Laying the Groundwork for Recovery

As the Depression takes its destructive course, many institutions will fail to deliver what they have promised. By institutions we mean everything from individual enterprises to government itself, and even abstract institutions such as "the American Way of Life," or the stories people tell themselves about how life is supposed to go.

This will be more or less disillusioning for everyone. But it will be a necessary component of what must follow: a reorganising of life - from day-to-day activities, to aims and ambitions - along new lines. Those new lines will be what promotes getting along in the world.

Of course, it could be said the life is constantly being reorganised - in good times and bad. But in the aftermath of a Depression, like a War, much is destroyed and much needs to be rebuilt, often in a hurry. Many will find themselves with careers and finances in tatters. Or, at the extreme, homeless and hungry. These people will need a new method of securing financial well-being.

Will discredited institutions manage to reinvent themselves to stay relevant? Or will they get the hook, being yanked from the stage of society babbling and gesticulating? Will new political parties form? New companies and even states? Or will people turn inwards to themselves, their friends and families for support, identity, and focus?

We put this in the interrogative simply because we do not care to prognosticate. These are very chaotic times and events could go any number of ways. Nevertheless, we are certain that the social landscape will be greatly altered, and in recognition of the new lies the path to recovery.

By the way, in using the term recovery, we mean neither getting back to the way things were nor getting the economy growing again. We simply mean the finding of a new norms after the old ones have finished breaking down. For example, this could mean anything from learning to get along without credit because it is no longer available, to choosing to live without it. Another example would be the creation of public transportation, perhaps ad hoc with informal taxi and bus services started by individuals, or perhaps by for-profit companies.

People will do what they need to do to get along in the world. It always happens that way, and it is a fascinating process to observe. Keep this in mind as so much falls apart around you in the coming months.