Thou Shalt Possess and Control Universally Needed Goods and Resources

In 1971 Nixon took the United States off the gold standard and effectively killed the concept of currency as money. It only continues to function as money because we trust the government will back it, but what if that changes? What if we were to have a Zimbabwe style currency flameout and suddenly no one trusted that a dollar taken today would be worth anything at all tomorrow.

That’s why Jason Hartman’s commandment #8 says, “Thou shalt possess and control universally needed goods and resources.”

Think of this concept as laying in a good stock of backup currency. We’re talking about commodities like gold and silver, as well as items like food, water, gas, medicine, cigarettes, etc. These are the things people want and need no matter how thick the sh@! Is flying. Think a nicotine fiend is going to swear off cigarettes just because World War III is in the making? Not likely.

Odds are, when a currency collapses, society will soon revert to that most ancient and trusted of traditions – barter. Barter could go something like this:

“Dude, is that a pack of smokes in your pocket?”

“Yep.”

“I’m jonesing bad. Can I have one?”

“I’ll trade you the whole pack for a gallon of gas and 3 MRE’s.”

“Whatever. Just give it.”

See how barter is? It’s natural. It’s human nature. It’s something you better get ready for.

The Holistic Survival Team