|
|
 |
The Perilous Journey Ahead December 13, 2025
I reckon it prudent to see the next decade as a journey through a wilderness few of us have experienced.
Marketing has seized "your journey" by the throat. The marketing of everything from storage facilities to downtowns now references "your journey," with the primary message being your journey will be fruitful, fun, exciting--but also safe and secure. In other words, our journey will follow well-worn, well-marked trails, and the outcome will always be positive. If anything untoward happens, someone will be available to get "the journey" back on track. In other words, "the journey" is never through a wilderness without trails or markers where help is unavailable, where we're on our own and the journey's outcome is uncertain, and fear is the companion who is always by our side. In the marketed "journey," all you need is money: to rent a storage space or an apartment, to pay tuition or a plane ticket and sturdy boots. This is the essence of what I call Ultra-Processed Life: adventure that is safe and certain can be purchased off the shelf. We take all the intricate structures that make this possible for granted, and have little grasp of what life is like without them. As long as we have money, we have power. But in a wilderness, there's nothing to buy and no one to pay to make it all go away. In a wilderness, we experience the limits of our power. Stripped of all the structures that make life certain and safe, we come face to face with our own powerlessness. Many of us have already experienced powerlessness in our childhood. We were repeatedly moved around against our wishes by adults, step-parents were imposed on us and then dispensed with, and we were dropped into schools where we were vulnerable to bullying. Certainty and safety were ephemeral, and we lacked the tools and strengths offered by adulthood. It is not surprising that many of the elements of Ultra-Processed Life are child-like: we're offered "adventures" that are safe and certain, as in "let's play adventure" but in a safe, protected environment. The problem with packaging life based on the ubiquity of complex structures that protect us from contact with uncertainty, risk and powerlessness is we're completely unprepared for the real world when we do finally encounter it. We cannot imagine experiences that unravel and cannot be reversed with a phone call or credit card. Unaccustomed to being totally on our own in situations we've never experienced before, we're ill-prepared to function in a fast-moving environment of uncertainty and risks we cannot fully grasp. These environments can be external--the real-world unraveling--and/or internal: the unraveling of burnout or breakdown. I've written a lot about self-reliance, as this is the penumbra (Latin for "almost shadow") of powerlessness: self-reliance is never limitless, for we do not have god-like powers. It is intrinsically limited. But it does generate agency, the capacity to direct our lives by exerting our will, skills and effort. One analogy for "the journey" is driving a car. Our experience is 100% low-risk predictability and control until we experience an accident, and so our experience doesn't prepare us for things going awry. We have no tools for dealing with sudden extremes or unexpected failures in the systems we take for granted. It's only after such experiences do we learn our limits an gain an appreciation for what might happen even in low-risk settings. Those of us who have had such experiences tend to think along "worst-case scenario" lines as the means of avoiding being caught off-guard by "longtail risks," i.e. events deemed unlikely but still well within the realm of the possible. For example, if I climb on a roof, I assume I'm going to slip and fall, so I take precautions that look excessive to those who haven't fallen off roofs. In a similar fashion, it seems risky to have no water, food and fuel stored up for the unlikely eventuality that the systems we rely on to provide these essentials break down or are disrupted. It seems equally risky to have few skills in fashioning shelter, growing food, organizing security, and planning scenarios to deal with breakdowns in what we take for granted based on real-world experience. We're accustomed to emergencies being temporary, the result of a natural disaster that responses are in place to deal with. We have little or no experience of systems decaying and not returning to the status quo. My sense is that we're entering an extraordinary period that is more like a wilderness than a well-marked path with help around every corner. Beneath the surface of normal life, the systems we take for granted are eroding. Since we have no experience of this, we're unprepared for a journey that is intrinsically uncertain and brimming with risks we cannot assess because they are contingent, novel and non-linear, i.e. unpredictable. The consensus is such a situation is not in the realm of possibility. Everything we take for granted is permanent. My view is the next 7 to 10 years will present us with challenges few are prepared to manage based on previous experience and their existing reserves of agency, skills and resources, reserves based on the expectation of permanent structures providing security and safety. The phrase "situational awareness" is bantered about, but as a general rule we can