Sticking our heads in the sand and pretending that everything is okay isn’t going to do anyone any good. Chaos has been erupting all over the globe, and global events are likely to accelerate even more in 2025. But as I write this article, most Americans have shifted into “vacation mode” and are focused on celebrating. Of course many do not have the resources to celebrate like they did in the past. As I discussed the other day, 35 percent of Americans plan to spend less this holiday season and only 16 percent plan to spend more. But there is still a whole lot of spending going on. The average U.S. adult will spend about a thousand dollars on gifts this year, and all of this stuff will bring a certain level of temporary happiness.
Meanwhile, our world is going completely and totally nuts.
In recent weeks, there has been a growing…
