It is that time of the year again when, while most folk are busy preparing for a festive holiday period (if such is anywhere to be found this year), my thoughts – and I suspect those of a great many others – turn to what the next year will bring.
“And so this is Christmas, and what have we done? Another year over, a new one just begun,” sang John Lennon. I was never happy with the words and loose change of verb tenses across those two lines, but simply acknowledged the point-in-time illogic, allowing for the laxity of lyric license to cover the impossibility of the juxtaposed ideas. But we all know what he meant. It is a time for questioning – self – life – existence – purpose – possibilities – futures – not that I suspect there is a great deal of that type of questioning going on these days. I think there is more of a ‘live for the moment, let the future take care of itself’ attitude now prevailing.
And as for future considerations, well they may extend to include the 7-day weather forecast, the next holiday, the week’s entertainment program or an upcoming party, but little consideration given to the possibilities of change in the conditions of life which may be anticipated from reflections on the events of the recent past or knowledge of the nebulous plans of those who operate at levels “above our pay grade” for future direction guidance – if such plans have in fact even been made known to us. This is not a philosophy guaranteed to work towards having a more than flimsy interest in our own personal future well-being, is it? And if that is truly how we generally think now, then it is simply a game of rolling the dice and placidly accepting the chance, or the unfairly weighted nature, of their fall.
Well, that is not an acceptable case of sufficient foresight for me personally and, I hope, not for you either.
So, for those who might care a little more than average, what might we expect to see rolling out in the next calendar year?
It is a mark of the depth of the hopelessness and helplessness I think felt by all peoples around the world, except for but not entirely excluding those so caught up in their daily existence that they have reither the time nor the inclination to think about wider issues, that it is not a case of expecting a brighter day coming soon, but for considering what may be the most harmful events to add to our current troubles in the next year. So that is one thing we should cover in any deliberations on 2022.
If such is the limited horizon of thought for many of us, should not our next major objective be a consideration as to what we may effectively do to mitigate or remove those harmful threats? And thirdly, should neither of those activities prove to be realisable, where are we likely to be left by the time we are scheduled to repeat this process of evaluation approximately one year from now? In other words, what are our chances of making it that far?
Let’s consider some of those things…
What may bring most harm to our world in 2022?
I’n just going to list a few things. If you disagree (and there is no reason why you shouldn’t)… make your own list.
- Abrupt changes in the global climate
- War – real war, not the constant pretend stuff we are used to seeing
- Actual and systemic collapse
- Monetary/Financial
- Social order and National cohesion
- Civilisation
- Deteriorating Human Resilience
I can’t make this post too long, or no-one will read it, so a few notes on each of those headings will have to suffice.
Abrupt changes in the global climate
Switch off if you don’t think climate is changing. But even the least observant of us must now realise that something is up. The problem is that the change so far has been almost imperceptible. But the pace is rapidly changing over the past few (5/6) years – to the point where we cannot now rule out that at any point there may be abrupt leaps rather than gradual changes in all climate aspects. That will not be in our favour as unwitting recipients of whatever occurs. The problem remains as to exactly when such events will begin to occur more widely. In the coming year? Who knows? But at some point – and we have so far done nothing, absolutely nothing, on a global scale to diminish any contribution we make to the exacerbation of that process (quite the opposite, even though governments and business pretend to be doing that) – at some point (I repeat), a great many of us are going to be faced with ‘move somewhere else and/or die’ decisions. I don’t think any of us are prepared for that eventuality …whenever it comes.
Climate abatement? That’s a bad joke, right?
War – real war, not the constant pretend stuff we are used to seeing
With a heavy heart, I now must conclude that war, catastrophic conflict on a scale this generation has not seen, and of which the remainder of the previous generation has now only fading memories, is coming within the next 12 months and most likely within the next 2-3 months. The stage is already set. Only the curtain has yet to go up. It will be a short-lived affair. Perhaps only lasting a single day before one side or the other calls ‘enough’. But that depends on who is calling the shots. One side is led by sane, level-headed and principled humanists. Fortunately, for most of us, they are the side that also has the best, most reliable and most effective weapons for war in the modern era. The other side – I call it a ‘side’ but in reality it is a gaggle of overly optimistic rabbles led by mostly madmen (and women) in positions of power, with a smattering of military leaders (with realistic outlooks) who I’m sure have no stomach for the kind of battering their troops are facing immediately this commences. The only hope for that ‘side’ is that their insane leaders are silenced by the realistic generals very quickly in order to bring the catastrophe to a close following a short and bloody holocaust in which their frontline military formations and rearward command and communications infrastructure are annihilated in a shit-storm such as no-one alive has ever witnessed. Any other outcome will be catastrophic on a much broader scale.
I don’t even have to name the sides, do I?
You may not see it that way, especially if you have not been following matters closely for a number of years now, but that is the way it will be decided, trust me. A hard and final lesson must be taught dispassionately and learned well. It can only occur once, and now is the right time, exactly the right time, for it to take place. Because now is the only time remaining for the losing side to have any coherent hope (and willing partners) for mounting such an escapade. The reason for that has been obvious for some decades past – they are on the way out as any longer being a viable organised entity, still with a capacity to field a military formation which even looks like it may stand a chance of doing something on the required scale – having lived and prospered for the past 7 decades mostly on bluff and bluster, pitting itself only against inferior and ill-equipped forces …while still never managing to overcome any of them effectively.
