I am excited to be reading the new book by Chris Martenson and Adam Taggart! The basic premise is that big changes are coming, and it is wise to be prepared. The authors explains that things simply cannot continue as they are now because of the 3 Es:

• ENERGY: There is a limited amount of oil left in the ground, and it is becoming more expensive to extract. We do not have an alternate energy source that is developed and ready on a massive scale to replace our dependence on oil.
• ECONOMY: Our money, banking and financial systems depend on GROWTH. The world economy is now propped up by $200 trillion of debt, and the debt is still growing. This cannot go on forever.
• ENVIRONMENT: The Earth has limited natural resources. Currently we are taking too much from the natural world, and putting too much waste back into it. Several species of life on earth are going extinct each day, fertile soils are being degraded, and the oceans are acidifying. This misuse of our world will lead to serious consequences in the near future.

The authors point out that before we can take action to prepare for the hard times ahead, we must change our inner beliefs about the future. Most people are unaware of the difficulties ahead, or choose not to believe it for many reasons:

• Humans are clever. Someone will invent a solution in time.
• Too much faith in authority. “They will never let that happen.”
• Non belief. I have not heard it on the nightly news or Oprah, so it must not be true.

The authors advocate that people develop “Resilience.” In order to survive difficulty we need multiple ways of meeting our basic needs, have buffers and stored resources, and the ability to switch between different solutions. For example, having several methods of heating and cooling your home makes you more resilient because you can switch energy fuel types if one becomes scarce or too expensive. Having a store of emergency food and first aid supplies is a good start on being resilient.

In addition to resources, the authors explain that building up your knowledge and skills are also forms of resilience. These skills can be bartered with other people who have different skills.

This book review will be continued in my next blog post. 🙂