TOPICAL DISCUSSIONS
CURRENCY COLLAPSE
1.0 A GLASS HALF-FULL [AND NOT EMPTY]
2.0 GETTING ONE'S HOUSE IN ORDER
4.0 POSSIBLE PREPAREDNESS IN ADVANCE
5.0 GETTING BY A LITTLE HELP FROM THEIR FRIENDS
7.0 OTHER ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
CURRENCY COLLAPSE
1.0 A GLASS HALF-FULL [AND NOT EMPTY]
You will have heard me make mention many times of the relatively recent dramatic currency collapse and huge hike in inflation of Argentine economy a decade or so ago.
Quite clearly, they are not the first nation to suffer this sort of fate that is caused by or that results in a currency collapse such as this, however, this just happens to be one of the most recent that I personally recall (and in particular, during the period of me having this heightened level of awareness that I currently possess).
However, you will also have heard that I personally do not actually believe that this need not necessarily have to be viewed in such a disastrous and cataclysmic event, as it is likely to be perceived by most people.
Certainly, it will change ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING in respect of the whole dynamic of a particular nation's standing in the wider world and in particular, how that nation is actually able to interact with the wider world.
However, the main problem that I would perceive as needing to be addressed and overcome relates to the actual notion of COMPLETELY FAILING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT VERY FACT, and hence instead, simply proceeding onwards from that point by pouring all their effort into doing one's best in order to get back to that previous state as swiftly and as radically as possible; just so that they are able to pronounce that it is now 'business as usual', once things return to how they were before.
But the true fact of the matter is that EVERYTHING WILL CERTIFIABLY HAVE CHANGED in that moment [THERE IS NO HIDING FROM THAT FACT], and hence, the most productive, constructive, advantageous and rewarding outcomes would surely come to those who FULLY AND SUITABLY ACKNOWLEDGED [and even, EMBRACED] THAT FACT and hence, who were willing and able to take the most prudent and sanguine of approaches to their predicament, enabling them to slow down, properly assess the situation of their nation - to the point that they would be able to see the wood from the trees - and hence, would then be able to chart the most favourable course of action that would enable them to make the most of the situation and specifically, to use it to ensure that they would be able to circumvent all of the main and most obvious issues, difficulties, problems and pitfalls that could potentially lie ahead;
Indeed, problems and pitfalls that surely would rear their ugly heads for anyone [any leadership who failed to take and implement sufficient precautionary measures to safeguard their future in a prudent and measured manner.
In particular, with a collapsed currency, the first thing one should look to do is to COMPLETELY CEASE ALL TRADING IN THAT CURRENCY; IN EVERY WAY, AND AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE; AT A LOCAL LEVEL, AND CERTAINLY AT AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL.
And international deals and transactions that are still pending at that time would need to be completed in a FOREIGN CURRENCY; Possibly, the other party's currency, or possibly, some other third party currency; but CERTAINLY NOT IN THE ORIGINAL COLLAPSED CURRENCY.
And any goods pending payment for goods that would otherwise be used for an exportable product line that was no longer operational (i.e. no foreign currency option available to trade those goods) would more than likely need to be returned to the originator at a foreign currency price; or possibly, sold on to some other party at a slightly reduced price, but specifically, in a foreign currency; or alternatively, it would need to simply be held onto until such time as a decent price could be negotiated.
But the last thing that you would want to do would be to simply THROW MONEY AWAY by trying to conclude ANY SORT OF BUSINESS WITH ANYONE ANYWHERE in that collapsed currency.
Essentially, the main point being made here is that if the situation has been made such that one is not able to conduct any trade on a fair level and firm footing with the rest of the world - in the sound currency of the other party or else, in a some other foreign currency (by whatever reason that situation might have come about) - then ONE SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CEASE ACTIVELY TRYING TO DO SO; THAT IS TO SAY, DO NOT JUST THROW THE GOODS, THE TIME THE EFFORT AND THE RAW MATERIALS OF YOUR NATION AWAY [AT SEVERELY REDUCED CURRENCY RATES] JUST FOR TRADING'S SAKE;
That SIMPLY SHOULD NOT EVER BE PERCEIVED AS BEING AN OPTION, for this is the surest way to make your financial woes even worse.
