Facing The (Horrible) Future

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41
TechGuy wrote:
the only pratical thing is to distance yourself and switch to a self-reliance lifestyle
The only thing I'd add is that you should join with other like-minded folk to do so. I think good collaboration skills may be as useful as good self-reliance skills.
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This is not my real life. This life is a test. If this were my real life I would’ve been given better instructions.

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When did man become independent of nature? It’s called fossil fuels baby. Man is a manifestation of the universe? Tell that to your starving and dying children, it’s too New Age for me. I prefer direct scientific measurements of what is really happening. A recent update of the Limits to Growth study from the 70s showed that we are following their original “business as usual” model quite accurately. What does this updated model predict for the near future no matter what we do: A 6th mass extinction that is happening much faster than the previous 5.
A while back I listened to an interview of Col. Lawrence Wilkerson. He talked about how the ultra-conservative Pentagon is preparing for climate change. New elevated shipyards are now being built. It can’t get any more blatant than that.
Given a few million years, life will recover. However, after we run out of fossil fuels and there are +400 Fukashima style nuclear reactor meltdowns (it takes a lot of energy and time to decommission them) the master species might be a ten headed cockroach with brains as large as ours. That would be one hell of a “manifestation.” I wonder if they will also be ten times as arrogant.
There will always be conflicting views of what’s happening. Modern propaganda is extremely good at fogging things up for profit. In order to filter through them out you just have to ask “who benefits.” Scientist A says that global warming is real. He then loses his job, which actually happened several times recently. What does he gain if he isn’t fired? If he’s really lucky a few million in grant money. Scientist B says that global warming is unproven and a conspiracy theory. What does his employer gain? Over the years, a few trillion.

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Mr. Martenson, after seven years of following your site and watching your videos, I don’t think I have ever seen you look so heartsick and careworn. Your ideas for a movement are so inspiring but is humanity willing to change? Take care of yourself. Thank you for all you do. Respectfully, Deborah Davis Summerville, SC (The tadpoles are still dying.)

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Having not heard of or seen the movie “Griefwalker”, I checked out the trailer. In the last minute Jenkinson says this:

Grief is not a feeling. Grief is a skill. And the twin of grief, as a skill of life, is the skill of being able to praise or love life. Which means wherever you find one, authentically done, the other is very close at hand. Grief, and the praise of life, side by side.
We humans of this age act as if we are unable to register life, much less praise it. We also seem kinda crazy phobic of grief. Jenkinson's words above exactly speak my exprience. When I spend the energy and time to tell the truth about what I love, there is always grieving. So much of the precious is defiled, lost, or not noticed, the joy of it not registered. And when I grieve, the appreciation and praise for what we are and where we are flood out of my center like a tsunami. Then I can walk through the world and glimpse what we are given. I can behold, and love, and sing praise and try to open my small everyday mind to something wider and wilder and so much deeper. This is the gift of the labor of grief, every time: in the midst of unbearable loss, deeper love, and celebration of what is and has been. I never, never want to leave this Earth. I love her so, and all her parts and ways: the plant lives that mediate sun and soil to create our habitat, the water weaving itself like a fantastic multi-form intelligence through every transaction, the senses she has given us so that we can have this only, (only) planet soak into our souls while we are here, the necessary union with the lives of so many other creatures. I am still terrified to die - not that advanced! - but the connection between grieving and loving is clear. So until I know better, I'll keep living with one foot in the world as we know it, and the other in my tiny homestead,and time spent telling the truth about both love and grief. This skill - to know what we value as instructed by our grief - seems absolutely core to me. I don't think we will learn new ways because we get pounded by fear or regret. That usually seems to begat violence and depression. But what if our love and care for life were bright eyed, awake and unshakable? What if that quality comes from within us, only just a little buried under our grief and fear of death, and can be offered to the world, no matter what shape she is in? What if every morsel of praise, intelligent cooperation with biosphere and love is a contribution, no matter how confused we or the situation are, yes, even if we are ending? What if the world is teaching us to know our love? I can't see a way clear with movements. Maybe I've lost faith in people en masse. Sobering. I can decide to take better care of my own, often neglected tribe, at least. Thanks for the deep thinking Chris, and all posters. Susan
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I give up my habit of driving and so use less oil. That depresses world oil prices and that means someone in India thinks it’s worth buying a car. Are you sure you have thought this through?

