Two curves are crossing. One falling, one rising. The falling curve is institutional legitimacy — the trust that makes governments functional, money valuable, and expertise credible. It’s been falling for decades as the information asymmetries that sustained it have been destroyed. The rising curve is technological capability — not just useful technology, but technology that can improve itself, that can do the cognitive work that has historically defined human professional value, that is now operating on timescales that human institutions cannot match. The most underestimated preparation for this time of profound change is the simplest: invest in actual human relationships and community. The research on how communities survive large shocks — Elinor Ostrom’s Nobel-winning work on collective action — shows consistently that the communities that cope best are not the richest or the best governed. They’re the ones with the strongest bonds of trust and mutual support.