The Many Systemic Risks To Our Modern Lifestyle

We are living through an extraordinary blip on the timeline of life throughout human history.

World population stands today at 7.9 billion.

100 years ago, 1.6 billion.

Look at that steep growth curve the last 100 years. Wow, right?

We are surviving longer than we did 100+ years ago. There are many reasons that attribute to this extraordinary human population growth during these years.

The world’s population has exploded since the Industrial Revolution which began in the 1800’s. It really picked up speed beyond the 1920’s. The underlying reasons for this expansion in population are many.

Oil, Electricity, Medical, Big Agriculture, Transportation, Infrastructure. It’s all somewhat complicated.

World Dependence Upon Critical Systems

The Systemic Risk(s)

The majority of the world’s 7.9 billion human population are literally (or nearly) 100% dependent upon other ‘systems’ to stay alive. And they don’t even realize it. That is what you call, systemic risk.

The slightest hiccup in today’s modern world (systems) send ripple effects throughout other systems. It is largely intertwined. Some, extremely so. And it’s not just the physical systems – but the money systems and political systems too.

A majority of people used to ‘manage’ themselves. But now, they need managing to survive (to be managed). Seemingly helpless outside the walls of the many invisible systems of infrastructure and protection…

As you know, a significant part of the human population live in or around city regions.

As population and population density increases (and more people live closer together)…

  • energy resources are in higher demand
  • increasingly strained distribution systems
  • ‘dependent’ attitudes and ideologies
  • very reliant versus self-reliant
  • tensions increase as personal space and freedoms shrink
  • more restrictions
  • the odds increase that more ‘things’ could go wrong
  • infrastructures decay
  • nations war for resources and power
  • spreading of virus/disease more likely

You get the idea… Add more to the list in your comments below.

List the ‘systemic risks’ given higher population and population density.

Population Density

Population densities are massive in many areas throughout the world. The inter-dependencies in these areas are astounding when you think about it. There are staggering numbers of lives at risk should major systems (or even one critical system) fail.

Billions of people suffer from normalcy bias. The results of which could become deadly. They do not see the risks. And therefore do nothing to mitigate them. Or prepare for them. Because their world has always been okay – so therefore it always will be (okay).

We might live out the rest of our lives not ever experiencing a major societal collapse.

But on the other hand, many feel that it is inevitable. That we are on the cusp of such an event. Or events. I do personally feel that we’re close to some very ‘earth shattering’ changes. Seems we’re already well underway in that regard… Just waiting for the avalanche to rip free from it’s grip to the mountainside.

Civilized civilization is only 3 meals away from social chaos.

I’m not so much worried or concerned about the little things regarding my own personal preparedness. It is ridiculously easy to be moderately prepared for the most likely scenarios.

However it’s the BIG systemic risks that are interwoven within our lives which concern me (some more than others).

The challenge is finding life balance while being prepared for the big things. At least being prepared to the extent that one can.

[ Read: Gangs Will Rule The Cities

[ Read: The Perfect Bug Out Location Survival Retreat? ]

27 Comments

  1. Colonial Pipeline, and JBS meats were just hiccups, and it caused mass panic. could you imagine a cyber attack on our energy grid for even one week ? it would be pandelerium, especially in the major cities. looting on an epic scale.
    i fear that this is just the beginning.
    until our infrastructure unplugs from the internet there will always be a risk of cyber attacks. there will always be people who are smart enough to get past ANY so called encrypted security programs.
    all they need is an internet connection to the servers. if a security program can be built, it CAN be broken.
    good luck all

    1. Retired computer engineer here. It is Possible that many of these cyber attacks originate (corporate espionage or bribery) from within the companies….spies, former employees, pissed off employees, poor security measures, bad planning, etc.–many reasons to be concerned. We are spending way too much time on reacting and not preparing for a total Internet crash. Recommend that we all take appropriate measures to prepare for a major cyber crash effective immediately. In one form or another we will all be effected and possibly never recover. This is the goal of the ChiComms/Russians/N.K. I speak from personal experience with N.K.
      Automation/electricity use is so well establish in our society that we will be forced to go back to the old days–that’s my plan.

