In a deeply personal and startlingly frank conversation, my great friend Demetri Kofinas and I dissect the current state of the world around us looking for answers to what is, perhaps, a set of unsolvable problems that simply need to play out to their predetermined conclusion. In a necessarily freeform conversation, Demetri offers a compelling exploration of the concept of “financial nihilism,” a provocative investment philosophy that sees speculative assets as devoid of intrinsic value, before we delve into the societal and economic forces driving this mindset, including the erosion of trust in institutions, the corruption of money the prolific rise of gambling in everyday life, and the absence of both consequences and accountability for bad actors. Together, we examine the rise of populism and moral decay, questioning whether these trends signal an inevitable descent into chaos or an opportunity for systemic reform and, while we struggle to find any sunny conclusions from the depths of personal reflection, what emerges is a sobering yet thought-provoking analysis of our current trajectory which seems set to take us further into the abyss. Every episode of the Grant Williams podcast, including This Week In Doom, The End Game, The Super Terrific Happy Hour, The Narrative Game, Kaos Theory and Shifts Happen, is available to Copper, Silver and Gold Tier subscribers at my website www.Grant-Williams.com.  Copper Tier subscribers get access to all podcasts, while members of the Silver Tier get both the podcasts and my monthly newsletter, Things That Make You Go Hmmm… Gold Tier subscribers have access to my new series of in-depth video conversations, About Time.