Likewise, additionally, the exact same rationale also holds true in relation to ALL INTERNAL TRADING WITHIN THAT NATION ALSO; CERTAINLY AS SOON AS IS HUMANLY POSSIBLE;
In particular, the nation should do ALL THAT THEY CAN to avoid the whole process of citizens being forced to pay heavily inflated prices for products that are becoming grossly inflated, with various different vendors seeking to profiteer from the situation to serve their own individual needs [at the cost of everyone else]; not to mention the blind panic that this sort of initiative is certain to trigger.
However, the main crux of the matter is that just because the national currency has collapsed DOES NOT mean that the NATION has collapsed; and nor does it mean that the nation needs to collapse either.
After all, the nation still has EXACTLY THE SAME NUMBER of skilled workers and employees on that NEXT day as it did THE DAY BEFORE THE COLLAPSE, when the currency was fine.
And the vast majority of them will still be able to CONTINUE to do EXACTLY the same thing ON THAT NEXT DAY as they were doing on that day before.
The only difference is that the currency that they used as their main motivation beforehand cannot [and more to the point SHOULD NOT] be used to facilitate that purpose at all.
Thus, most crucially, all that would need to be done would be to quickly implement an internal, localised credit system that was based along the lines of bartering (on a supply and demand basis, taking the current additional difficulties per trade into consideration) and then, everyone would still be able to trade for all of their requirements in an effective and well-organised manner, and still, all at a fair price; and the quicker/earlier, the better.
And then, these localised systems could be further interconnected further across the nation and higher up through the various different organisational structures of that nation; from street level to 'ward' level, to 'area', 'region' etc [or whatever that structure / hierarchy happened to be in a particular nation], right up to national level.
Thus, all internal trading and transactions could and would need to be conducted utilising this sort of scheme, TOTALLY ABANDONING THAT WHICH YOU NO LONGER HAD ANY CONTROL OVER namely, that dwindling / failed / completely collapsed currency; [assuming that you did indeed ever actually have control of that currency].
Rather, the nation should do THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP OF ALL AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE! [Although, if the truth be told, 'as Early as possible' actually relates to taking the steps LONG BEFORE ANY SUCH COLLAPSE WERE TO OCCUR AT ALL].
2.0 GETTING ONE'S HOUSE IN ORDER
The most important step for a nation [that most important step alluded to in the previous section] is specifically the act of "GETTING ONE'S HOUSE IN ORDER", so to speak.
They would clearly not have the full range of products, resources, goods and services and overall choice as was the case before, and likewise, nowhere near as readily available as before;
But almost certainly, they would have enough resources to ELEVATE THE NATION in a number of different ways, allowing them to take the time to attend to the variety of different, normally ignored and grossly overlooked tasks and undertakings, during a time where that actively had no choice but to step away from those norms and conventions that they will likely have been used to and totally consumed by over the course of decades and even, centuries; all of the tasks, undertakings and responsibilities [many of them actually being VERY IMPORTANT TASKS INDEED] that they simply would not otherwise have been able to make time to attend to - as is normally the case.
And moreover, if they found that they were grossly lacking in certain produce or requirements [perhaps, nationally available food stuffs, for example], then they would be able to highlight this fact and view it as a state of affairs that seriously needed to be addressed going forwards from that point, irrespective.
Essentially, going back to first principles and determining what a nation CAN DO TOTALLY ON THEIR OWN FOR THEMSELVES and knowing / UNDERSTANDING EXACTLY what aspects of this THEY CANNOT FULFIL.
Virtually like putting a nation on a war footing, they need to take stock of their ability to produce their own food, as well as being able to account for all of their energy needs and all of their various other essentials, so as to see what they COULD DO IN-HOUSE [IF ABSOLUTELY FORCED TO], and crucially also, how long they would be able to maintain it and how long would it take for them to transition to that state.