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greendoc wrote:
And no disrespect to Adam and Chris, who have done a fantastic job keeping this website full of interesting content, but two middle aged white men is a demographic well represented in the sustainability world, as well as the BAU world. It feels like we need some different voices than the usual suspects. Maybe more ties to younger, female, ethnically diverse communities? I know climate change/sustainability activism is alive and well in those tribes.
And this after 20+ year of the "Diversity and Inclusion" initiative. I'd say the inclusion part isn't workkng so well, but then we all know that.
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Paul Downey wrote:
I give up my habit of driving and so use less oil.
Admirable, but how do you do it? If you are in a city, pretty much the rest of your life beyond the car is unsustainable. If you are in the country, you have to be a hermit and spend most of your time producing your own food. I could see this working in the country, if you could car-share for occasional trips to town. But having grown up in a rural area, I realize I'm biased.
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... two middle aged white men is a demographic well represented in the sustainability world, as well as the BAU world. It feels like we need some different voices than the usual suspects. Maybe more ties to younger, female, ethnically diverse communities? I know climate change/sustainability activism is alive and well in those tribes.
As we consider the end of human civilisation as homo sapiens (sic) destroy the ecosphere I'm not sure bleating about "diversity" is helpful. Some things are more important than identity polictics. Nor are calsl for Chris and Adam to start a "movement" helpful. PP's work is important and effective as it is being undertaken now. Organising an ill-defined movement would only be a quixotic distraction. Those who feel the need to be part of movement should consider something like Transition Town or 350Org.
I can't see a way clear with movements. Maybe I've lost faith in people en masse.
Agree, Susan, entirely.
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I have to agree with several of you about the unlikeliness of a movement having any traction or noticeable positive impact. I think this whole process that governs the trajectory of human civilization is so much bigger than we are. So much that is built into us and was functional in simpler societies is disfunctional today because of our huge numbers, powerful technologies and rapid information processing and decision making tools. Every attempt to create something better, gives creative people still stuck in the old paradigm new opportunities to continue their destructive path. Paul Downey points to one of many negative feedback loops that limit positive change - as we reduce our consumption, prices decrease so that others increase theirs.
Perhaps the best we can do is to save what we can of ecosystems, practical knowledge, cultural capital, etc. Maybe, just maybe we can even rebuild some of what has been lost particularly in the area of cultural capital. If we must do this in small, isolated enclaves, so be it. There will be a time, perhaps many generations from now when people and ecosystems will be hungry for this knowledge, relationships and species as they can finally begin picking up the pieces and rebuilding. Maybe, just maybe they’ll thank those unknown ancestors who preseved them.
Meanwhile, it’s our job, as Susan said so eloquently to attend to grief and praise and to face as courageously and lovingly as we can all of the inner demons, regrets, and locked away emotional pain that come to the surface as we dive into those waters. As we do this, we must remember that our goal is to integrate the wounded parts of ourselves whose cry for attention has dieven rise to those demons so that we may get on more effectively with the business of saving what we can.
Just as our civilation’s trajectory is much bigger than us, this earth is even bigger. While individual species and even whole ecosystems may disappear, giving us even more grief to sit with, we’re extremely unlikely to bring this whole experiment with life on earth to an end. Mother Earth will shrug this one off in a few thousand or a few million years, depending on how extreme it is. What’s really at stake is us and our civilization. Our accumulated relationships with the species and ecosystems that are here today and the cultural capital that allows us to live in a good way with and from those species and ecosystems will not serve us anymore. The way things are going there will be a lot of grieving to do. Even as we grieve, we’re going to need to learn how to live, perhaps even thrive in whatever comes next. Humans are resilient and adaptive. At least some of us will get through the grief and create something new that works in whatever rich and beautiful era of life comes next.

