Tuesday, August 2, 2011

One Point for the Doomers

Sometimes it's a little (or a lot) depressing and/or scary to think of the effects that the confluence of peak resources and climate change will have on this planet, and sometimes I feel almost excited for the change. I really don't know what will happen next. Sometimes, I feel like "Wow, it's about time mama nature kicked our asses."
When stuff like the griping, piddling, and quarreling that's happening in Washington about some unbelievable amount of money that we are mysteriously allowed to owe becomes a topic of "should we/ shouln't we" is the focus of our attention, rather than: "How did we get here, how can we fix this?" or "This is a totally unacceptable state of affairs, let's reexamine our expectations as a nation and figure out how we can solve this. If we don't fix this now, we'll be up shit creek right quick." I tend to lean towards the most nhilistic of these thought patterns.

Yep, we have it coming
(photo credit, me 2001)

A friend of mine on Facebook asked the seemingly innocuous question "should it or should it not be a constitutional amendment, given our current situation, to balance the budget" and a heated debate about the debt-limit ensued, but no one ever asked these basic questions.
No one said that we might be here because we have become used to a lifestyle that we cannot support (except me)- no one said, these are maybe not the questions our government should be asking. We have issued ourselves a credit card with a limit of a gajillion dollars- should we make it a gajillion an one? should we cut these basic social services, or these? (B/c of course taxing the wealthy and not being in several military scuffles at a time is out of the question) Do we really HAVE to be responsible? It's like saying:

"We are on fire, and currently burning to death, but I just noticed that our Prada Bag is getting a little warm, do you think we should set it down before it catches fire?"


We're suffering from the most epic case of denial that I can possibly imagine. When posed with this problem, it's such a surreal issue I can't even begin to formulate an answer.
When, in the near future, we are posed with questions that are much more severe, like water availability, or gasoline shortage- I begin to realize that the basic and fundamental questions I was previously certain we would ask ourselves will go totally by the wayside.
We will (and have currently) ignore/d the real issues, and try desperately to treat the symptom rather than the disease.
Tonight, I side with the doomers.

I am very afraid that we will not ask ourselves Why, How, or What can we do as a nation to fix this before it's too late to prevent catastrophic destruction. Rather- will put off the reality of it and continue to occupy this state of denial (it has cable!) until we have destroyed any possible hope of salvaging a graceful decent. We will eradicate our own future and that of our children's because taking the bus to work and turning off your lights is too much of a pain in the ass.

This is what I am most afraid of, and the more I see of human nature, the more likely it seems.

4 comments:

  1. Poetically written, my dear.

    Yeah, we are all too scared to look at the truth—denial is a much more comfy spot at the moment. Afterall, it allows us to continue to live the narcisstic and apathetic lifestyle we are used to. When tragedy does finally strike, we will band together (9/11 comes to mind as an example). Of course, it will be too late, but I think that people will form tighter communities, and try to help each other survive.

    Yes, we have it coming to us, and sometimes I think I'm kind of looking forward to it in a way. It will be nice that we can't watch TV all the time or be self-absorbed surfing the internet all day long. We can't ignore our problems by using our myriad of electronic distractions. We will have to band together, think about others, spend more time with our families and our communities. That aspect of it, I think will be good for us.

    Still, no denying it's gonna suck. I'm still a pansy and the thought of hard manual labor makes me feel ill. Food and water shortages are scary. But what the fuck? When it happens, and we have no other choice, what am I gonna do? Roll with the punches and try not to die.

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  2. @flappergirlcreations
    I think "roll with the punches and try not to die" may be the best life-philosophy i have ever heard in my life.
    Am I still seeing yo utomorrow or will you be busy? I have to stay home tomorrow because a friend is coming by to get some stuff stored in the basement before he skips town, boo- but if you're up for coming by in the am I'd still love to see you :D

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  3. I got a freelance deadline dropped in my lap this week! It's the catholic school stuff, so I unfortunately will be spending my days off this week working on that stuff, getting it done. The good news is that I will be wrapping up that project, and crossing it off my list of shit that eats up my time. Can I get a raincheck for Wednesday after next? :)

    P.S. I have one of those Halloween black cat stuffed animals for Wesley! It has spiderwebs on his tummy and a purple bow tie!

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  4. There aren't enough buses to take everyone to their work, nor do we any longer even have the resources to build, deploy and fuel such a fleet. And reducing or even totally forgoing the electric light convenience is not going to ensure retention of an imagined happy future, even if everyone did it.

    Our futures are not going away. Even should we all expire in short or longer order, we will have a future be it but as compost.

    Our problems are beyond solution; but that does not mean that our predicaments are beyond management. Indeed, the question is not how to best or properly arrange our affairs in order to forestall the fearful changes that we know are coming; rather the challenge is to successfully mitigate the worse impacts and adapt to the rest.

    We've been so far up shit creek for so long that we have forgotten how to use the paddle lying in the bottom of the boat. Instead we argue over which brand of outboard will save us. The result, predictably, is that soon we will swim. A modified backstroke could help keep some from choking on the crap and going down. Practicing?

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