The bleeding

When it comes to the decline of our western society, one of the main things to grasp is terminology. There are known occasions in history when societies have just collapsed within a short time frame. Think of the extinction of dinosaurs, or tribes that were vanquished by conquerors. Mostly, however, we can safely say that societies, civilizations, and communities do not just vanish. Instead, if unable to recover and heal, they just slowly bleed to death. Think of examples such as the Roman Empire with many different causes for their collapse.

In other words, decline does not equal collapse, and vice versa. Using the correct terms is of great importance.

The good news is, that the western world as we know it has not collapsed, and that this fate can be avoided as well in the future. The bad news is, that while in the decline, we are in the process I like to call the bleeding. Every time we hear news of the Fed and other central banks having a panic-like reaction to the world economy, or extremists marching on the streets for polarizing ideologies such as Black Lives Matter, we know that as a society we are one step closer to having bled to death.

We are all typically quite accustomed to living inside bubbles of our own values and ideas. This is why many don’t even consider this a state of decline. At the moment there are countless people who have lost their jobs and are even struggling to keep their homes and themselves fed. Then there are those who have seen the costs of living rising and are annoyed by it. But there are also groups of people who are entirely clueless about the decline, and the fact that there are many who are living the most challenging time of their lives.

What it usually takes to realise the harsh conditions is for people to take a direct hit. For instance, the mortgage rate hikes are just now starting to affect the last ones who have taken a mortgage with a reference rate that is updated annually. Thus, instead of finding out a year ago, a few more people have just now found out how royally screwed they are financially. Someone else might have their children start to consider surgery to transition to the other gender because their kindergarten teacher taught them that such is possible nowadays. With certain liberal mindset the idea might have sounded enticing back at the ballot box, but usually not so much once these ideas enter your closest circle.

The bleeding is not just a slow process of the decline, but a characterization of the speed at which the figurative light bulbs are starting to brighten over the heads of people. For the unaware, the speed of this realization is far too slow. Many consider the constant of being able to afford food, housing, and even some occasional prestige to be enough for things to be good. As long as there is no distraction to these basic needs, everything in life can seem quite all right.

Thankfully, as you are reading this blog, the chances are good that you are not one of the unaware.