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debu wrote:
... two middle aged white men is a demographic well represented in the sustainability world, as well as the BAU world. It feels like we need some different voices than the usual suspects. Maybe more ties to younger, female, ethnically diverse communities? I know climate change/sustainability activism is alive and well in those tribes.
As we consider the end of human civilisation as homo sapiens (sic) destroy the ecosphere I'm not sure bleating about "diversity" is helpful. Some things are more important than identity polictics. Nor are calsl for Chris and Adam to start a "movement" helpful. PP's work is important and effective as it is being undertaken now. Organising an ill-defined movement would only be a quixotic distraction. Those who feel the need to be part of movement should consider something like Transition Town or 350Org.
I can't see a way clear with movements. Maybe I've lost faith in people en masse.
Agree, Susan, entirely.
Given the strong environmental bent to Chris's post, debu's suggestion of joining Transition Town or 350.org makes a lot of sense. You don't need to start a movement, the environmental movement has been active and, in many respects, successful since the 1960s. I could come up with a long list of environmentalists and environmental organizations that have been fighting that fight for a long time. Your energies may be better spent aiding those individuals and causes. And, you may want to look to those sources for information and authority instead of, oh say, ZH for godssake. When I saw ZH on Chris's list of authorities I thought I may have missed something in my years ignoring that site. So, I went back and looked. Nope, same old posts by and about alt-right and conspiracy theory people and groups. They have no record of being concerned about the environment, except to deny the overwhelming environmental disaster we are confronting with the changing climate. Perhaps the more important point is, pay attention to what science is telling us. The climate is warming, species are disappearing, invasives are moving in everywhere, habitat is being sacrificed for transitory exploitation of non renewable resources and we're dumping pollutants on our agricultural lands that wind up in eutrophication and dead zones in our lakes and oceans. This is far from an exhaustive list of our assaults on the environment. Solutions to many of these problems are known in the sciences. The avenue to solve them is in the political realm. Therefore, the notion that we should ignore politics is self defeating. The oft repeated notion that one side is as bad as the other sets up a false equivalency that gives us an excuse to ignore real problems because, oh well, we can't do anything about them anyway. If you think that Trump and company are no worse than, say, Bernie and company, then you are deluded, particularly in environmental matters. Trump is doing everything in his power to destroy environmental values. Who needs an environment when you can live in a Trump tower. Scott Pruitt, the man who has come to define the very worst of the "swamp", is in charge of the EPA. Ryan Zinke, who apparently thinks land is useless if it isn't being drilled, mined or overgrazed, is in charge of all Federal lands. Grants for research into environmental issues are being slashed. Professionals in scientific disciplines are being demeaned and forced out of their careers. There is simply no end to the carnage being inflicted on the values Chris is espousing in his post. If you really want to solve things environmentally and politically, you must become active in those realms. Get involved in local and Congressional races. I have met all five Democratic candidates running to replace our current do-nothing-except-endorse-Trump Republican Congressman. Among those five are one who had a distinguished military career flying KC130s and commanding a NG airlift wing and a subsequent legal career, a physician who has personally witnessed the devastation of our medical system on the poor, a cyber security expert who understands Putin's assault on our elections and advocates net neutrality, a small businessman who has started several successful businesses in one of poorest rural regions of the state and an attorney who had a career in education before becoming a lawyer who works on educational issues and with local businesses. At least two of those five are also avid environmental advocates. What is our current Congressman's background? He still owns a debt collection business specializing in collecting student debt. IOW, he too profits from the swamp and super pacs. At any rate, that's my rant for the day. If you care about environmental issues, no time in my life is more important than the present to fight the fight. And there is no place that is more effective in doing so than the environmental movement and political realm. This is supposed to be a "blue wave" year. Find someone you can support and do so. And, oh yeh, get out and enjoy our natural places while you can.
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Paul Downey wrote:
I give up my habit of driving and so use less oil. That depresses world oil prices and that means someone in India thinks it's worth buying a car. Are you sure you have thought this through?
Lord save us from people who insist nothing be done until we have in hand a perfect, 100% solution...
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As we consider the end of human civilisation as homo sapiens (sic) destroy the ecosphere I'm not sure bleating about "diversity" is helpful. Some things are more important than identity polictics.
Wouldn't it be nice if our universities were on the leading edge of the sustainability movement, rather than focused on dividing us along lines of DNA demarcation that are imagined to be important?
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-06-04/university-michigan-now-has-al... The University of Michigan currently employs a diversity staff of nearly 100 (93) full-time diversity administrators, officers, directors, vice-provosts, deans, consultants, specialists, investigators, managers, executive assistants, administrative assistants, analysts, and coordinators.
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" Wouldn’t it be nice if our universities were on the leading edge of the sustainability movement, rather than focused on dividing us along lines of DNA demarcation that are imagined to be important? "
And along with that thought Jim I could add local, state and federal governments (supporting a sustainability movement) and perhaps more to the point would be a paradigm shift away from the ‘endless growth’ mentality that seems to be a part of the DNA of homo sapiens.
Developing a lifestyle that scales down is a challenging concept. Acceptance that humans have overshot the limits to growth is neither popular or easily fixable so the elephant in the room continues to contemplate whether or not to have butter on it’s popcorn … or just sit and watch.
I have been making compost regularly and I have been following the 18 day Berkeley method which Geoff Lawton describes in his permaculture course. It works well and I have been considering scaling it up to help improve the soils where our non-profit group plants an annual potato patch. For starters, I have used my tractor to turn the heap instead of the pitchfork. And as I sat observing my wonderful pile of compost last evening I also noted that I invariably want to scale things up!!!
FWIW, I do think an exponential growth pattern to the sustainability movement would be appropriate.
Coop

