Preparing for the storm...

I'm a father. I live in the suburbs. I love my family, and I care about the future of my community. I also see that we are on the precipice. The reasons are many, but a few things are clear. Our financial system, our educational system, our environmental balance, our food supply - and many other fundamental, critical systems have been pushed to the edge. Any logical mind can see that we have created an unsustainable system. None of us can foresee the ending, but we know that the interim period will be chaotic - and we all want to survive the storm.

My family lived through a similar, but very short and contained period in 2012. We saw the weather reports predicting a "Frankenstorm" making its way to the Northeast. Some prepared. Some did not. Some lived comfortably through the aftermath. Some spent days waiting in fuel lines, while sleeping in a cold, dark home at night - for days. Thankfully, I look the threat seriously. I prepared, and my family lived through the aftermath in comfort. Ultimately it was a brief episode. More importantly, it showed how civility can slowly - then quickly - erode as desperation takes hold. While Sandy was an instructive taste of the future, it pales in comparison to the storm that's brewing in our economy and social structure. Preparation will be paramount, but so will civility, and leadership.

I'm a father. I live in the suburbs. I see the storm coming, and I will share my views with this community. Let's make it through the next turn, with intelligence, with diligence and with love.

What are you doing? Are you making plans? Are you getting informed? Let's have a real adult discussion about our future.