Seven Fat Years, Seven Lean Years
"Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe." (Genesis 41:29–31, NIV)
We live in a time of unparalleled abundance, but those who have benefited most are lost and full of anxiety.
During fat times, our legislators spend money like the increase will never cease; during fat times, we extend ourselves, and draw down on resources (financial, social, personal) that we are ill-suited to recover when the fat times end.
Today:
There is no guarantee that things will get truly bad;
There is no guarantee that things will not;
There is no guarantee that things will stay good;
But only through our efforts will good things be possible.
What shall we do?
When I ask "what am I on about?", the same themes come up again and again. The list of particulars runs to several pages, but, to paint the broadest outline, the core idea is "how best should we use what we have to ensure we achieve the brightest future?"
In Egypt, Joseph told Pharaoh how to survive the lean years.
Similarly, I am attempting to sketch a picture of how we can better prepare for any oncoming correction, crash, or collapse. Since I am no prophet, I am tracing around the shape of something much larger than I can currently understand on my own, in hope that one day the collected lines will snap into focus and the course forward will become clear.
Each day, though, I am hoping to do what I can to make progress, no matter how small.
Perhaps we can find a way to have seven fat years followed by seven fat years.
Who are you?
I go by caesararum, which is an old, stupid joke that occurred to me while reading the first few chapters of Wheelock.
I live outside New York City with my wife, daughter, and our cat Kitty.