The End of An Era 5-28-09

Or it could be called, "The Death of almost everything we are used to!"

These kinds of times have happened a lot in the last 120 years or so. So what all these times have in common is the end of one or more things people were used to for a long time.

Let me give some examples from history.

The invention of the Car, truck and plane would be most easily tied to the beginning of the 20th century(even though the automobile was invented in the early 1880s and even before that if you consider the steam train-steam tractor conversion on to land without rails. Imagine yourself in those days in the midwest with only stage coaches and trains for public travel and suddenly all these cars and trucks are making so much noise and smoke that your horse throws you and you break you hip from the fall. The older generation really hated horseless carriages at first because of all the noise and smoke and coughing that resulted.

The next big change was World War I. There was never a mechanized war like this before. Never had millions died like they did in world War I. There were 9.7 million military personnel deaths and about 6.8 million civilian deaths for a total of 16 million deaths. And on top of this 21 million people were wounded. This created so many ramifications for years after this, including the Great Depression, Hitler etc. All were long term consequences of World War I.

The Great Depression: This was the worst economic downturn since the Civil War for the United States and it was caused by World War I and under regulation of investors. Just like now the problem was under regulation of Banks and Bank like business institutions and instruments.

World War II. The primary causes of World War II(about 72 million deaths worldwide 47million of them civilians) grew out of World War I and the Great Depression and created a level of chaos never seen on earth before. The only large nation left standing intact after World War II was the United States. So, the United States was the biggest creditor on earth until the middle of the Viet Nam War when it began to become the biggest debtor nation because the Viet Nam War completely gutted American finances just like the Iraq and Afghanistan war has. Only this time it is worse.

The biggest recession that I can remember was caused by the Viet Nam War. The worst of it was 1981-2. Even though it was pretty bad in the late 1970s and didn't totally end until the mid 1980s. However, some people think the worst one was 1989 or 2002(take your choice). However, for me, 1981 and 2 were much worse.(mostly because I was a father of 3 and only 32 so I was trying to support 5 people).

And finally, our present mess which is now considered to be the longest recession since the Great Depression. Though I don't think it will be as bad as the Great Depression in one way, I do think psychologically for a people used to a very affluent culture it might be tougher on most than the Great Depression was on a much younger, tougher and used to being poor America.

In some ways I'm lucky because I wasn't born rich. So I completely remember living most of my life without it. This gives me a tremendous advantage no matter what happens as long as I can keep my health through it all. So, I would urge all of you that have the time to study what others did in extreme transition times like now. Because whether any of us like it or not, we are in a very extreme transition time worldwide. And there are sure to be a lot of very unhappy people who don't like change around the world. However, change is the only way for the human race to survive the next few hundred years here on earth.