only be aware of situations we've experienced before. We're blind to what we have yet to experience. Without experience, we tend to over-estimate our readiness to deal with extraordinary circumstances because we've successfully managed everyday life. Fear is a useful tool that few learn to use because they don't have enough experience with it. Fear is a spectrum, one that spans from caution to panic. The difficult part is avoiding the slide into disorientation and panic. Like self-reliance, this is imperfect. Our ability to assess risks and threats is also imperfect. No matter how well prepared, we can still be surprised, unwary, blind to what we haven't experienced. Knowing this is also a tool. Some things happen so fast we don't even have time to become afraid. We just react instinctively. In slow-moving crises, uneasiness dissipates all too easily into passive acceptance. We habituate to decay so readily that it's hard to anticipate where it's heading. We assume the current level will hold, when the reality is the current level is only temporary, and the next step down is just ahead. Our ability to distinguish a step down from a precipice is limited. I reckon it prudent to see the next decade as a journey through a wilderness few of us have experienced. It may appear to be financial or political, but fundamentally it is a journey each of us will take to some degree on our own. We will be powerless to restore the systems that have decayed. Our only power will be what we provide ourselves. Empowerment will likely take multiple forms, manifesting as self-reliance, experimentation, failure, shared experiences and cooperation with others. These ruminations were inspired by this work, which I leave unattributed so you can read it as it is without any preconceptions generated by authorship, place or time. A Manner Of Traveling I awoke and found myself walking along a muddy road, dim with filtered light and an uncertain sun. My feet were cut and bleeding. I glanced back at my tracks and recognized nothing, and saw small patches of my blood in the dark damp depressions of my footsteps. Yes, anger and love can co-exist. This I know for I am both. I am in an unfamiliar place. The leaves and branches are wet with recent rain and I cannot tell if I have been crying or just walking with my face turned up to the sky. I find my feet marching forward, steadily, and I am astounded at the effort they are making without my will. Yes, decisions and no will can co-exist. This I know for I am both. I consider turning back but I do not remember coming here. There is nothing to return to. I am alone, though I see the eroded, water-filled spoor of other walkers. I am afraid, for I cannot see ahead and do not know the future that my mind is striving to see. Yes, certainty and the unknown can co-exist. This I know for I am both. There are deep scratches on my exposed arms; I do not recall crashing blindly through wilderness, but clearly, I have done so. I am thirsty and tired but there is no place to rest. I feel this power pulling me forward. I am trying to return to the birthplace I have never seen, as birds and fish do. I will not recognize it with my eyes but with my belly. I want to feel sorry for myself, to have someone comfort me in my distress, but I am alone, with only my mind and body for company, and the insects buzzing unseen above my head, oblivious to my aching feet and confused mind. Yes, pain and love can co-exist. This I know for I am both. There is the rich scent of vegetation around me, fecund, growing, matted, decaying, life and death in the same place and time. I walk on and the smell lies heavily over the damp vines and reaching trees above me. 
My new book Investing In Revolution is available at a 10% discount ($18 for the paperback, $24 for the hardcover and $8.95 for the ebook edition). Introduction (free) Check out my updated Books and Films. Become a $3/month patron of my work via patreon.com Subscribe to my Substack for free My recent books: Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases originated via links to Amazon products on this site. THE REVOLUTION TRILOGY: Investing In Revolution Ultra-Processed Life The Mythology of Progress Systemic Problems/Solutions Investing In Revolution (2025) Introduction (free) The Mythology of Progress (2024) Introduction (free) Global Crisis, National Renewal (2021) Introduction (free) Money and Work Unchained (2017) Introduction (free) A Radically Beneficial World (2015) Introduction (free) What You Can Do Yourself Ultra-Processed Life (2025) Introduction (free) Self-Reliance in the 21st Century (2022) Introduction (free) When You Can't Go On: Burnout, Reckoning and Renewal (2022) Introduction (free) Get a Job, Build a Real Career and Defy a Bewildering Economy (2014) Intro (free) Novels The Adventures of the Consulting Philosopher Intro (free) The Secret Life of an Asian Heroine First chapters (free) Become a $3/month patron of my work via patreon.com. Subscribe to my Substack for free Investing In Revolution print $18, (Kindle $8.95, Hardcover $24 (145 pages, 2025) 
Only now do we see that we've been investing in revolution for decades--not the revolutions we thought we were investing in, revolutions in technology and finance, but in the social revolution made inevitable by the extremes that we've reached in our single-minded pursuit of private gains.
