Economic collapse?

Dmitry Orlov has unique insight into the nature of our political and economic systems. He spent much of his childhood in the Soviet Union during the collapse, but has also lived in the United States, and traveled widely. His familiarity with both Soviet and American economics, politics, and culture has allowed him to provide us with a warning of the possibilities of a soviet style collapse in the near American future.
Our resources are dwindling, our "free economy" is faltering, our monetary system is weak and bloated, yet we keep treading on the same path towards our own eminent destruction. We all want "change", but we don't want our lifestyles to change. The reality of it, though, is that oil, water, gas, electricity, food, necessities, etc. do NOT exist in infinite availability, and never will. We need to adjust our lifestyles to fit our available resources now, or we will be forced to later, as our society as we know it, runs itself into the ground.
Orlov discusses in his essay "Thriving in the Age of Collapse" what he imagines to be plausible scenarios for individuals in American society, should we collapse in a similar manner to the Soviet Union. While things may or may not play out the way he describes, Orlov's instructions on survival, post collapse serve as good advice for us (collectively), who up until now have relied so heavily on credit, debt, consumerism and the federal government.
It would serve us all well to reassess our skills, and how they would assist us, should our money, our professions, our appliances and possessions, no longer mean anything. Perhaps we should all be learning new skills, should modern society fail us.
We live in a nation of false optimism. Nations have fallen before and picked themselves back up. We are no exception. We cannot constantly gain, constantly expand, constantly profit. If not now, then later, but some day we will reap what we have sown. If we are lucky, we will be prepared, and will adapt well to the changes, whatever they may be, but should we continue to ignore what is in front of our face, we will pay the consequences.