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I apologize for jumping in without having read all of the comments in the string completely. I think it is worth while to resuscitate a humiliated experiment from the first wave of ecological awakening in the 60’s. Namely psycadelics. Not as a party drug or a colorful distraction, but used with purpose and intention to help us individually dissolve the collective ego of our society. After all, ego (specifically human ego) is what is driving most if not all of the crisis of our time. These drugs are reported to help dissolve the perceived barriers between “I” and “other”. In the 60’s Timothy Leary irresponsibly lobbied for an overtrhow of the establishment using these compounds to wake up the world. Well intentioned, but poorly executed, this led to a demonization campaign against them.
A few facts about the traditional pyscadelics (Mushrooms, LSD and DMT (Ayahuasca):
-They are non-addictive (in fact, they have successfully been used to treat addiction and help alcoholics and smokers break the cycle).
-Not everyone should take them. Those with a family history of mental health issues may be triggered by them, but they are generally non-toxic and safe in any does if you’re able to grapple with the metal, emotional and spirtual questions they bring forward.
-A significant percentage of people who experience high does (ego-dissolving) GUIDED sessions report them as being the amoung the most significant and important experiences of their life. On par with the birth of a child or marriage.
-They have been studied for the treatment of anxiety and depression with encouraging results. Reports are that they help people reconnect with nature and a concept of “oneness” allowing us to move towards acceptance and in some cases self actualization. (Steve Jobs is reported to have shared that an LSD trip was one of the driving factors in his success.)
I personally believe that Leary was right and that a large enough percentage of people exposed to these compounds can change the course of the world. However I believe that we need to do it in a measured way that is consistent with the existing scientific zeitgeist and respectful of the existing power structures even when they don’t deserve respect.
Michael Pollan just published a book on the topic that renewed my interest after 15 years away. I highly recommend it as a starting place if you’re curious. Here’s the amazon link, but please buy it from a local bookseller if you can. https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Mind-Consciousness-Transcendence/dp/1…

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I also meant to add that when administerd to terminal cancer patients, psilocybin has been reported to greatly reduce anxiety and in some cases completely alleviate the fear of death…seems relevant to this conversation.

