There’s a meme that’s been making its way around social media that speaks volumes to where many of us are finding ourselves at this point in our apocalyptic journey.  The meme goes like this:

For real though!  This is exactly what it’s come down to. As the world around us is imploding upon itself, we have two choices – get destroyed by the implosion or find a way to survive. Not really by my own choice, it seems I’m trying to survive! I know many of you might say the same. It’s not that we want to die, it’s that we don’t want to live in the world as it is and where it seems to be going. Not ones to go down with a sinking ship, we’re either swimming as fast as we can, or more likely, just treading water as we’ve used up every last resource trying to change an unchangeable tide. Or even more likely, no longer treading water even, just hanging out in survival float (dead man’s float) while we watch the whole world around us losing its damn mind.

The world in which is are living is insane. I don’t need to list all the symptoms of this insanity. All we have to do is turn to the news headlines and listen for the truth beyond the words. The house of cards that became the so-called “United States of America” (ie, new Roman Empire) is in full-fledged collapse, as is every other institution built on fear, power, oppression, and control. When the highest court in the land is shown to be corrupt at its core and its judgements bought and paid for, we know we are nearing the end.

Whether we are clinging to what we have known and continuing to believe the lies we’ve been told or praying for a hasty death so we can get on with building something new, we are experiencing the pain of an empire in its collapse. For me, two symptoms of that pain have been the wholesale collapse of a 30-year mission, and a cost of living increase from an over-inflated rental housing market (in a town with a median annual income of $30,000, apartments should not be $1500 – $3500 per month!). Even with the “family discount,” my rental costs are more than 50% of my income (on a good day!).

I’m not alone in this. Everyone but the 1% are suffering. (Even the 1% would admit they’re suffering if they were paying attention for what is coming for them!  Soon it will be more than just orcas. Mother Nature is clear – She’s had enough!).

In the face of impending collapse, there is really nothing we can do but wait and watch. It will do us no good to try to reform the existing systems or hope they will finally see the light of day and reform themselves. The system itself was built on shaky ground with questionable motives. In this I’m reminded of a line from a song: “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” Perhaps this is the final lesson of the American experiment – only after losing everything will we finally come to know freedom.