The old saying, “when it rains it pours,” seems ever more appropriate now than ever. Several years ago, I read a book by Christian Parenti, Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence (2011), which pointed out the growing range of crises around the world that appeared to be converging in a … More Look Up! Converging Crises Confront Us All
Where is your heart? Apparently, for many Americans today, it is not at home. The old saying, “Home is where the heart is,” retains little meaning these days. The heart seems located at our next destination. When the COVID-19 disease went pandemic, one of the first things I noticed was how crazy people were becoming … More Home is Where the Home Is
We—the world’s population, that is—seem to have fallen victim to what is claimed to be an old Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.” The curse, of course, implies that “interesting times” involve deep troubles, crises and dangers shall beset its victims. On the other hand, we may want to turn to the ancient … More We Live in Interesting Times: Seeking Opportunities in Crises
I have not read much science fiction. But the sci-fi books I have read usually fall into the “post-apocalypse” variety, such as The Road, Earth Abides, Parable of the Sower, World Made by Hand, and most recently, The Handmaid’s Tale. I read these stories out of my interest in what is likely to happen in … More What about how? What the sci-fi novels all miss
I read a report in Forbes Magazine on the sluggish character of the current recovery from the 2008 financial crash, which lamented its exceptionally weak economic growth. Apparently, we continue slogging along in the weakest recovery since 1949. Since the Great Recession technically ended in 2009, average GDP growth has averaged only 2.1%. In the … More What is Wrong with Economic Growth?
Robert MacNeil Christie, Author 