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Jim H wrote:
Wouldn't it be nice if our universities were on the leading edge of the sustainability movement,
I'm afraid the education "industry" has been captured by the rest of industrial. Education keeps getting more expensive, and industry is picking up the tab, along with funding the research. Ya gotta dance wit dem what brought 'cha. (And a Halto Hat Tip to Ivan Illich, who opened my eyes to the industrialization of education, as well as medicine, law, and just about everything, these days.)
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Hello Chris-
Thanks again for yet another fantastic article. I have followed you and your blog now for over 10 years.
I have had a re-occuring thought which I believe can be a powerful tool to diminish the powers that be in this world. And anyone with a roof over their head can participate in a grassroots movement in this way.

Change the world by letting people live with you (each of us) for free for a while…long enough anyway so they can earn and save money and that they have a chance of buying a place of their own with cash. And then will the property to relatives or charities upon death. This will deny money and wealth to the power brokers such as banks. The powers that be only understand PROFIT and they use that profit to corrupt our political systems and influence our media to their own gain and to the detriment to the 99% of us.
Take away their money and you take away their power!!!
We need to find a way to give power to the 99%

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Quote:
" Wouldn't it be nice if our universities were on the leading edge of the sustainability movement, rather than focused on dividing us along lines of DNA demarcation that are imagined to be important? " And along with that thought Jim I could add local, state and federal governments (supporting a sustainability movement) and perhaps more to the point would be a paradigm shift away from the 'endless growth' mentality that seems to be a part of the DNA of homo sapiens.
I agree, if that's your dream, go out and find local and Congressional candidates who agree with you, campaign for them and vote for them. They are the ones who fund public universities and scientific research. The hard right funds its causes, the rest of us hopefully fund research. Probably most on this forum don't have a memory as long as mine. In the 70s the alt-right was born with the Phyllis Schlaflys of the world and the hard right fundamentalists. They were smart. They started organizing locally in school board and municipal elections and spread their venom for the next few decades culminating in the Triumplican gov't we have today. IOW, they had a long term vision that they mestastacized into a national ruling administration more than half of Congress and the Supreme Court. If the left and middle don't learn from that lesson, we all lose in the long term.
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Jim H wrote:
As we consider the end of human civilisation as homo sapiens (sic) destroy the ecosphere I'm not sure bleating about "diversity" is helpful. Some things are more important than identity polictics.
Wouldn't it be nice if our universities were on the leading edge of the sustainability movement, rather than focused on dividing us along lines of DNA demarcation that are imagined to be important?
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-06-04/university-michigan-now-has-al... The University of Michigan currently employs a diversity staff of nearly 100 (93) full-time diversity administrators, officers, directors, vice-provosts, deans, consultants, specialists, investigators, managers, executive assistants, administrative assistants, analysts, and coordinators.
Jim, From your post, I assume you think this is a 'good' thing. I went to the linked article to see what it was about. The focus I got from the article was that higher education is getting much more expensive - partly because of all administration functions. The paragraph after the one you quoted stated that more than one quarter of these "diversicrats" earns over $100K per year. The total salary is $8.4 million. With benefits, the total price tag tops $11 million. (Since pensions are horribly underfunded, the true long term cost will likely be much higher.) To justify their salaries, they have to make changes to the whole process. That complicates the bureaucratic mess and impedes those who support the basic function of higher education - to teach. How does that improve sustainability? All that money has to come from somewhere. No wonder tuition prices skyrocket the way they have. The costs are easier to quantify. What is the real benefit? Those chosen for these positions may have various ethnic backgrounds and one or more of the known genders, but if they think and act the same way as a bunch of white males stuffed into that same box, is it really diversity? I just don't get it. Please don't interpret this post that I'm against diversity. I've worked for rotten white males (and others) who got promoted due to reasons other than competence and integrity. I've also worked for females and those with a deeper tan than mine who were wonderful people and great bosses. The great bosses motivated me to do my best. The rotten ones motivated me to do the bare minimum so I could avoid their wrath. Grover