Which Shoe Drops First

Here are some of the things I expect to happen within the next ten years. Any one of these could end life on planet Earth, or at least alter it for the worse to such a degree that survival might seem a curse. 1. Full-blown fascism arrives and becomes entrenched in the United States. On the international stage, traditional alliances collapse as nations realign. Nationally, democracy withers and dies, and civil rights are abridged or eliminated. Wars break out. 2. The immediate rise of fascism is thwarted and civil war ensues as segments of the population refuse to accept the election results and mindlessly rise to defend the defeated partisans. 3. The house of cards we call the economy collapses. The rich get richer and the rest of the people sink into feudal poverty, which causes internecine conflict. The naked greed and corrosive capitalism of the obscenely rich, politically powerful, immensely privileged rule. 4. Another pandemic sweeps the world and is confronted by the same idiocy as the last one. Tens of millions die needlessly. Supply chains are fractured beyond repair. Critical worker shortages sabotage agriculture. Society breaks down. 5. A third world war is launched, including the use of nuclear weapons. Potential triggers include Israel and Palestine, Russia and Ukraine, Taiwan and China, or anywhere in the Middle East. The earth is left scorched and shredded. And society collapses. 6. Climate change passes its tipping point, resulting in violent storms wracking the planet. There is coastal flooding and drought everywhere else. Severe protracted water and food shortages cause mass migrations, all of which create worldwide chaos. 7. A huge comet hits the Earth! Which shoe drops first? Does it really matter? Personally, I favor the comet. It’s fast, neat, and effective. Just ask the dinosaurs.