Originally published at Freedom Scribe. Please leave any comments there.

Or what is the matter with me?

A few days ago, I was having a brainstorming session with a young neighbor of mine (from my perspective, 40s is young) about how to survive this coming economic depression and exit better off than we are as we enter it.  He asked me if there was something terribly wrong with him, because despite the fact that he genuinely felt terrible for those people who were losing everything, he was actually enjoying himself.

I didn’t hesitate to tell him that he was perfectly sane.  It seemed totally obvious and self-evident to me.  We are facing a huge challenge, yes.  We are also watching history in the making.  Those of us who always felt just a little bit cheated that we missed World War II or Viet Nam or fill-in-the-blank are finally getting our chance at the big adventure.  Depressions do not ruin everyone.  Those who can keep their heads on straight, avoid panic and develop a plan can actually find enormous opportunities in an economic downturn.

Reading the news today, I am seeing suicides on every hand.  Now, despite what the shrinks want you to believe, nobody can get to my age without entertaining a few final thoughts now and then.  The cause, however, is usually loneliness or sheer boredom, not an outside challenge such as this.  Why would economic depression translate into clinical depression so easily?

The only answer I can find is that an awful lot of people really believed they could retire and do nothing at 65 years of age - and now they’ve lost their savings.  That is very sad, but that sort of retirement is usually a fast track to six feet under anyway.  Now we have something real to live for!!  There is a fight looming that is actually worthy of our brains and our experience.  I have never, ever - not in my entire life - been farther from suicide than I am right now.

So what kind of American are you?  Are you going to fold and whine and off yourself because things didn’t work out so well for your 401K?  Or are you the kind of American who is going to beat this thing and go from zero to rich before this so-called “Depression” is over with?

If you are the latter, I want to meet you.  You are my kind of people.

If you are the former, go away.  I haven’t got time to listen to a whiner.