Now, let’s sprinkle in some Strauss and Howe. These guys have divided history into these catchy cycles called “turnings.” You’re currently in what they’d whimsically refer to as the “Fourth Turning” – a period of upheaval, where society gets its collective midlife crisis. Imagine every 80-100 years, the world decides to have a major freak-out, like clockwork, but with less Swiss precision and more medieval plague vibes. Strauss and Howe serve up a generational theory with a side of historical repetition. “The Fourth Turning” argues that history moves in cycles, each about the length of a human life, leading to predictable crises:

• The Current Crisis: We’re smack in the middle of what they call the “Fourth Turning,” a time of upheaval when the old order crumbles and a new one is forged in the fires of crisis. According to their theory, we’re in the midst of a ‘Crisis’ period, where societal structures are challenged, and new orders emerge. This aligns with the current global unrest, economic uncertainty, and the rise of movements seeking change, as discussed in various X posts where users reflect on historical patterns repeating. If you feel like the world’s on a precipice, congratulations, you’re living through history!

• Looking Ahead, Predicting the Next 20 Years: If we are indeed in the Fourth Turning, the next two decades might see the resolution of this crisis, leading to a ‘High’, an era of prosperity and collective unity. However, this transition could involve significant turmoil or “catastrophe, political unrest, and a big war” as some users on X speculate, drawing from Dalio’s insights. If their theory holds, the next 20 years will see this crisis peak and resolve, potentially through major conflicts or societal restructuring. Post-crisis, they predict a “High,” an era of prosperity and unity, but first, we have to navigate the storm.

Here’s how it’s playing out: Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z are all playing their parts in this generational drama. The Boomers had their time in the sun, now Millennials are stepping up, feeling the weight of history, trying to fix things that are either broken or just really, really complicated (like the economy, climate, or your social media feed).

Exhibit B: Gold – The Ancient Standard

Gold has been humanity’s bling since before we decided to write down how much we loved it.

• Physical Value: Gold has intrinsic value because, well, it’s pretty, rare, and you can make things out of it. Bitcoin, however, exists in the ether; you can’t touch it, but you can ‘mine’ it with electricity and computational power.

• Historical Stability: Gold has been a stable store of value for millennia. If civilization collapses, you can bet your last gold coin that it’ll still be worth something. Bitcoin? Well, it’s the new kid on the block(chain), and its long-term stability is as tested as a spaceship’s hull in an asteroid field.

• Exhibit B.1 – Tangibility: You can hold gold, wear it, or use it in electronics. Bitcoin’s tangibility comes from its effects on your digital wallet’s weight, which is to say, none at all.

• Exhibit B.2 – Universal Acceptance: Walk into any corner of the Earth, and gold has value. Bitcoin? You might need to explain it first, possibly with a few charts and a hopeful smile.

1. ACCEPT THAT THE MATRIX HAS YOU

Inflation = Debasement = Theft

Because theft is built into the base layer of our money, manipulation is required for the system to function

This means that Capitalism, the free market, and Democracy itself are Ideas that never really existed

No one, not even AI, can justify its benefit for the 99%

2. UNDERSTAND WHAT THE MATRIX IS

We live in Oligarchies, not democracies. In fact, although we’ve come close in the 1950s, we’ve never truly lived in democracies.

We are ruled by a few “prestigious” institutions that are highly integrated

This is The Matrix

3. UNDERSTAND WHAT THE MATRIX WANTS FROM YOU

The Matrix. wants you fat, dumb, lazy, poor, angry, and scared

Because you’re more compliant this way.

4. STOP GIVING YOUR POWER AWAY TO AUTHORITY

From a very young age, most of us were taught to doubt ourselves and do only what authority commands us to do, even if we don’t feel like doing so. Now, as adults, we don’t trust ourselves, and so we choose to let others have power over our lives.

We vote for politicians who do nothing but lie to us in order to satisfy their inner hunger, being under the illusion that by voting we are granted the power to choose our future when in reality the choices we are presented with are very limited and almost exactly the same. So we allow a small group of people to manipulate us for their own personal gain, foolishly believing that they want to contribute to the betterment of society.

If we truly want to start creating a positive change in the world, we need to stop giving power to a few others and hold them responsible for our lives, and instead start taking responsibility in our own hands so that we can become the creators of our destiny.

5. THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM IS A FRAUD SO QUESTION IT

Money, in essence, is created out of debt, thus creating the illusion of scarcity of resources, which compels people to compete in the market, who have to waste most of their life working as wage slaves. This inevitably results in the tremendous suffering and social conflict that prevails all around the world.