That is to say, they would also need to ascertain how long it might take them to get fully up to speed, and hence, ascertain what short-term sacrifices MIGHT be necessary to be made in the run up to getting things up to speed; i.e. it might take many months and the re-allocation of many citizens to different disciplines in order to ensure that enough of a certain food / foot type would be being produced at sufficient levels to suitably feed the entire nation; (not necessarily the most palatable or tasteful foods in the first instance; certainly not luxurious food; possibly not even the most nutritious food at the early stages; but the BEST food source for the job of feeding that nation at that time and through that period, under the circumstances that they collectively faced; just in order to bridge the gap between the initial state of play and the better, more improved state of play that they were collectively striving for further down the line.
Thus, they might need to ration certain food types for a few months here and there, or make some real compromises on what they did eat at all.
But so long as they were kept informed of where they were going, and as long as they were kept on board, united as a single collective with a clear vision and of what the unified objectives and key milestones actively were that were being strived towards at any given time, then people would be happy to adopt the strategy and buy in to the process, and would have no major issues with making any necessary short-term sacrifices for the longer term gains that they felt confident would follow thereafter, along with stability, increased confidence and conviction.
3.0 BASIC FIRST PRINCIPLES
Even without their currency, there would still be so much that they could achieve between them.
And moreover, the point I am making is that by NOT SEEKING TO HOLD ON TO THAT CURRENCY, there would be so many problems that could simply be avoided altogether; they would just need to return back to first principles; and the sooner they could facilitate such a transition, the better.
After all, there is no reason why a doctor who is sufficiently fed cannot carry out his tasks, and if a plumber needed medical assistance.
And then, that plumber would be able to carry out a certain / relative portion of the plumbing needs of a doctor, or the hospital, or the nursing staff of that hospital / doctors surgery; specifically for free; according to that credit scheme;
Or else, he would then have some level of debt to owe the nation, which would then be registered in that credit scheme.
And a farmer could have their produce registered in accordance with that same scheme; and they might need some fertilizer to plough their field.
But the farmer might actually be able to fertilize that field by different, better, more sustainable means, if they had the time, and if they had additional manpower for a period of time.
And might even better perform certain other aspects of their responsibilities if they had a little more help at certain periods of the year; which could be resolved on a local / national level.
The farmer might even be able to increase their output accordingly, if additional land and labour were provided for them according to their needs.
And a citizen who was able to provide some service or function in their locality would be able to do this if they were provided with the meals to provide them with the energy to do so.
A nation might even look to acquire more of their food from a variety of specific trees that would not actually require any farming at all, but would serve the environment much better in a whole variety of different ways and so, might look to increase the numbers of those trees accordingly.
And skilled labourers might want to help teach other citizens various key aspects of their skills so that they can provide some specific service for the national effort;
And those labourers might even be required to take on additional skills themselves, for the national effort; making the nation that little bit more productive and flexible; and improving the overall potential of the nation, even if they could not yet apply all of that potential.
Those skilled labourers might even be able to provide parts for other tradesmen which would previously have been sourced abroad.
And now, the increase in the skills set of the nation would make it possible for some of those parts to be produced within the nation itself.
But this would be building up the potential of the nation for no real additional cost; simply utilising the resources and the time that they had available to them; as individuals, collectively, and as a nation; ready for when things changed.
Clearly there would be certain aspects and items that could not necessarily be dealt with within that nation. But then, different decisions would need to be made in respect of how that could be resolved.
In particular, one would need to consider the long and short terms requirements; how best it could be sourced for the short term, and whether certain aspects of that process / requirement could actually be facilitated (and even, totally replaced) in the longer term, if specific skills were somehow acquired over the course of time.
4.0 POSSIBLE PREPAREDNESS IN ADVANCE
Of course, it goes without saying that there would be a great deal that could be benefited from a nation who sought to actually set in place the appropriate precautionary measures in place LONG BEFORE any such seismic ill-fate should befall their nation, for a great deal of heartache and pain could be avoided; potentially, even, in its entirety.
For they would have the advantage of foresight and time to prepare themselves in advance, and in a whole number of ways, and as such, they would need to do all that they could to make the most of any such time that was available to them.