The pendulum that we've pushed to an extreme will swing to the opposite extreme, and the artifices that have propped up a facade a stability for decades will accelerate the disorder rather than reverse it. We now stand at the point of decision, and this book offers a path to a reformation and renewal that serves the shared interests of us all, not just the few. Introduction (free) Ultra-Processed Life print $16, (Kindle $7.95, audiobook, Hardcover $20 (129 pages, 2025) 
Ultra-Processed Life: the substitution of a synthetic, commoditized, very profitable facsimile for what was once authentic.
Ultra-Processed Life is my term for everything that is analogous to ultra-processed snacks: attractively marketed, instantly alluring, easy to consume, addictive by design, tasty in the moment but harmful over time, its origins a black box of unknown processes, the brightly colored product bearing no resemblance to the real-world ingredients, an idealized form of what is inherently imperfect, untethered from the natural world. As with many others, the catalyst for my exploration was a life-threatening medical crisis that did not have a specific cause. This led me to wonder if our entire way of life is like an ultra-processed snack: tasty but not healthy, edible but stripped of the nutrients we need to be healthy, addictive by design. Introduction (free) The Mythology of Progress, Anti-Progress and a Mythology for the 21st Century print $20, (Kindle $9.95, Hardcover $24 (215 pages, 2024) audiobook, Read the Introduction and first chapter for free (PDF) 
What if the policies to accelerate growth are no longer working because our fix for every problem--growth at any cost--is failing? We're told Progress is inevitable as a result of technology, but everyday life is getting harder, not easier--the opposite of Progress, what I call Anti-Progress.
What if the real source of the unraveling is far deeper than economics or politics? What if the problem is what we see as the inevitable destiny of humanity--Progress--is actually a modern mythology, disconnected from the real-world consequences of growth for growth's sake? We indignantly reject that Progress is a mythology, but our need for mythology hasn't gone away because we've mastered technology; we've created a modern mythology of technology that is heedless of its own consequences. To truly progress, we need a new mythology aligned to 21st century realities. Read the Introduction and first chapter for free
Recent entries: How We Fail: The Empire Is Forever December 11, 2025 Why We Fail December 9, 2025 Greed, Centralization, Monopoly, Ruin December 5, 2025 Model Collapse: The Entire Bubble Economy Is a Hallucination December 3, 2025 Why Healthcare Is in a Death Spiral: Follow the Money December 1, 2025 24 Things I'm Grateful For November 28, 2025 A Stoic's Thanksgiving Gratitude November 26, 2025 The Middle Class Is Cracking November 24, 2025 Is AI a Catalyst for Growth--or For Collapse? November 20, 2025 What We've Lost November 18, 2025
Inequality Then and Now: Now It's Too Late
November 14, 2025
Contributions/subscriptions are acknowledged in the order received. Your name and email remain confidential and will not be given to any other individual, company or agency. All contributors are listed below in acknowledgement of my gratitude.
Mastery requires reading and doing.