      1. 5.56_Patriot,

        Thank you for this comment…been on my mind for awhile. You have background and knowledge, I’ve wondered if it would be possible to do targeted internet shutdowns. We read about how some totalitarian government seem to shut down access to their citizens…presumably without shutting down access for themselves. We read about occasional sporadic regional outages here.

        I can think of nothing short of a nuclear attack that would cause greater disruption of our society…imagine hundreds of millions of addicts suddenly deprived of their fix…not to mention commerce that would suddenly be rudderless…water treatment….transportation/distribution of goods… chaos would be sudden and increase exponentially.

      2. Thank you for your post, “ prepare for major cyber crash effective immediately”. I have had this gut feeling for quite sometime, however, I lack any technical reason why/how. I just see a society that lives & breathes everything regarding social media. Use the net for research, MSB is the only site I post on or care about. Watch very little television, listen to easy rock on the radio, that’s it. Any projection if cyber crash worldwide or targeted countries? Thanks again.

      3. A city near me was hit with ransomware a month or two ago and it took out the ability to pay bills online for several weeks. People weren’t happy about it because they had to pay in person. I can only imagine the chaos had it been a disruption to the utilities itself.

      4. Can you elaborate on the appropriate measures that you would recommend based on your experience.
        Perhaps there are some things that the “ average joe “ would overlook. Thanks

      5. Can you elaborate on the appropriate measures that you would recommend based on your experience.
        Perhaps there are some things that the “ average joe “ would overlook. Thanks

  2. There is a very interesting article over at Zero Hedge titled Cyber Polygon: Will the next Global Global Wargame lead to out next catastrophe?

    They do an Excellent job pointing out how 911 and COVID19 were preceded by a short time before the event with “Wargames” detailing those events.

    Maybe the two recent events were just warm ups? Sociopaths’ love to give “Warnings”.

    Do we have some 60 days to get our ducks in order friends? Come to think about it I’m heading over to Mc Murrays Hatchery webpage to see if they have some Khaki Campbells for sale.

  3. With as many humans as we have, just the basics of shelter, clean water and daily nutrition are at risk for many people. There’s good reason for countries (China the prime example) to be working constantly to acquire food, food processing, means of transport and strategic port control globally.

    Here (and in other nations as well) we also see an increased systemic risk to personal safety due to efforts to underfund and generally suppress and vilify law enforcement. Many areas have more people, more shortages, more racial tension, more efforts to squash 2A, fewer businesses with good jobs, and law enforcement under constant attack, including physically.

    I can’t remember a time in my life that felt more unsafe – and the dominoes are just starting to fall. And we have world-wide groups working openly at population reduction. I won’t go there on this site, but we’ve all read and heard about it. I think systemic risks are mounting, practically daily.

    1. I agree with all your comment. We are well past the knee of the curve. Expect shortages, outages and die-offs. Godspeed.

  4. postscript: The story I just told was 39 years ago. I cannot say things have gotten better since then. The memorably bad flu events seem to take place about 1x per 10 years. Once again, Many casualties this time the old and infirm. My wife wonders why I want to retire soon.

  5. Plainsmedic,

    It is always the things we don’t see/expect that seem to impact us the most. I personally believe that, at least at first, we will be in a slow motion decline that will accelerate faster the longer it goes on. The current rulers have stated that the grid is vulnerable to a cyber attack that will shut it down. Signalling? I don’t know but get ready anyway.

  6. Two hospitals south of us were hit with a ransomware attack. (Ocala and Leesburg Florida) They shut down their computer systems and have gone back to using paper charts.

    The fight is just beginning!

  7. I put on my tinfoil hat and started “thinking “. DW and I expected some sort of event before the 2022 elections so the Commies could grab total power. Let’s face it, Chairman Jo was installed, his whole reeking Government is filled with hard core Radicals. Once they grab power, Commines NEVER give it up. Given that the Senator from WV killed HR #1, they need another plan.

    So they attack/shut down the power grids. People start fighting over gas, water, food. Farmers against City folks.

    They declare Martial Law, game-set-match! No Republic, no Constitution, no Rights. Send the Army to collect all the guns to stop the killing.

