A Great Disturbance In The Force

"What is thy bidding, my master?"

"There is a great disturbance in the Force."

"I have felt it."

"We have a new enemy, the young rebel who destroyed the Death Star. I have no doubt this boy is the offspring of Anakin Skywalker."

―Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine discuss Luke Skywalker[src]

One need not be a trained Jedi to detect a great disturbance in the force. 

Start with a potentially man-made global pandemic that has resulted in millions of deaths so far. Flood trillions of dollars into a global economy that was already overburdened from 2008’s recession, hoping to prevent the collapse of the economy. Add major inflationary forces eroding the purchasing power of the average worker. Factor in major Labor Force disruptions evidenced by the onset of “The Great Resignation,” wherein 70% of respondents to a survey said they are looking to leave their current job. Recognize major supply chain disruptions evidenced by the double digit increase in the cost of raw materials and shipping. Factor in the fact that a third of Americans are suffering from anxiety and depression, resulting in the highest number of drug related overdose deaths in American history.

The only way to deal with all this doom and gloom, and still stay sane, is to trust that the Phoenix will in fact rise from its ashes. Everybody wants to be born again, but nobody wants to die first. Maybe what we are seeing is the collapse of the old system, preparing the conditions for the birth of a new system. The king is dead; long live the king.

The arc of human evolution is a positive and bumpy one. Since the end of WWII, humanity has taken many steps forward, marked by giant advances in technology and the spread of democracy throughout the world. Could it be that we are now taking a step backwards?! Are we in the midst of a cold winter, before the onset of a new Spring? Could China today make a terrible miscalculation similar to what Japan did on December 7, 1941, by attacking Taiwan and starting WWIII?

Not facing these facts, or failure to ask these questions, will not make them go away. Instead of running away, we need to adopt the Buffalo's strategy of running towards this gathering storm, hoping we can get through it easier than we can escape from it.

— Sina.