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Wow…what a year.
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I guess we should not be surprised by how crazy things can get.
This year we did see some pretty BIG things happen.
We all started the year thinking 2022 was Covid Season 3 also known as Covid lite. And in many ways it was (except if you were in China). By mostly giving up on tracking stats around the world and by people not all reporting their illness the stats have dropped significantly (combined with vaccines etc of course). That’s not to say that that sadly many people have not been affected this year. If the pandemic hit you, we extend our sympathies.
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Worldwide things have been in a state of crisis all year long. There is now a new term being used: ‘permacrisis’. This is a state of ongoing instability that causes chaos and stress. It is relentless, crisis after crisis.
Boy, have we seen it this year.
The UK got a big shake up with a new royal taking over (we know all about that sort of thing here in SA) and of course the big one has been the War in Ukraine. Russia’s blitzkrieg failed and they are now stuck in a Vietnam style jam with the world making life difficult for them (most ports won’t even let Russian ships dock these days. Most).
In America the Ex-president, who is still trying to avoid jail from when he lost the elections, announced he will be running again. People went mad. But all of that was slightly overshadowed by 1 rich guy buying a social media platform and changing things to how he thinks they should run. He sure ticked a lot of people off.
The planet shared its displeasure at all our climate antics by producing some massive storms, floods, fires and even volcanic eruptions. All just to remind us that actions have consequences (even if it takes time).
People across the globe are trying to cope with these events and it is quite scary to see the scale these natural disasters are now at. Even Greta Thunberg seems to have given up on shouting at old people and is now taking people to court.
Locally, the Rand has taken a rollercoaster ride vs the Dollar and the price of oil (influenced by the war in Ukraine & Sanctions) has made things tricky. And that’s before we even get to chat about Eskom’s level 299 loadshedding and all the local political scandals and maneuvering going on.
‘a lot of people are poorer than before and lot more angry’
Even if you are more interested in cryptocurrency than the Rand, you will know that global markets are reeling after the FTX collapse. People put “real” money into online money and…poof, it disappeared. Now a lot of people are poorer than before and lot more angry (the banks are mostly happy about it though). The lynch mob is forming looking for someone other than themselves to blame.
So, between all that chaos and ongoing craziness it has probably been hard to think about what lies ahead. Its hard for you to plan for the future when everything feels so fragile.
‘Its hard for you to plan for the future when everything feels so fragile’
Well, it is even more complicated than that. In this issue we delve into the brain science behind you vs future you and why it is hard to care about that person. Check it out.
Parents should also check out our article about school fees since everything is going up these days except your pay check. You may find some info that can help ease your pressure.
‘ways to deal with this ramped up load shedding’
We also talk about ways to deal with this ramped up load shedding which always seems to hit at dinner time and how to deal with all this bad news going on around us. How can we avoid a “permacrisis” overload? It might be simpler than you think.
‘It has been a crazy year, but you made it’
So, yes. It has been a crazy year, but you made it. And yes, next year will be just as crazy in all likelihood.
Still, take a moment to acknowledge how far you have come, how you kept paying even as prices went up.
By adapting and adjusting you have got this far. Well done! And we know that if you keep it up, no matter what the world throws at you, you will soon be debt free.
Note: To read the rest of this issue of Debtfree magazine click next/previous
