Family, social, and community relationships will likely assume a far greater degree of importance in a world of uncertainly, disruptions, and increasing danger. In the United States and elsewhere, there will almost certainly be a significant rise in the number of extended-family households, many with a growing number of adult children - and grandchildren - living at home. Such a development should not be seen as particularly surprising. In economically deficient and broken-down societies, for example, it is not uncommon for households to expand and people to rely heavily on family networks - grandparents, parents, and children, as well as in-laws and other relatives - for support and assistance.

Indeed, some cultures view large households as a powerful resource and financial backstop - much like a nest egg - because of the familiarity element and the value of available labor. Moreover, during earlier, more uncertain times, when no one could really be sure which outsiders could be trusted - before there were electronic communications networks and credit rating databases - blood ties often played an important role in lubricating the wheels of commerce and industry. That said, the possibility that desperate times will lead to desperate acts means Americans will have to be just as diligent in their dealings with those they hold dear as with those they don't really know at all.