At about 2 1/2 centuries we are still a young empire, but apparently maturing fast lately. As with all empires that usually die from within and then some new empire on the block comes around to help wipe them out, we too will have some similar fate, after all we've run out of lots of resources to exploit inside our borders and advantageous foreign trade is not that great anymore. From fur traders to NFT salespeople the value we all chase is getting harder to realize, we are literally running out of exploitable resources.

That's all a little negative, sure, however even all the tech we are armed with to leverage the information age is probably not going to save us though it's a hope no doubt. The only cookies we have left to eat are internet tracking cookies, they don't necessarily fill us up. Also about cookies, as with most other commodities, edible or not, that seemed endless several years ago. When I really go to the store to get a cookie treat those cookies are about half the size, half the weight, don't really taste the same, but are still the same price, or more.

To get real negative, figure a way to grow stuff right through the winter, or store same if you can find glass to store food in, better yet figure out how to grow stuff indoors, besides dope of course, and forget about sales skills with our small caches of food stuffs, we are headed for barter town. Trading with the neighbors cause I don't want it, you don't want it but it's where we are heading with a non-cooperating society, maybe sooner than later.

How's that for optimism? Oh wait, a tiny few of us could survive dystopian society by ripping off our neighbors and not getting caught. Yeah, sounds doable, and it's been done before. :-)