They would need to play out and toy with/war game different scenarios so as to determine what could be done when, and over the course of specific sets of different timeframes (say, from 1 week to a whole year), as well as highlighting how fast any particular skills and/or labour could or would need to be [re-]allocated and/or [re-]mobilised towards different tasks and objectives; and what it might take for them to be able to survive and sustain themselves for some extended period of time, purely via THEIR OWN MEANS (i.e. as long as a whole year), feeding as many people in the population as well as possible for as long as possible.
The might even look to implement key aspects of their schemes over the course of, say, a three month period or a six month period, to see how well various aspects performed with tangible data; and of course, the longer and the more realistic, the better. But clearly, this would be dependent of how much time they actually did have available to them.
And then, they would also need to factor in their military, say, [as a theoretical exercise] and how they would be able to sustain them as well, during those timeframes, and under those conditions.
And then, they would need to factor in military support from the nation - skilled and unskilled labour, for example, working to provide military support, with various factories being up-skilled to support whatever might be required of them.
Because this would enable then to better understand the mobilisation and supporting of certain blocks of their population for specific activities and objectives.
And because, once they did this, then they would have a much better idea of what they could do comfortably, what the absolute limit was of what they could do and sustain [for how long] if they absolutely had to, and where they would fall short [and how far they would fall short].
And they would know of all of the various different bottlenecks that they would or would not be able to improve themselves, along with all of the various implications and consequences of that would apply in each case and for each individual assessment; and they would know of all the various different ways and all of the various aspects that their efforts could be most significantly improved in the most appropriate, dramatic and/or sustainable fashion so as to make huge differences with the most major, minor and sustainable additions or changes to their overall efforts; perhaps, just a single foodstuff; or a certain capability that would enable something not possible in-house at present be within touching distance in a very short space of time; or in a slightly longer but a tactically crucial, critical and/or aspirationally sound period of time.
Because once they had a full understanding of what their own capabilities were in the possible scenarios that lay ahead of them, then this would represent the best point in time [signifying that they were finally in the best position] to talk to their friends.
5.0 GETTING BY A LITTLE HELP FROM THEIR FRIENDS
With a full understanding of what their own internal capabilities were in the various different possible scenarios, along with what all of the various shortfalls and bottlenecks were [whether during an active situation or else, just in some sort of anticipatory and safeguarding scenario], then they would be the best position to enter into discussions with 'their friends'.
And there would be a whole host of ways that they could collaborate together if need be; possibly even, ways that could be used to allow them to gather collectives from one particular location to mobilise and utilise elsewhere externally and within the jurisdiction of the other party/nation, as well as within their own nation also; and there are a whole host of ingenious mutually beneficial means by which this could be achieved.
And moreover, that other nation might also be able to benefit from carrying out a very similar 'audit' if they had not intended to do so at that stage in proceedings so as to ensure that they too would be much more resilient if the worst and/or the unexpected were to occur to them instead.
Thus, they could share information on what they had managed to achieve and how they might be able to circumvent those difficulties that they had anticipated.
And they might even collaborate across borders in terms of what their various different resources and manpower could facilitate, what bottlenecks and shortfalls could be alleviated, what sorts of economies of scale could then be achieved and even, how far one might be able to absorb the requirements of the other if the worst were to happen to that other party/nation;
That is to say, how the one might absorb the complete needs of the other if the worst were to occur [or at least, how long that would be possible, and how they might alter those variables if longer or shorter periods of time were required.
And quite evidently, the more this could be managed / organised across multiple borders, the greater the efficiencies and the scale of the objectives that could be achieved between those collaborating parties / nations.
Thus greater options would be available between three of four different nations. However, if there were greater numbers, it would still be better to focus on a core group for one's key requirements, with the option to go elsewhere if [but only if] there was some major reason why this could no longer suffice.
Then, this would better enable the true requirements to be known and met over the course of time, with much less in the way of duplication and over production.
6.0 CRUCIAL REQUIREMENTS
These sorts of measures discussed herein would thus mean that the main requirement for any such currency collapse would essentially be good, strong and sound leadership [with both English language aspects of 'good' being just as important as each other - namely, being capable, on the one hand, and on the other hand, being well principled / morally and ethically sound / trustworthy].
