteMost of us have grandparents or great grandparents when - in times of emergency - would rally together with others to survive. They would make huge sacrifices for the common good. Men would go to war and take pride in doing their duty, and the women and families at home did without and made enormous personal sacrifices to see their communities and nation prosper.
Nowadays we have to worry about keeping those demographics and individuals out of our pockets, out of our business... and if things go badly we may need to get them out of our communities too... with violence if necessary, because they’ll kill us otherwise.
This is not going to end well if it continues.
Thanks Leigh. Try to make lemons when you get lemonade...
ReplyDeleteGlen, I think you can and you cannot. You may not be able to in the sense of how these situations occur or the words back and forth about them. And you are right in that an overall entitlement - which I would argue transcends certain pockets and demographics and has largely become a cultural expectation - is an overall expectation. But be fair, at some point in the Roman Principate (after the fall of the Republic) this was the situation that one had to deal with. People survived. And in the event of the end - well, history (recent history - Venezuela, North Korea) tells us how far that entitlement theory gets people (hint: not far at all).
ReplyDeleteWhat I suspect will become a great deal more prevalent is that individuals will form their own self help and self assistance groups (perhaps, in some small way, this blog is one as well) and learn how to operate under the radar of a government and a way of life that only seeks to take.
Who knows Glen - We may end up rebels yet!