It seems not a terrible lot has changed since the 1400s. Leonardo da Vinci then stated, "There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see."

While we can't be certain of the percentages of each back then, certainly, today, those who do not see are the vast majority. Those who see when they are shown are very unusual. And those who see sometimes seem as rare as astatine - an element so rare that the total amount on Earth is thought to be less than 28 grams (1 ounce) at any given time.

Certainly, the nearly universal public indoctrination system is responsible for the low level of displayed awareness on Earth today. Just comparing Leonardo da Vinci to an equally famous person of today, Barack Obomba, is proof of the devolution.

Obomba versus DaVinci

Born on August 4th, 1961, in Kenya or Hawaii, Barack Obomba smoked a lot of weed, did some blow, was raised for all intents and purposes in a test tube by Henry Kissinger, went to Harvard and studied the millions of laws that enslave humans, became a community organizer... whatever that is. And now he expertly reads off of teleprompters and by his words and actions kills thousands of people and destroys everything good left in humanity.

In addition, in perhaps a world record for narcissism, Barack Obomba wrote two autobiographies, before he had even done anything in his life, and now tells us we need hope and change in the form of theft and violence upon our neighbors while he puts millions in cages for smoking the same dried flowers as he did and murders innocent women and children worldwide in death from above. But he does it with such a big smile on his face he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Millions, including the likes of Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney cried at his ascendance to the throne and cowtow in his presence.

Leonardo da Vinci, on the other hand, was born on April 15, 1452. He never went to "school" as we know it today. He went on to invent the helicopter, parachutes, gliders, created the first robot in human form, built a walking mechanical lion, a spring-powered car considered to be the first programmable computer, stated that the Earth was not the center of the solar system before Galileo Galilei was born, painted the Last Supper and numerous other famous paintings and sculptures and demonstrated the human anatomy with accurate graphical presentation.

How's that government edumacation working out for everybody?

Blind To Reality

Thanks to it nearly everyone is oblivious to what is going on around them today. They see the government as good when it is violence and theft. They see paying the extortion called taxes as doing their "duty". They think democracy is freedom when it is slavery. They think anarchism is violence and chaos when it is actually peace and adherance to the non-aggression principle. No one understands what money is or how it comes to be. Of those that think they do, many believe the dollar is still backed by gold... the remainder who are aware it isn't backed by anything don't see any problem with being forced to use an unbacked currency issued by a secretive cabal of central bankers and call the totally controlled, regulated, centrally planned and manipulated money and interest rate system the "free market" and when it fails they blame it on the market being too free.

Hardly anyone sees the brick wall the entire western world is headed for at breakneck speeds. No one saves or prepares for what is about to happen... because they don't know it is going to happen.

They believe in the goldilocks economy... or green shoots... or the recovery that the oblong box in the corner of their living room shouts at them. They have no idea The End Of The Monetary System As We Know It (TEOTMSAWKI) is upon us.

They do not see. When the US dollar and, with it, the western socialist nation states collapses they will be in shock. Living in a neighborhood, town or city overrun with those who do not see will, at that point, become interesting to say the least as they realize everything they believed was a lie.

If you did not know this previously but are reading this and being awakened, you are the second best thing... those who can see once they are shown. You now have a great advantage and can begin making preparations ahead of the crowd.

What kind of preparations?

• Have a significant portion of your assets in precious metals and geopolitically diversify them as much as possible. See "Getting Your Gold Out Of Dodge" for a complete compendium on doing this.
• If you have "retirement savings" consider cashing them out now before the government seizes them as tax theft receipts continue to decline. If you can't or don't want to cash them out, look to place your retirement funds in assets outside of the control of your own government. This can be done, in the US, through a Self-Directed IRA.
• Get a second passport to give yourself options in case your government decides to take the remaining 50% of your earnings they currently allow you to keep. The quickest one you can currently get is in less than three months but there are a wide variety of options. Call or see TDV Passports for more on that.
• Get a foreign bank account to give yourself options if you find yourself living in a country that gets Greeked. And look to set up an International Business Corporation (IBC) to protect your funds from seizure further from government or frivolous lawsuits. See TDV Offshore for more.
• If you want to speculate, like us, that there will be a final bubble in gold and gold stocks, look to have no more than 20-30% of your portfolio in junior gold stocks which have rarely ever been more undervalued. Subscribe to TDV Premium, if you already don't, for world-class mining stock analysis to navigate the dangerous junior mining market. And if you own stocks, make sure you register them in your own name to prevent against brokerage bankruptcy or theft. See BulletProof Shares for more.
• Consider expatriating to a country that may deal with The Collapse better than most western countries. Countries to consider are those where currency collapses are a common occurrence (Argentina, Mexico, Thailand etc) or countries with economies that are truly growing and who have very little debt (Singapore, Hong Kong etc.) Each month in TDV we look at different countries for the purpose of expatriation. In the past few months we have featured Egypt, Costa Rica and Brazil including on-the-ground TDV subscriber expats who are happy to help fellow subscribers as they consider moving to the country where they are situated.
• Keep extra cash in your home in case bank machines go dark, keep extra food in your house in case the food transportation comes to a halt again like it did in 2008 but, this time, for possibly weeks and months.

Timing Is Everything

How much time do you have left? That's the trillion dollar question. We advise to act like it will happen tomorrow and take precautions to protect your wealth and self from The Collapse now. The old saw about being a year early rather than one day late never was more apt.

It is not hopeless and there is plenty you can do. In fact, after the collapse, if you manage to survive with the majority of your assets or abilities in tact there will be unheralded opportunities to make fortunes in what will hopefully be a much freer, less regulated, less violently governed world. That's why our tagline is "Surviving and Prospering During And After the US Dollar Collapse". But the key lies in da Vinci's quote, you have to be one of those who see.

There's never been a more important time to have your eyes open.