As if the y2k crisis that's looming wasn't enough, now we've got this worldwide financial crisis going on, and an immoral pressident that the world is mocking and who's word is lacking in credibility. The plot is thickening and looking scarier all the time. Things are falling apart even without the help of y2k. When y2k hits, we may already be down when the bell strikes. How do you possilby plan for such a complicated and multifaceted scenario? Y2K was looking bad enough! Comments appreciated, Johan

-- johan (reisch@c-zone.net), September 07, 1998

Answers

Johan,

Throughout the history of mankind, only one thing has universally held value - knowledge. Call it intellegence, information, insight, data, whatever. Mankind has always stiven to learn from our past and guess our future. Knowledge, and the use of it, ultimately determines in the long run who becomes wealthy, who multiplies, who survives. Of course, plain dumb luck is always a wild card, and the smartest man in the world will still step in front of a bus eventually, but at all the cruicial turn posts of our history, foresight and vision based on knowledge made the great difference.

We have the rare opportunity to be the "insiders" regarding y2k, even though most of us are doing our utmost the convince others, friends and stangers alike. But as the knowledgeable, we have the opportunity to prepare, unhindered. There's considerable talk on the net about scenarios and collapse, and famine. I spent a lot of time trying to envision where y2k would eventually lead, and the paths it would take. As anyone who's studied this phenomenon will tell you, absolutely no one can predict this with any amount of confidence.

My point is simply, as far as y2k goes, or as far as our lives go in general, there is no wrong preparation. This is a gamble none of us has asked for, and the stakes are the lives of our children. Risk being a fool on Jan 1, 2000, and protect your future as best you can. Don't worry too much about what face it will wear, just know that "something evil this way comes".

Good luck and long life to you and yours.

Lon Frank

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), September 07, 1998.

Johan, it does indeed seem that all of the "dominos" are lined up. Who knows what event could trigger the fall of that first domino? I believe it will be a "chain reaction" from that point on. Y2K may end up being a 'secondary' blow. 1999 may prove to be one of the most "interesting" years we've ever witnessed. (didn't someone say that was an old Chinese curse? :-)) It IS difficult to know what all to plan for. Simplify your lifestyle as much as possible, get out of as much debt as you can, set aside extras of everything you use, pray hard!

-- Gayla Dunbar (privacy@please.com), September 07, 1998.

I agree, flexibility is the key. Just try to plan for various scenarios and procure resources to deal with the different ones. Try to get stuff that you would use in more than one situation or that you would use in the event the doomers are wrong. There are things which I can even get my money out by selling used later on.

-- Danny (dlefever@emeraldis.com), September 08, 1998.

Johan- Exactly what I've been saying. I hope that people are waking up to the fact that whatever the disruption turns out to be precipitated by (and at that point, who cares who started it?), we have been living lives that leave us dangerously - I mean, even potentially fatally - dependent on others for our very survival!

Our strategy is to simplify, simplify, simplify - keep good records, produce what we can and be prepared to barter for what we can't. A gross oversimplication of the strategies needed, but not a bad way to live a life under any circumstances.

-- Melissa (financed@forbin.com), September 09, 1998.

people do not plan to fail,they fail to plan!info=plan=less worry? good news & bad news~russia & japan are in bankrupture,crb crashed,10% of gnp has disapeared due -50% oil revenues,trade deficits soaring,europe& china are in recession,latin America crashing,world devaluation of paper,& all this = -15% in USA economy!no wonder Greenspan is up allnight.Depression coming ashore! Now for the bad NEWs! WWW 3

-- j s bogrand (sharp007@webtv.net), September 13, 1998.