Of Two Minds Site Links home musings my books archives books/films policies/disclosures social media/search Aphorisms How to Contribute, Subscribe/Unsubscribe sites/blogs of interest original music/songs Get a Job (book) contributors my definition of success why readers donate/subscribe to Of Two Minds mobile site (Blogspot) mobile site (m.oftwominds.com)
HUGE GIANT BIG FAT DISCLAIMER: Nothing on this site should be construed as investment advice or guidance. It is not intended as investment advice or guidance, nor is it offered as such.... (read more) WHY EMAIL TO THIS SITE IS READ BUT MAY NOT BE ACKNOWLEDGED: Regrettably, I am so sorely pressed for time and energy that I am unable to respond to the vast majority of emails. Please know I read all emails, but I can only devote a very limited number of hours to this blog and all correspondence.... Subscriptions to the Weekly Musings Reports Subscribers enable Of Two Minds to post free content. Without your financial support, the free content would disappear for the simple reason that I cannot keep body and soul together on my meager book sales alone. Your financial support is very much appreciated. Subscribers ($7/mo) and those who have contributed $70 or more annually receive weekly exclusive Musings Reports ($70/year is about $1.35 a week). Each weekly Musings Report offers four features: 1. Exclusive essay on an extraordinarily diverse range of insightful topics 2. Summary of the blog this week 3. Best thing that happened to me this week 4. From Left Field (a curated selection of interesting links) There are four easy ways to subscribe: Substack, Patreon, US Mail and Paypal: How to Contribute, Subscribe/Unsubscribe to Of Two Minds What subscribers are saying about the Musings: "What makes you a channel worth paying for? It's actually pretty simple - you possess a clarity of thought that most of us can only dream of, and a perspective that allows you to focus on the truth with laser-like precision." Jim S. Thank you very much for supporting oftwominds.com with your subscription or contribution.
Extra-Special Bonus Aphorisms:
"There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity." (Douglas MacArthur) "We are what we repeatedly do." (Aristotle) "Do the thing and you shall have the power." (Ralph Waldo Emerson) "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." (E.F. Schumacher, via Tom R.) "He who will not risk cannot win." (John Paul Jones) "When we drink coffee, ideas march in like the army." (Honore de Balzac) "Progress is not possible without deviation." (Frank Zappa, via Richard Metzger) "Victory favors those who take pains." (amat victoria curam) "The man who has a garden and a library has everything." (Cicero, via Lee Bentley) "A healthy homecooked family meal and a home garden are revolutionary acts." (CHS) "Do you know what amazes me more than anything else? The impotence of force to organize anything." (Napoleon Bonaparte) "The way of the Tao is reversal" Or "Reversal is the movement of Tao." (Lao Tzu) "Chance favours the prepared mind." (Louis Pasteur) "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." (Winston Churchill) "Where there is ruin, there is hope for treasures." (Rumi) "The realm of gratitude is boundless." (CHS, 11/25/15) "History doesn't have a reverse gear." (CHS, 12/22/15) Smith's Law of Conservation of Risk: Every sustained action has more than one consequence. Some consequences will appear positive for a time before revealing their destructive nature. Some consequences will be intended, some will not. Some will be foreseeable, some will not. Some will be controllable, some will not. Those that are unforeseen and uncontrollable will trigger waves of other unforeseen and uncontrollable consequences. (July 8, 2014)(thanks to Lew G. for retitling the idea.) Smith's Neofeudalism Principle #1: If the citizenry cannot replace a kleptocratic authoritarian government and/or limit the power of the financial Aristocracy at the ballot box, the nation is a democracy in name only. The Smith Corollary to Metcalfe's Law (The Network Effect): the value of the network is created not just by the number of connected devices/users but by the value of the information and knowledge shared by users in sub-networks and in the entire network. (CHS, 4/6/16) My Credo of Liberation: I no longer care if the power centers of our society--the distant, fortified castles of our financial feudal system--are changed by my actions, for I am liberated by the act of resistance. I am no longer complicit in perpetuating fraudulent feudalism and the pathology