Jim Quinn discusses the fourth turning, a cyclical event in which we currently find ourselves – like it or not. In his recent article Twenty-First Century Breakdown Quinn walks us through the previous Saeculums, periods comprised of 80 – 100 years, and demonstrates how we are now in the fourth, or final, phase of the current Saeculum – the Crisis.

There is no way to avoid this Crisis. It can’t be bypassed. Just as the seasons must progress from Spring to Summer through Fall and into Winter, a Crisis must follow an Unraveling. History does not have a rewind button. Secular Winter has arrived and the country couldn’t be less prepared for the challenges ahead. The government and the governed enter this highly dangerous period weakened and fragile. The short-sighted economic choices and deferred fiscal decisions will collide with peak oil and uncontrolled globalization to inflict a horrific resolution to this Crisis. The gravity of our situation cannot be overstated. As politicians and the mainstream media play pretend games of recovery and false optimism, the country hurtles closer to the abyss. The country had a chance to prepare for this Winter by:

• Forging consensus regarding the problems we face.
• Preparing our governmental institutions for the challenges ahead.
• Political leaders bluntly describing the issues before us, stressing duties over rights.
• Developing community teamwork to solve local problems.
• Treating our youth as a national priority.
• Preparing elders for the sacrifices and unfulfilled promises in their future.
• Reducing government and personal debt.
• Conserve military resources for the long road ahead.

You may have noticed that as a country we not only did not prepare for Winter, we proceeded like it would never come. No leader has emerged to bluntly speak the truth to the American people. Culture wars still rage. Government has expanded and our military has been depleted in useless wars of choice. All that is left is for individuals to prepare their families for the immense challenges ahead.

Whether cycles are real or not is a hotly debated concept. Our personal view is that cyclical events are everywhere, from the birth-to-death cycle of human life to the 26,000 year galactic alignment, we can see cyclical events everywhere in nature.

And, because our economies and political systems are man-made, we would suggest that they, too, must follow natural cycles.

As Quinn points out, we have gotten to a point where most of those who have the power to make the necessary changes have refused to do so, either because they are ignorant of the facts or are ignoring the signs altogether.

This leaves us with one option, which is essentially to prepare ourselves, as individuals, families and close community units, to weather the coming storm.

Remember that this is a cyclical event which may very well last two decades or more. We’re talking much more than just storing freeze-dried food, ammo and gas. To prepare for an event like this requires a different kind of mindset – one of sustainability and self reliance that will require a dynamic approach to a variety of problems.

While we recommend to our readers that they should be prepared for an array of potential disaster scenarios, the only way to mitigate a crisis of this magnitude, one that lasts many years, is to develop skills that will allow you to be more self reliant in terms of income generation, food procurement, and energy production.

It’s time to get back to our rugged American roots and start doing for ourselves instead of holding out our hands looking for freebies from a broke government support system.

Hat tip SHTF Plan reader Sheila for sending us Mr. Quinn’s article