    The fight is just beginning

  8. Want to comment on the beginning of the Article, Population, by proposing a 3 part question question.
    Has not Gates not made it perfectly clear that he would like to see the World Population at 1/2 of what it is now, Has it not become clear that Fauci and Gates (and maybe a LOT of others) have been in collusion, LASTLY, has the .gov not blinded/demanded/required 1/2 the US population into getting the Covid-Jab?
    Food for thoughts my friends.
    BTW, what would happen if 1/2 the population in the US were to pass? Don’t ya think the rest of the Country would also crash as Ken has described above??

    1. NRP & Blue,
      Yup. This thought crossed my mind after reading articles yesterday on zero hedge. Depends on who the 1/2 that died was, and who lived. Don’t think it would bring us all down though. Even if some Nation-state developed a virus to wipe out a given ethnicity, the US is such a mixture, no doubt a bunch would survive. And remember, viruses will affect all populations, even the ones that engineered them. It’s a crap shoot.

    2. I think I would plan a depopulation effort designed to reduce the population slowly, instead of catastrophically. Thus, I would attempt a plan which lowered fertility to the point the normal attrition would overcome the birthrate. This would make things much more manageable, as the shrinking workload is adjusted, and infrastructure could be modified and reduced.

      I would promote a new industry, being the conversion of previously built up areas back to contrived “natural” environments, as they are no longer needed for vanished populations. No facility allowed to stand empty and fallow, its abandoned carcass covered in graffiti, broken concrete and rust.

      I suspect, due to the various reports, the entire planned demic is designed for gradual reductions of targeted types, the quickly effected only used to motivate the herd to get injected with fertility inhibiting serums. Should more deaths be needed for this motivation, they can be supplied without much problem.

      Besides, there is always bribery and social pressure to motivate the targeted herd.

    3. NRP
      Heres a bit of an extension on that line of thought,
      So we all know the politicians dont want independent thinking people, the prefer docile followers who will do whatever they are told and others who dont think stuff through. But these world elites, wouldn’t it make more sense to get rid of the violent, unproductive non thinking masses and retain the people who are smart, thinking, self reliant, dont need a lot of leading? They know as well as we do that most of us folks just wantto be left alone, most of us have no interest in forcing our way of life on anyone else, and many of us if not all have useful skills, will try to find solutions to everyday situations that arise and are generally reflective.
      I know if i was an elite, i would utilize the useful idiot government political figures to advance my ends, those who will advance the stuff that we question will also go away when the endgame becomes clear. If i was an elite, i would have far more in common with people like me and you than the throngs of reliant, noisy, demanding garbage that infests the huge urban areas, i would be much more inclined to favor self reliant, productive, peaceful and strong independent minded folks who have a sense of moral and ethical fiber within their beings, yes, sure a bit psychotic, but what would you rather have for neighbors? Do you think wealthy elites are any different?

    4. NRP & Blue,
      with so many people taking the so-called virus shot, their plans for world de-population may come to pass.
      it’s happening now and will continue.
      people taking the shots = yes, you can fix stupid.

  9. Given the alleged cyber attacks that seem to happening somewhere almost daily, and the announcements from western power companies warning residents to expect blackouts this summer, I’m pretty much expecting to need to function without power for periods of time, maybe long ones. Not looking forward to that. The thing that’s hardest to anticipate are all of the second and third order effects. Who’d have thought that the Texas power outage would still be creating a shortage of milk jugs for a regional dairy? They are using more cartons while they try to catch up with buyers demand for the plastic jugs. We use the plastic jugs for all sorts of things, including plant protection in the spring and focused, trickle/soak watering for things like tomatoes and squash. It’s a small thing, but a good example of unforeseen impacts.

  10. Solar is looking pretty good right now in these days. it’s all about the batteries.
    get some good curtains,
    you don’t wan’t the neighbors to come “visit”.

  11. Haha! Good advice regarding the curtains, just make sure they’re blackout (grin)

  12. The thing i keep thinking is if the credit/debit card companies go down. So many people are totally dependent. Buy gas, pay utility bills, groceries, no they won’t. Then the after effects, a run on banks for cash. Except banks don’t keep very much cash on hand and panic sets in.

Comments are closed.