If you want more, then I recommend this as an up to date appraisal of where things stand (that could change of course as soon as tomorrow, Friday Dec 24 – Christmas Eve, no less)…
“What could happen next if the USA rejects the Russian ultimatum?” – The Saker blog …and it is an ‘ultimatum’, no matter how President Putin tries to dress it nicely. Russia has nowhere else to go, as he says, most illustratively. No more reticence on his part. The fates are cast to the wind.
One final word. When I was still in military uniform, back in the ’70s, it was said that it takes 6 weeks to start a war. Whether that still holds, or not, I am not sure. But we are now on the brink. No-one can step back without losing face – and gaining a whole world of geopolitical pain – as well as crushing economic pain. Only a holding off while whatever preparatory steps for conflict are made can now ensue. At least 6 weeks of that sort of delaying tactics takes us past the Beijing Winter Olympics and a few other important (in normal times) events which may stand in the way but, after that, the field is fairly clear for a short and sharp conflict before, and perhaps considered just in time for, the US mid-terms – in which Biden will need some sort of miracle if he is not to be rendered irrelevant during his final two years in office by the expected slaughter of Democratic representatives and Senators in that election process – assuming the same fraudulent voting processes which out him there are not repeated.
Of course the always present ‘crazies’ in the mix may have some other interesting plans to interfere with that.
Actual and systemic collapse
Back to the everyday experiences which could influence our lives even if none of the above should predominate. These are what I see as potential normality wreckers…
Monetary/Financial
There is no easy way to say this, the current global dependency on a fiat based currency system to conduct its affairs will not last out the coming year.
I don’t need to say any more – others will, but you can bet they will be wanting you to invest with them and/or they will be talking utter garbage.
Having said that, what will replace it. In a word – Chaos. Just as much chaos as if the sea level were to suddenly rise by several meters, a real and deadly pandemic were to engulf the world, or a war were to erupt in Europe – quickly spreading globally.
A number of nations are wisely already well into actions for freeing themselves from the possibility of such chaos – or perhaps the worst aspects of it…
‘Putin and Xi plot their SWIFT escape’ – Pepe Escobar, on The Cradle.
Social order and National cohesion
It is not only President Putin who is fed up with the clown antics of his contemporary national leaders, people everywhere are also fed up with the way things are. They are increasingly taking to the streets to demonstrate that anxiety, and they are withdrawing from compliance with activities and loss of freedoms being heaped on them by dip-shit national governments.
I will be very surprised if there are more than a handful of still unified nations on the face of the Earth by the end of next year. Chaos, which now rises, will reign supreme – assuming there are sufficient people left standing to count as being ‘chaotic’.
Put simply, it will be impossible for anyone to live a ‘normal’ life. Perhaps anywhere.
Civilisation
…
If I don’t return to fill in the blanks here, use your own judgement, and a little common sense about the prospects for the current or any potential future civilisation.
Deteriorating Human Resilience
If what has occurred over the past two years – and still ongoing – and even going back some decades, hasn’t altered your views as to the fragility of human existence in a world geared towards using ‘people’ unconscionably, as guinea-pigs for profit and unauthorised experimentation, then where is your head at?
If you haven’t yet realised that human fitness for purpose (intelligence, health, ability, general ‘gumption’ and overall resilience) has been on the slide across the whole of the current generation – I’m talking mainly the West, because I have no direct reference point for other folk, in this respect – then, where has your head been?
We are being manipulated, throughout the life cycle, to be less effective, more compliant, human drones with simple and ever less demanding (of personal effort) life expectations. Have you wondered why? Think, Great Reset. Read a few WEF Davos forum documents/videos …and weep.
Humanity is at a crossroads. 2022 may be the final turnaround opportunity to avoid being ‘reset’.
Threat diversion or elimination
Given these obvious threats and others, probably equally relevant, that I have not mentioned, is there anything we, the common, ordinary, getting on with life the best we can, type of people, can do to divert or elimate that which follows the eruption of any or all of them potentially next year?
Well, here’s where I fail, or admit defeat, by declaring I don’t know, but also by putting out there that I think we never had a chance or a hope of doing that. All of these things have quietly and without our noticing – although some of us have been shouting as loud as we were able but unheard above the din of modern life, centred on self for the most part – built up gradually, perhaps planned (though I am still unsure whether anybody, even conspiratorially, is that clever to have come up with a fool-proof plan that will not backfire on themselves), perhaps occurring naturally as a result of the laws of nature – to which we are all subject.
I doubt if we were all to take part in a huge global think-tank to solve these problems 24/7 for as long as it takes, we would so derive an answer to even one of them before it hits – whenever that is – and sweeps away whatever solution we think we may have found, and probably many of us with it, like so much flotsam.
I’m sorry. I would like to be more upbeat if I could. I just can’t see it.
A year from now – where will we be?
The question for now, remains unanswered. Ask me again in twelve months time – if any of us are still here. And if anybody else tells you any different, you have my permission to paint them as time-wasters.
Author
Bernard ("Bernie") Edwards blogs at NotSomethingElse and lives "as simply as I can, working towards having as few dependencies on the industrial system as possible" in Australia.
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