Understanding Economic Collapse

By James Barton •  Updated: 04/01/16 •  2 min read

The global economy is fragile.

Unlike wealth in the past, which was based on real goods—food, water, wood, and so on—today’s wealth is fictitious. What this means is that the majority of money today is based on speculation, doubt, and what is essentially gambling.

This reality makes financial bubbles—like the housing crisis of 2008—much more likely.

Beyond, this, economic collapse is also interwoven with hubris. The global economy is largely based on drawing down non-renewable resources like oil, gas, and metals. It’s also dependent on over-exploiting renewable resources like forests, soil, and fisheries.

This is a double-edged sword; on one side, financial fictions and dangerous guessing games underlie most of the economy, and on the other side, the basis of food production and material goods is being undermined.

We’re Heading for a Cliff

Modern society is driving headlong towards oblivion, and nobody is at the controls (let alone using the brakes). For most people, what this means is that we cannot depend on the economic system to remain intact forever.

We are likely to see partial economic collapses in the coming years and decades, and could even see the total collapse of the global economy in our lifetime.

Surviving Collapse

This blog is about survival of all types. Surviving economic collapse and resulting social unrest is perhaps a more likely danger than wilderness survival for most of us. That is why this site focuses on the fundamentals: food, water, shelter, warmth, and security.

Preparing for economic collapse is preparing for a world where you and your community is on its own; where no emergency services are available and no one is coming to save the day. Developing self-sufficiency is the ultimate in survival, because then you are no longer dependent on the economic system, the government, or anyone else for your survival or well being.

James Barton

James Barton

Hi, I'm James. I am the founder and main editor for The Survival Corps. I have been a part of the survival and prepping community since my mid 30's as I downsized and started to prepare to be self sufficient in a time of crisis.