Because the leadership would need to win over the trust of the people; of their entire population, effectively; by communicating to them exactly what was needed of them and what the overall objectives were; short-term, medium-term and longer-term;
And they would need to clearly communicate what the various timeframes were, and what the various timeframes, deadlines and milestones were that could be considered both, reasonable and achievable for all of the various different scenarios and/or necessitated steps and measures that needed to be implemented under the various different / particular circumstances.
Moreover, they need to be proven to be able to function well even at the worst of times; when EVERYTHING is up against them; when NOTHING is going right for them; when nothing is going to plan; and when they will have to continually think on their feet, potentially fire-fighting PERSISTENTLY, watching everything go up flames in front of them, and yet, still hold it together and steer or stay their course.
For the simple fact is that NOT EVERYONE is able to function near-optimally under those sorts of conditions, irrespective of how good their record may have been during smoother waters.
Thus, if that was not in the shape of the current incumbent of that nations, then a new, trustworthy individual would need to be ready to step in place at that critical juncture, with a clear plan to deliver to the people so as to win them over at that point.
They, as a nation, would need to fully appreciate the position they were in, and act accordingly to meet that challenge; i.e. not continuing to try and doing something JUST BECAUSE THAT WAS WHAT WAS MOST SIMILAR TO WHAT WAS NORMALLY DONE BEFORE.
And have a clear plan of what they could achieve on their own, what stages they would be able to get to a state of relative comfort and confidence, and what they might need [both, from the population and also, from elsewhere] in order to make the situation that much more truly manageable; then, that much more tolerable; then, that much more comfortable; and then, possibly even, pleasurable and unifying.
[N.B.. Divine spiritual alignment would also be an ABSOLUTELY critical factor for any such leadership with regards to the prospects of any such embarked upon initiatives (as is briefly touched upon in the 'Aside' text that follows in a short while hereafter); but this is only mentioned briefly in this text, given that this is not the desired central focus for this particular discussion ; such a text would be is yet to follow].
7.0 OTHER ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
Central to dealing with such a situation is to completely change ones perception of the norms of our current existence.
In essence, one needs to be able to think outside of 'the box' in such situations, and to start to view the glass as half full rather than half empty.
And as such, as a nation, they should not be afraid to consider utilising their overall time wisely; the overall duration of 'available time' that this new departure from the long-established norms have enforced upon them; they should seek this as an opportunity to put that time to good use.
For example, they may well NOT be able continue their trading and interactions with much of the outside world as before [and that could potentially be for a sizeable period of time], but that CERTAINLY DOES NOT MEAN that they can't utilise any additional time [that they now have available to them] to enable them to continue to operate in the best interests of their nation and their people.
[Aside]
for the current moment (and for the vast majority of this document), I am choosing not to mention the greater Powers aspect, even though this is ultimately the most critical aspect in such circumstances, given that insurgent forces could otherwise easily manipulate a whole variety of different aspects of the overall landscape (other parties, environmental factors, various physical and spiritual entities etc) with the full gamut of capabilities and resources that they have at their disposal (which BY FAR, can outgun, compromise and overwhelm anything that any individual nation or indeed, all nations combined [i.e. any sized collective of mere mortal human beings]) so as to completely impair their progress and prevent them from ever being able to acquire the means to emerge from such a situation;
However, I wish the focus to be more on what Argentina could have done and also, what others can do, and as such, the focus is on those actual aspects; but one should inherently be aware of the fact that ultimately, without applicable assistance from greater Powers, NONE OF THESE MEASURES OR PRECAUTIONS ARE LIKELY TO BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND AN ONSLAUGHT FROM THE INSURGENT FORCES AGAINST ANY INDIVIDUAL OR COLLECTIVE OF NATIONS; THAT IS JUST A REFLECTION OF THE STATE OF OUR CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WE CURRENTLY FACE WITHIN THIS REGION OF SPACE; THAT IS JUST THE WAY OF THE WORLD AS THINS CURRENTLY STAND.
[End aside]
They could utilise that time to up-skill, for example, or to diversify in certain ways and directions; they could look to elevate their nations in a whole number of ways that would otherwise NOT have been available AT ANY POINT OVER THE COURSE OF TIME, inherently imposed by the shackles of the widely accepted norms and conventions of life and existence in modern day human society, all of which completely dominate our time, the perceived options open to us and hence, our consequent choices and decision making.
