Here is an article that outlines the state of savings. Unless one uses some out-of-the-box thinking, this state of savings appears to be a negative thing. However, in order for the world to become more sustainable, we have to throw out the notion that savings are a good thing. (Besides, if you are invested in conventional investment vehicles, you won't have anything in a few years anyhow.)
Just in case something happens to the link and the comments are lost, here is my reply to the article:
In order to have an orderly society in the future, it will be necessary to completely re-think savings and retirement. However, we continue to use the same type of thinking that got us into this mess. On a finite planet (finally Krugman starts talking some sense) where we are burning through our resources at a rapid clip, it does not make sense to save beyond what we need to survive over a winter. Use your imagination and envision a world without money. Why? Because getting ourselves out of the mess we are in doesn’t require money; it requires a little bit of research and common sense.