it is not selfish to insure your/your loved ones' survival or to be preparded for the possibility of catastrophic events. would the planet be better served by your demise for your feeling guilty about helping yourself, or better served if you survived to help otherselves through the turmoil?
i don't own the future so i can't say with assurance that dire circumstances are upon us. however i have been looking at some blogs that are focused on the world economy, and there are many very bright individuals who believe there is nothing that can be done at this point to prevent the house of cards from crashing down around us.
many ppl are realizing that they have been lied to and swindled. many ppl were very upset with this new bailout legislation and congress had to shut down their email servers because they got overloaded with complaints urging them not to pass it.
anyway, banks have almost no money and they need to borrow just to stay in business. since many of the ones left are on the verge of bankruptcy they are afraid to loan to each other and to other businesses. it gets more complicated with cds's and all the other junk paper out there and ratings losses, etc.
so, i have never taken steps toward preparing for an emergency before, but i have been feeling compelled to do so now. tomorrow i'm going to the store to buy a couple of weeks worth of nonperishable food and water.
i already got some cash from the bank, and i have to say the tellers were acting very strange. it took 2 of them about 15 min. to get the computer to accept my $2k withdrawal and i had to enter my pin twice. they looked very confused. it seems like the system is in the early stages of breaking. i also read an article that claimed that certain branch managers were informed to be prepared for a potential one week banking shutdown.
if you want to see what can happen from an economic collapse you can search argentina's in 2001. be warned: it isn't pretty, and they still haven't recovered from it. there are also a lot of parallels to our economy and politics (with differences, of course).
this time it is global in scope. which might be an advantage, in that, it has the potential to work it self out on a global scale with much of the world's population having a stake in finding a resolution. thus, the world's populace could rise up to oust the ill-(h)umans from power.
ppl are waking up to some ugly truths about the leaders they have put their trust and faith in. i know many of us have realized much of the corruption and power plays that go on and have come to expect it, but this is a shock to many others who seem to be waking up all at once, and it is likely to be expressed on a highly charged emotional level.
if ever there was an urgency to take steps to preserve your survival and the survival of much of the world's population, this would be it. if nothing happens and things chug along without incident you can always put your cash back in the bank and you won't have to do as much food shopping in the weeks ahead. no harm, no foul. 
ps: i am not advocating panicking or heading for the hills or some cave, etc. just a little due diligence in light of the economic stresses that we are undergoing. going to an isolated area might be the worst thing you can do in a failing economy because it might become difficult for supplies to make it to your location. if supplies and fuel become scarce they would most likely only make it to areas that are well populated.
Last edited by inside-up; 10-05-2008 at 09:23 AM.
"It is also to be noted that an adept is one which has freed itself more and more from the constraints of the thoughts, opinions, and bonds of other-selves. Whether this is done for service to others or service to self, it is a necessary part of the awakening of the adept. This freedom is seen by those not free as what you would call evil or black. The magic is recognized; the nature is often not". - Ra, Session 80
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Interesting
Originally Posted by metamike
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