of concentrated power. I no longer covet signifiers of membership in the Upper Caste that serves the plutocracy. I am liberated from self-destructive consumerist-State financialization and the delusion that debt servitude and obedience to sociopathological Elites serve my self-interests. (Thank you, Klaus-Peter L., for reminding me) "We've become a culture of excuses rather than solutions: solutions always require sustained effort and discipline." (CHS 4/9/16) "Fraud as a way of life caters an extravagant banquet of consequences." (CHS 4/14/16) "Creativity = problem solving = value creation." (CHS 6/4/16) "Truth is powerful because it is the core dynamic of solving problems." (CHS 7/21/17) "We live in a system of human emotions that masquerades as a science (economics)." (CHS 1/1/18) "Always remember, your focus determines your reality." (George Lucas) "Diversity is for poor people. Sameness is for the successful." (GFB) "When power dissipates suddenly, it dissipates completely." (CHS 7/14/19) "Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves." (Henry David Thoreau) "Markets cannot price in the value of non-monetized natural assets such as diverse ecosystems." (CHS 7/14/19) "Magical thinking isn't optimism, it is folly." CHS 1/3/22) "Tune in (to self-reliance), drop out (of hyper-consumerism and debt-serfdom) and turn on (to relocalizing capital and agency)." (CHS 1/5/22) "The path to everything you desire starts here: like yourself as you are right now." (CHS 11/20/22) "There are only two signals: how many essentials you produce and share and if you're consuming less with better results. Everything else is noise." (CHS 12/17/22) "Liberation is no longer needing any confirmation or feedback from others or the world for one's sense of self. Wealth, fame, recognition, admiration, praise, prestige, approval, sainthood, martyrdom, success: none are needed, none are desired." (CHS 12/26/22) "When fame, wealth, prestige, status and glory are out of reach, you're free to pursue other more valuable things." (CHS 2/6/22) "It is the sacred duty of every activist who seeks to better their community to grow and share as much life-giving food as is humanly possible." (CHS 6/15/23) "Being anonymous, gray and unknown is the ideal state of freedom." (CHS 3/15/24) "We seem to have entered a world of anti-leisure and anti-productivity in which the unpaid shadow work demanded to keep all the complicated digital bits in motion obliterate our leisure and productivity." CHS (5/22/24) "It is axiomatic that failing systems work the best just before they fail catastrophically." Ray W. "Looking younger is mere technique; thinking younger demands creativity." CHS (10/16/24) "Tell me what's taboo and I'll tell you the truths that threaten the status quo." CHS (12/15/24) "This is the core of the Attention Economy: the ultimate addiction is the addiction to ourselves." CHS (1/28/25) "If You Seek the Truth, Look for What's Taboo." CHS (7/18/25) "My definition of self-reliance: the less you need, the easier it is to get what you need." CHS (7/26/25) "Mastery requires reading and doing." CHS (7/28/25) "The replacement of authentic value, quality, agency, choice, trust, legitimacy and experience with self-serving facsimiles is the key dynamic of Ultra-Processed Life, my term for the present-day human condition." CHS (8/12/25) "Ultra-Processed Life replaces an authentic experience with a synthetic, simulated, commoditized, highly profitable version that's superficially attractive but destructive over the long term." CHS (8/12/25) "What we see everywhere is the replacement of authentic things--including democracy--with synthetic facsimiles designed to maintain the illusion of choice and value." CHS (8/12/25) "Sometimes certainty is the enemy we don't even see and uncertainty is our most faithful ally." CHS (9/20/25) |
|
||||||||||
|
All content, HTML coding, format design, design elements, original images, videos and musical compositions
and recordings on www.oftwominds.com are protected by copyright © 2025 Charles Hugh Smith, All global rights reserved in all media, unless otherwise credited or noted.
Terms of Service:
All content on this blog is provided by Trewe LLC for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at anytime and without notice.
Our Use of Generative AI Tools Policy:
Our Privacy Policy:
PRIVACY NOTICE FOR EEA INDIVIDUALS
Notice of Compliance with
The California Consumer Protection Act
Regarding Cookies:
Our Commission Policy:
|
|
|
|||||
| home email me (no promise of response, sorry, here's why) mirror site | |||||
