The Retirement Bubble

The last post concerned the 3 S’s: structure, stability, and security. Today, I want to discuss the current global crisis that marks the end of an old, familiar, but collapsing structure.

Regular readers will surely have noticed that I do not waste my time by joining the mob of shouters and screamers who are too busy trying to tell us who is responsible for the royal mess we are in. I do not concern myself with that old question, “Who shot John?” John is dead. I am more concerned with “Who’s next?”

Let me begin with a few blunt comments. The 20th century is history. The Cold War is history. The Soviet Union is history. The “Free World” was defined by its opposition to the Soviet Union. It is now history too. Therefore, America’s role as “leader of the Free World” is history. Karl Marx is long dead and so is Joe Stalin. Chairman Mao is dead. The “Third World” was a catch-all category for new, impoverished nations and it is history too. Some of those former Third World nations are in much better political, economic, and social shape than Europe and the US. I live in one of them, Panama. Finally, one idea that has been beaten to death before our very eyes is the idea that Americans and Europeans are more “sophisticated”, intelligent, and rational in handling their finances than the rest of the world. If anyone has missed that somehow, just open your eyes, your ears and your mind. The beating continues and probably will for some time to come.

The old “structure” has collapsed in its many forms. I feel that the last few years have been the proverbial “wake-up call” for people all over the world, including those in other nations who have now accepted that North Americans and Europeans are not good role models and do not always merit their attention or, perhaps over time, even their respect. As an American who has partnered with other Americans and Europeans for four decades in global work, the collapse of the old structure is too obvious to ignore. Like everyone else, we struggle to deal with it too, but at least we have given up any idea that our history represents our future.

What is the new structure to take its place? Well, that is up to 6.7 billion people in nearly 200 nations to decide. This is going to take some time, although the process is gathering steam, now that critical parts of the old structure are collapsing. Check back with me in a few years and perhaps I can do a decent job of describing the new structure, but it is too early now. All I feel comfortable saying today is that it will not be the old structure modified, it will be a brand new structure and very different than the old.

What does this mean to us, those who are attempting to plan our futures?

With the old structure gone, instability and insecurity are the logical results, as discussed in the last post. Since we humans hate instability and insecurity, we typically try to first convince ourselves that the old structure will return and, once that has failed, to do nothing but be depressed and let events take their course. That is not “future planning”. That is surrender and will leave you totally vulnerable to even more disaster.

There comes a point when you have to turn away from the agony of the old structure’s collapse which you cannot stop and focus on the one structure that offers you any hope of control – the structure of your life. Go ahead and be “self-centered”. That does not mean that you need to be selfish. You can still give serious attention to the needs of others, but you must give serious attention to yourself or you will be of little or no use to anyone.

If you have had a plan from past years that is now toast due to the crisis, get rid of it. Trash it. Delete it. Do whatever you need to do to put it out of your mind. Start fresh. Just wrap all that depression, anger, wishful thinking and whatever else is making you cling to that old plan, put them in a box, and toss it off the highest cliff you can find. Put it out of your mind and if it pops up, kick it out again.

This is not going to work, though, if you have nothing to replace it with. If it is the only plan you have and you lose it, then you really are lost at sea. You do not need a detailed plan to replace it. That is a serious stumbling block for many people. All you need is a plan to begin again. A Life Sabbatical is one approach. But in any case, do not consider this a failure. Consider it liberation from failure. It is only a long-term failure if you get stuck in it. It is an analogy as old as the hills. If you get knocked down, get back up. Don’t just sit there crying.

You would tell a kid to do this. Why should you be any less helpful to yourself?
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