Have You Faced The Giant?

     My husband and I had a chance encounter with an old friend the other day; a man who, by all appearances, sees the big picture and is wide awake.  He has firearms training down to a science, and has done reasonably well on storing extra food and life's necessities.  But try talking to him about a global economic collapse and what that could mean or look like for us, and he fixes us with a baffled stare.  I'm afraid that there are millions of Americans that are just like him.
     Maybe it's too complex to understand how the economies of once-sovereign countries are now co-mingled and interconnected.  Let's face it:  terms like "Quantitative Easing" and "Global Currency Exchanges" aren't in the usual lexicon of your average American.  I can understand the desire to turn a deaf ear to all the duplicitous and circuitous ramblings coming from power-hungry politicians and the crooks on Wall Street.

     But I want to scream, "Look around you, man!"  How many empty store fronts do you see?  When was the last time you bought something made in the USA?  Do you see any new developing industries in this country?  How many people do you know who have lost their job or taken a pay cut?
     ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION???
     I fear that we, as a country, are refusing to face reality.  We are caught in a downward spiral of worldwide debt, international political unrest, and a combustible economic situation right here at home.  We don't see that all the maneuvering by the Federal Reserve is just a pretense.  We can't see that the economy is being propped up by printed money and promoted wars.  It's all a ruse to convince us that nothing has changed in America.   We will always rebound and always prosper.  The headlines proclaim The Housing Market is Up and Jobless Claims Go Down.  And we believe it!
     Here's the truth:  IT'S A FAKE ECONOMY!  American households have less money to spend, and what viable US companies that still exist are reporting falling profits.  Our economy was once in a slow decline; now it appears to be gaining speed towards a full-on collapse.  Add to that the fact that our position in the world has taken a drastic nose-dive, and you've got all the ingredients for a dismal US future.  The world has lost its confidence in the US, and the global stage is set for a major economic conflagration.  But have Americans REALLY thought about what that might be like?  Have they considered that we may be too far over the cliff to regain our footing?
     I get it .... We've never been here before and, therefore, it's hard to imagine.  But if you've got your finger on the pulse, you have to feel that the heartbeat is fading.  Our infrastructure is deteriorating; businesses are laying off and cutting back; our education system is failing our kids; doctors are threatening to leave Medicine; our energy needs are held for ransom; and manufacturing has left our shores.
     I'm sure that many people feel they have vaccinated themselves against a recession/depression.  They have plenty of stored food, can adequately defend their households, and propped up their 401Ks with gold and silver.  But they haven't gone far enough in their thinking.
     God forbid, if there is a true global economic collapse, it won't be for a few months while "things get straightened out".  The comfy lifestyles we are used to will be unsustainable.  It will be a long, tortuous slide into societal decay.  The stored food WILL run out; there won't be reliable infrastructure to supply electricity to homes, hospitals or grocery stores; repairs to buildings and roads will be abandoned; systems to deal with sewage and garbage will be lacking.  Just think New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and Haiti after Tropical Storm Isaac.
     I know it must sound like I am a Doomsday Prophet.  Believe me, I'd rather be a Pollyanna.  But there are no indications that we have any intentions of changing our course.  We can't keep pretending that things aren't getting worse, or that world events point to a brighter day.  At some point, we have slipped too great a distance to recover.  At some point, we've gone too far over the cliff and are hanging in mid-air.   My question is this:  are we being sucked into a black hole?  Are our preposterous economic policies combining with our dangerous foreign policies and non-existent energy policies to guarantee that America will be changed forever?  If that is the case, then I suggest that the sooner you face that Giant, the better.  If we lose America, all the gold in China won't bring her back.  And our world will change forever.

Lamentations 5:1-2        "Remember, Lord, what has happened to us; look, and see our disgrace.  Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners."