# A sudden event or slow decay over time?



## Mase92 (Feb 4, 2013)

This question hit me the other day as I was watching a movie. So, I guess my question is; will what causes the SHTF event be a sudden thing (EMP, viral outbreak, other) or will life as we know it just spiral downward until a reset button is hit? Will the later only be a subjective thing (your own personal SHTF) to your area?

Through out human history we have seen man predicting it's own Apocalypse/end of days, that is nothing new but have we come to a point where our North American/1st world lifestyle is unsustainable by the current standards and will cause a different type of SHTF? Are certain places feeling it currently?

As many of you know, I'll have my own thoughts on this, really I just want to see if maybe we don't prepare for that sudden event and maybe it's just because our SHTF is happening every day.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

I have said and continue to say that we are already is a slow "death spiral". The frosting on the SHTF cake would be any sudden major event like an EMP attack.

A question that has never been asked is what will keep us from imploding. Is there any potential presidential candidate that has the moxie to reverse that trend? I don't see it, just more of the same.


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## bigg777 (Mar 18, 2013)

Truth be told, only in the last 100+ years has a lifestyle such as ours here in the majority of the U.S.A. been available to the common man/woman. The comforts and conveniences that we have become accustomed to and take for granted were previously reserved for royalty and the super wealthy: instantaneous heat; cooling; prepared foods; fresh fruits and veggies year-round; travel to exotic locations; warm, comfortable, reliable transportation to and from work; indoor plumbing; artisans to fix any and all maintenance needs; the list goes on and on.

In the immortal words of King Soloman's scribe, "This too shall pass." IMHO, we have lived thru the zenith of progress in this country, the pressing needs of the burgeoning masses in the third world and developing countries will begin to stress the natural resources that have been so available to us here. Over population in any and every species in a given environment causes conflict and strife.

The fact that our socialism-minded POTUS & Demoncratic polluticians doesn't help squat is another factor in our demise. Along with big biz's greed and willingness to off-shore 90% of our manufacturing to countries that would just as soon see us fail and implode doesn't help either but, that's progress(ive).

Each of us still has the opportunity to improve our lot here as well as anywhere in the world, it will have to be through entrepreneurship and education, rather than through sheer diligent hard work and saving but, it is still available here, just not going to be attained by the masses IMO.

So there is my rant, the slow slide will prob. be punctuated by sudden events but if I knew for sure, you'd all be lined up at my door on Sunday morning instead of God's. May he bless you all.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

fiscal policy and or manipulation will not stop the current slide into the abyss which like any slide will gain momentum, Unless a new super efficient/cheap energy source is found, or a new highly automate manufacturing method is quickly developed, either of these could possibly stem the tide, or perhaps an extra terrestrial visit, to unite humanity,:eyebulge: Yeah it's gonna crash at ever increasing speed, because that is the nature of crashes (sine curve)


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Look at the rise and fall of past civilizations. The cycle is that the newnation/civilization is born and gro with the energy of youth. Then it platues and eventualy declines and is quite often taken over by another nation/group, etc. that is younger, more energetic and hungry for prosperity. Thethe Roman empire first decayed within then lost their glory to the nations that they cnquered. The British were once number one and wentthrugh the same cycle. The British and most of Europe are being infiltrated by the Moslems and they will eventually succomb to them. The US will be destroyed by the illegals from Mexico/Central America. They are simply hungrier and willing to sacrifice to attain their goals. China i the new world power but is rapidly being infected with the greed of Western Civilization plus the world's wealth is declining overall so their rise will be arrested by a world in decline. All of the easy wealth is gone. It takes a lot of technology to harvest oil and other energy sources are either too polluting or too expensive. The same is true of mining. Agriculture will be in trouble due to diminishing supplies of water. I expect the downhill slide we (the world) is in to slowly accelerate until it hits a tipping point of some kind. It might be manmade or a natural disaster but it will suddenly bring the whole house of cards down in a heap. I would not count out a third world war to be the end result. There will be no winners for that one. I fully expect the entire world to be "third worlders" after that.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

*If you want changes.....................*

My friends the world as we know has never change the inhabitants of the world are the ones that have and have never learn from the mistakes made, we continue to have wars over the simplest things like race,land,money,religion, is like a big divided family fighting over a last will ,at work we demand more money not realizing that the final product will cost more to make and sell, at home we waste food and energy, that cost the demanded money we ask our boss, is a chain reaction folks and we then blame whoever poor bastard is in government, many of the atrocities committed by the armies of the world where made by men following a maniac`s vision of world power and domination simply stop by a well place bullet to the head, we demand action from our government but at the same time are not willing to pay the price for it, we complain about others without looking at the mirror first, we keep fighting the same status quota year after year and nothing has change, government keeps getting bigger and clumsier and we know is time for a change but we are so used to the status quota that nothing ever gets done, so my dear fellow members we minus well lived it alone and continue in this pass of self destruction that eventually will catch up with all of us. If you want changes then start right at home, it will probably make you feel a lot better.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

readytogo said:


> ....at work we demand more money not realizing that the final product will cost more to make and sell, at home we waste food and energy, that cost the demanded money we ask our boss, is a chain reaction ...


Sounds like the fights I have with my wife.

It's bad all over...
A woman I know at work divorced her husband because he wouldn't buy her a Cadillac Escalade.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

I don't think anyone can truly answer this with any honesty. We are currently in a death spiral in this country but it is going to take more time to see it crater. When it does we may find out the Russian economist was correct in that the USA will break itself apart. 

Signs of the fall may include the US giving up Israel to the Muslims. It will also be a continued building of the welfare state in this country. The money tree is about to die. If China calls our debts in we are toast. Look for China and other countries to begin arming groups like the separatists in Hawaii. 

Will we get hit by a major terrorist set of events? YES. It is not IF it is WHEN. That could be dirty bombs, EMP strikes above the country launched off freighters or subs on our coast, poisoning a water supply to a major metro area or areas, attacks on schools around military installations like San Diego or any number of other threats. Those would be big issues. 

A World wide depression would hit most people suddenly as if out of the blue. Truth is most people who have investments have no idea of how the world economy works and could not fathom the signs of a collapse coming. 

The simple truth is any number of events would wipe out a major portion of the US population. No one in this country is truly prepared for a total loss of services for months to years.


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