Some people claim no one can foresee the future, but that is only partially right. More often, those who make that claim refuse to see in our present situation the seeds for what will happen in the future. This is especially true when current evidence points to a distasteful or undesired future. This is the prime foundation for denial, an unwillingness to accept a truth.
Every day I hear the politicians and media pundits talk about our country's return to economic growth, and how things will be as good as they were in the past. And yet, the economy remains mired in stagnation and jobs and businesses are disappearing more and more rapidly. A majority of American citizens believe we will go into a double-dip recession. Some expect it to be a depression. The present does not bode well for the future. I suppose the politicians and media feel it is their responsibility to convince the American public that things are not bad, that things will get better, that they are wrong.
I am among those who feel things will get worse, and the opening statement by Ilargi in the Automatic Earth blog of September 10 2010: No economic growth for years to come, provides one of the better summaries for how bad off our economic world really is and why we are facing a difficult time ahead.
The reason we should face the facts to see the future is that is the only way we can find our way out of this mess. Denial is not a good strategy, especially when you are facing extreme risk.
Sam Penny