Early Warning...

'how much liquid assets you got?'

 'a little,' me says.

 'Take it out, and keep it safe elsewhere... for some time.'

 I had received similar advice last year, on some blog. Take out some cash from the bank account, maybe worth three months of your salary ( or more or less ), and keep it safe. Wait and watch for some time. If nothing happens put it back (you'll lose only the interest ). But if there's a rumble and the economy begins to shake and you're not able to withdraw cash from the banks and all hell breaks loose, you're at least a bit safe, with your reserves.

 I guess, there's such a rumble out there, and if you are not sensing it, you must be in a coma! Just keep an eye on the banks. Watch.

 If you have liquid currency, I would say, have some reserves just outside the banking system. Or at least be ready to take it out on a short notice.

 How much do you take out? Do you withdraw everything or just a part? Or do you wait for some clear signs before taking action?..... You decide!!!

 Does it help much? No idea, but it's better to have something instead of being empty pocketed. Will this save us from the consequences of a bank freeze? Nope. It'll only give a small lead on the long road winding down there. It'll give some comforts, for some time, and maybe that'll be highly needed. There's much more to be done--at the individual and community levels-- and a greater preparation is necessary for this rough journey. And we are already out there, on the road.

 I guess, nobody can predict how seriously close we all are to the SHTF ( Shit Hits The Fan ) situation. A worldwide economic collapse has been on the expected list for quite some time. Currently, European countries are lining up for this catastrophe and it'll only be a while until Asian economies and India follow suit. The IT boom in India and the millions of jobs it created---all stand on the thin ice called US Economy. A freeze there and we catch cold here. A tight economy overseas and the interview calls and openings dry up here. A falling rupee value against US dollars sends the oil prices soaring, which raises not only vegetable prices but also my son's transportation cost to his school ( The only thing that doesn't rise is my salary! ). In a globalised, interconnected world where one economy after the other is lying sick, it's only prudent to ask: How safe are our jobs? How affordable will be the cost of living in the days to come? What jobs are recession proof? How do you prepare for the coming lean days? What goes for a toss when the economy crashes? What'll be the social condition then? How safe and secure will your family and your community be? How do you unshackle yourself, your family and your community from this decaying global chain....

Maybe it's all far fetched and, as some of the my optimistic friends say, 'nothing will happen, relax'. But I ain't optimistic and don't believe in the 'business as usual' mantra. My hopes and dreams go way way beyond optimism. I believe in no less an utopia in the years to come and nothing but an enlightened state of mind for all of us on this planet(How do you get there from the current rotting system, don't ask because I'm clueless). Everything that's happening in and around us NOW, I believe, is a part of that process which'll ultimately lead to such an exalted living.

 Until such a state of living dawns here, there will be urgent situations to cope with. There are a thousand things to learn, many more to unlearn/let go and quite a few shocks and jerk-outs from our comfort zones. A tight economy with a possible bank freeze is the first devil to face, right now.

You'll have a hundred fools blabbering about like experts( including yours truly ), giving free advice on what to do or what to avoid, but if you're sane, you'll calmly listen to all that shit without responding. Then you'll silently ask, what's the right thing to do and listen to your gut instincts and take a call. That will be the right decision for you. That's what I'm doing now.