Gurus, soothsayers, forces, crises, and visionaries come and go, but the value of the capital infrastructure in the world keeps increasing, and the markets, in order to reflect that appreciating asset, keep going up. The real risk is in not participating, not being in the market, not sharing in the wealth creation as an owner of capital. In retrospect, it would appear that the financial past an many of its great minds have turned out to be very poor predictors of the financial future. It should make most of us a bit uncomfortable since most people are counting on the opposite to be true in order to construct their own personal financial safety net. Out of this, there does seem to me to be one underlying truth that lays waste to much of the confusion.
Industrial growth creates wealth.
The stock markets represent that wealth. Being in the market transfers that wealth to individuals and in the hands of individuals, that wealth has the ability to create opportunities - opportunities to compound wealth, to enhance personal circumstances, and to keep promises. The real substance of life today is embodied not in the promises we make, but in the promises we are able to keep. The ability to fulfil these obligations and keep these promises requires skill and commitment. The fact that you've read this far shows some commitment.