In addition, our economic system requires people to consume without end so that money can keep on circulating in the economy, thus urging us to continuously buy things we don’t need and which are going to end up in landfills, poisoning the very environment that we depend on and sustains us.

If you don’t like this kind of living and would like to create a positive change in your life and the world, I’d highly recommend you to research further into the immensely negative consequences of our economy, and educate yourself on alternative, more technically efficient and environmentally sustainable economic systems.

6. DETACH FROM MATERIALISM

Being brought up in a consumer culture, we believe that money can buy everything we need and will bring happiness into our lives. So we choose to buy more and more things without end, but we always end up feeling dissatisfied and hungry for more stuff.

The truth is that money can only provide us with substitutes for what we truly need, but not the real deal. What we need is neither possessions nor services, but things such as love, friendship, and creativity. So don’t be concerned about which is the next best thing you can buy, and instead invest your time and efforts in achieving heart-opening and mind-expanding experiences that money can’t buy.

7. BE MINDFUL OF WHAT YOU PUT IN YOUR BODY

Is what you’re eating contributing to your health or is it poisoning your physical organism? Is what you’re eating environmentally sustainable, or is it negatively impacting the natural world? These are some important questions that all people should ask themselves.

Most people choose to eat foods that are filled with sugar, and preservatives, and are empty of nutrients, or contain animal-derived products, unaware that their food choices are detrimental to their health, contribute to the suffering and death of tens of billions of animals, and have a tremendously negative impact on the environment.

From now on, be sure to choose carefully what you choose to put into your mouth, and I assure you that this is one of the best things you can do for yourself and the world.

8. CHOOSE YOUR NEWS SOURCES WISELY

Knowledge is power, but we are drowning in an ocean of information.

Corporate media presents us all the time with biased information, fooling us into believing the lies they tell in order to manipulate us exactly the way they want.

A true seeker of knowledge does not accept anything on belief, but seeks out facts and tries to develop a spherical understanding of the matter he/she is looking into.

If you don’t like being misled and desire to better understand what’s going on in the world, do your best to collect information from as many sources as possible and use critical thinking in order to reach your own conclusions about what’s true or not.

9. READ BOOKS

There have been plenty of wise individuals who’ve written books in which they share their thoughts on life’s problems and how they can be overcome. Many of them criticized the workings of society and offer their insights on how we can help create a more beautiful world.

Books, therefore, could be immensely helpful in opening our eyes and improving the quality of our lives, yet the sad truth is that not a lot of people spend much of their time reading books — or they just choose to read for entertainment reasons alone.

To get the most out of reading books, be sure to not just pick any book and read it — read those ones that touch your mind and heart and provide you with new perspectives that help you to better understand yourself and the world.

10. ESCAPE THE HEARD

Just like every person alive, you are a unique individual with unique talents and gifts to offer to the world.

Unfortunately, society has suppressed our individuality since the day we were born. We’ve been programmed to doubt ourselves and conform to what is considered as normal. This, however, prevents us from embracing ourselves and creating our own path in life, which is causing us immense emotional pain.

From today, distance yourself from the herd mentality and start paying attention to your inner voice — doing so will allow you to follow your calling and live the way you truly want to live.

11. CREATIVELY EXPRESS YOURSELF

A great way to deprogram yourself from the normalcy of modern life is to focus your attention on creativity.

We’re all born creative, but slowly our creativity has been suppressed so much that we’ve almost forgotten that we’re creative beings.

To be creative means to think outside the box and see life from different perspectives. Most importantly, to be creative means to find out new ways of living and realize that you have the power to manifest the kind of life you desire.

12. SEPARATE FROM ORGANIZED RELIGION

Dogmatic, organized religion imposes on people what to think and what not to, what is good and what is bad, what is right and what is wrong.

Thus, organized religion prevents people from using their critical thinking, seeking the truth, and reaching their own conclusions. On the contrary, it teaches them to blindly follow a set of morals and rules. The result? Emotional suppression and suffering.

If you want to reclaim your individuality, honestly express yourself and walk on the path of understanding, be sure to break the chains of organized religion and start your own quest for the truth from scratch.

13. YOU ARE NOT WHAT YOU OWN

Consume less and contribute more

You should be extremely suspicious when the state or state-funded media asks you to spend

It is never about your well-being and always about the Centralized agenda

14. Check your Ideology at the door

There is no room for it, so keep it to yourself

Knowledge, factual evidence, transparency, and pragmatism are superpowers

If you choose to have a strong opinion that you know to be triggering to others, make sure it’s well thought out, structured, and backed by factual evidence that you’ve seen for yourself