It’s time for my annual predictions for the following year, so here’s the summary of my predictions: Things will get worse. How you react will make all the difference.
I’m serious. I expect everything that went wrong in the past year or two will continue to go wrong and do so at an even faster pace. I fear we have crossed over the point of no return. The slippery slope is now so steep it will be all but impossible for us to fight our way back up. As a country and a people, I fear we have lost our way.
My prediction is we will see more war, more crime, more homelessness, more disease, more corrupt politicians, more people out for themselves, more bank failures, more bankruptcies, more defaults, and more economic problems. Inflation may appear to diminish, but don’t get your hopes up; it will come roaring back just like it did in the 1970s.
Russia will continue to threaten Ukraine, the Baltics and possibly all of Europe. The threat of nuclear war will escalate and countries will build bigger, more destructive weapons and stronger, more expensive defenses. China will continue to stir up war in the South Pacific and we may even come to blows over Taiwan. North Korea will continue to threaten everyone, including the U.S. and South Korea. Iran will continue to seek instability in the Middle East, with its allies and toadies to help inflame the situation.
We need to admit we are already at war, even if it remains somewhat confined to specific theaters. We need to get on a war footing and start building our weapons and our military instead of tearing them down from the inside out with woke policies. Soldiers need training to kill the enemy, not determine their pronoun.
Opposite Sides
They say that opposites attract, but in politics, it appears that opposites hate, often bitterly and for reasons they cannot fully articulate. As a result, America will continue to rip itself apart, and the 2024 election cycle will speed up the destruction. No matter who wins, a large chunk of the country will be angry. Even if the anger does not spill out on the streets, it will weaken us and make it more difficult to recognize and combat the global threats.
We used to be a largely unified country; now we can’t even agree on who should play on a girls’ sports team. Any way you look at it, politics and the pursuit of political power are ruining our country more and more every day.
If we turn on each other or the country collapses from the inside rather than due to external pressures, it will be because of politics and politicians, especially those who promote socialist policies. The joke used to be, “How do you know when a politician is lying? When their mouth is moving.” Today, it would be more accurate to say, “How do you know a politician is corrupt? Because they got elected.”
We no longer have statesmen or people who want what’s best for their country running for office; we have a mob of people who want what is best for themselves. I fear George Santos is not an outlier but a warning of what future elections will bring us.
Predictions for My Life in 2024
Since I can’t do much about war, politics, or the economy, I am going to focus on what I can do in 2024, meaning my own actions. Here are my personal predictions:
I predict I will lose a few more pounds, gain a couple more beehives, harvest lots of eggs, bottle more than 200 pounds of honey, eat more homegrown vegetables, shoot at least 1,000 rounds of ammo for training, go on some hikes with my wife, do some home improvements, and maybe stockpile a few ounces of silver and some more cans of food. I’ll spend hundreds of hours volunteering and even more working in my business for very little pay. I’ll drive my neighbor to his doctor’s appointments, help another with his new business, mentor some new beekeepers, visit friends and have others over for dinner, see my adult kids, and visit our grandchild.
Chances are good I will hurt my back weed whacking or hauling firewood and have to take it easy for two or three weeks, but I am not predicting any significant health problems.
I further predict I will exceed my self-imposed budget, but not by too much. Ideally, I won’t buy any more guns, but that’s a difficult New Year’s resolution to keep.
I encourage you to look at 2024 through a similar lens. Focus on what life will be like for you and yours. Control what you can, and let go of that which you cannot control. The world will be the world, but you can determine how you react to it.
Seek Independence and Self Sufficiency
I understand why a segment of society continued to push west in the 1800s, leaving Boston and Philadelphia behind to head into the wilderness; it was the only way for the pioneers to free themselves from the rules, regulations, and decisions made by those who were in charge. There’s something to be said for being the person responsible for your own success or failure rather than relying on the capriciousness of others and the whim of politicians, be they Federalists or Whigs, Democrats or Republicans.
While there is no untamed wilderness waiting to be discovered, there are still small towns, long windy roads, and places where you can go a few days without seeing another person. I like living in the middle of nowhere for much the same reason as those pioneers did: people leave us alone because we are geographically undesirable.
I don’t know if I am a prepper because I am independent or if I am independent because being a prepper requires it, but there is something to be said for being in control of your own fate, even if you have to do so within the larger system of society defined by others.
I encourage my readers to be independent, to build self-sufficiency, and to seek to control their own future. If you can do so, then the predictions for a bad 2024 and beyond will matter less and less. Whether that future manifests as one of peace and abundance or war and pestilence, you will have the best chance to survive it if you are strong, confident, independent, and able to provide for yourself.