Thus, we could consider, for example, the likes of First aid, health care and nursing, and even, life skills [e. g. swimming]; as well as the likes of communication skills [language (foreign and domestic), public speaking etc], technology skills (across the nation as a whole), business skills, management and organisational skills; and then, there are literacy and numeracy skills (where applicable), and possibly even, certain military disciplines also. And of course, there are the likes of the various different trade skills (including proprietary niches and disciplines in addition to those covered much more widely across the nation, - as would likely also be the case for most other nations).
In particular, during that period, they would actually be able to take the time to attend to all of the various different tasks that needed to be done - i.e. even local council activities, or the various different types of repairs and restorations within their respective environments - that they could not normally hope to find time to do (on account of the demands of their respective cash flow / money management responsibilities and/or financial woes etc);
For now, they would have the time and the skills to attend to them all, and even, to train up others to assist also; cleaning; fixing; caring[for the needy across the population]; building, environmental matters, etc;
Essentially, all that could be taken care of from within their own means; (even if certain compromised needed to be made in certain instances; such as the materials and parts used in that interim, the methods employed and hence, the ultimate expected life time of the changes;
But still utilising the time wisely; perhaps even, arranging to be able to gain the skills in the medium/longer term to fill in those shortfalls could be better alleviated, leading to better outcomes becoming achievable.
And looking to act collectively as much as possible as often as possible and as efficiently as possible, during the course of this challenging period of time, so as to benefit as much as possible from all of the various types of economies of scale available to them; i.e. heating / air-conditioning; food preparation, eating, and resource management;
Likewise, they might also want to consider doubling or trebling any shifts that could responsibly be increased to those levels (potentially, even, arranging certain lay-in facilities if needed) so as to reduce the national commute burden.
And as another example, a cinema could be used for collective recreation rather than lots of individuals attempting to fulfil that requirement so on their own, now, at the collective expense of the nation and their collective efforts; and moreover, this resource could also serve as a training facility, potentially even, extending the usage time throughout the day and the night time, but all for the benefit and the needs of the people and the nation overall.
There would be a whole host of other ingenious ways that they would be able to make changes to their normal way or operating in order to make things easier and more manageable for them as an overall collective; all they would need to do was to think outside of the box and approach all such matter with an open mind and a clear and unified vision; always looking to work to your strengths; at that time, money may be lacking for international trade and the normal wide range of resources that might normally be available,
But there would be A WHOLE WEALTH OF COLLECTIVE SKILLS, TIME AND EFFORT, LABOUR AND MANPOWER TO SUPPLEMENT THE RESOURCES THAT WERE AVAILABLE TO THE NATION, all of which could then be applied to elevate the nation, to transition the nation, to transform the nation, and all in a whole host of different ways that would not normally be available with all of the burdens of just trying to stay afloat and above board [as individuals, families, collectives and as a nation overall, from that which is normally imposed upon a nation just to be able to survive.
All in anticipation for when the nation was 'hopefully' able to get back on its own two feet and able to benefit from those external contacts being re-established back to how they were previously;
Of course, those interactions would not necessarily need to return to exactly what they were previously; rather, the nation would be in a much better position than before, able to reassess what was actually in truly their best interests.
Indeed, they would emerge from their cocooned state in a much better position and a much more secure and stable state than before; stronger, more resilient and more unified than they had ever been prior to them being plunged into that initially-perceived hapless and desperate predicament; and now, they would then be able to look back at their experiences during that period of time and regard it all as one giant national sabbatical during which the whole nation was able to take stock, get their house in order and then, advance forwards in a whole variety of different ways.
...and that certainly would not be a bad thing;
Certainly not if it had all been managed appropriately, applicably, ethically, equitably, empathetically, truthfully, dutifully, responsibly; ... and effectively.
And surely, this in itself would be able to serve as good enough collateral if laid out and presented to any bank that wanted to impose any sanctions upon them during that time.
For surely, they might even suggest that their 'business plan' for the future was even more foolproof and resilient than the banks own measures and precautions with regards to them fulfilling their own obligations and safeguarding their own assets, plans and projections for the future.