[LadyRuby]

This will be a very atypical post for me. After coming to understand PO over this past year or so, riding the roller coaster of despair, hope, anger, fear, etc. I think I've come to a moment of clarity, and that's that it just doesn't really matter.

Living in fear of the implications of PO, or anger at our governments actions or inactions, just serves as a smokescreen keeping me from really living. I've come to understand that what I need to do is try to appreciate what's around me, live as if this is my last 30 minutes on earth. Go outside and notice the leaves changing, the sound of the wind, the smell of smoke, the birds singing to one another, the feel of the chill on my cheeks. This is all I have. If I take the time to notice life, it's truly amazing.

I've also come to understand anew that the only thing that really matters is love, and each of us has that available to us all the time. It's like there's a warm thick soft blanket of love and compassion over each of us, no matter how worthless, bitter, hateful, or undeserving we may feel. And when we die, we'll be rid of our earthly worries, fears, etc. and understand this connection, love, and compassion better. I feel that when we die we'll feel more alive than we do when we're living.

This doesn't mean we should live for the moment and forget about the future. Behaving in a loving compassionate way means thinking about the well-being of others and not using up all of our resources in a way that will make life more difficult for those that follow us.

I'm feeling like it's time to stop worrying, fearing, hating, and start living. Anyway, that's where I am at the moment, and no I'm not Christian (far from it) or even on drugs.

[MacG]

Great! You are right! And I hope many will follow the same path. In my humble opinion, your path is the path of the future.

[lateStarter]

I agree with everything you said except for this:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') feel that when we die we'll feel more alive than we do when we're living.

[gego]

Good. Acceptance has relieved you of the inertia brought about by all these negative emotions associated with the understanding of the peak oil dilema.

You are now free to move forward with plans to increase your survival chances in addition to enjoying the time you have.

[Byron100]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('LadyRuby', 'T')his will be a very atypical post for me. After coming to understand PO over this past year or so, riding the roller coaster of despair, hope, anger, fear, etc. I think I've come to a moment of clarity, and that's that it just doesn't really matter.

Living in fear of the implications of PO, or anger at our governments actions or inactions, just serves as a smokescreen keeping me from really living. I've come to understand that what I need to do is try to appreciate what's around me, live as if this is my last 30 minutes on earth. Go outside and notice the leaves changing, the sound of the wind, the smell of smoke, the birds singing to one another, the feel of the chill on my cheeks. This is all I have. If I take the time to notice life, it's truly amazing.

I've also come to understand anew that the only thing that really matters is love, and each of us has that available to us all the time. It's like there's a warm thick soft blanket of love and compassion over each of us, no matter how worthless, bitter, hateful, or undeserving we may feel. And when we die, we'll be rid of our earthly worries, fears, etc. and understand this connection, love, and compassion better. I feel that when we die we'll feel more alive than we do when we're living.

This doesn't mean we should live for the moment and forget about the future. Behaving in a loving compassionate way means thinking about the well-being of others and not using up all of our resources in a way that will make life more difficult for those that follow us.

I'm feeling like it's time to stop worrying, fearing, hating, and start living. Anyway, that's where I am at the moment, and no I'm not Christian (far from it) or even on drugs.

[azreal60]

I wish more of my family would get to the acceptance stage sooner. I'm not sure many of them ever will. All i want is to present the information to them and have them say ok. I don't even need them to alter their plans significantly, but if i don't tell my family about this, and they do nothing then, it'll be like not saying mom, that semi's about to hit you.

[Byron100]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('azreal60', 'I') wish more of my family would get to the acceptance stage sooner. I'm not sure many of them ever will. All i want is to present the information to them and have them say ok. I don't even need them to alter their plans significantly, but if i don't tell my family about this, and they do nothing then, it'll be like not saying mom, that semi's about to hit you.

[MicroHydro]

Agree 100%.

I have been with my partner for 8 years, but the last year has been the sweetest. When it became clear a year ago that we would never have a chance to wed in the US, we 'eloped' to Vancouver for a lovely ceremony. Though the oil age is grinding to an extended and ugly decline, we could still express our devotion to each other. The love of friends and extended family has also grown deeper.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '"')Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree."
- Martin Luther King Jr., quoting Martin Luther

[Dukat_Reloaded]

Again, good post. I think it's better not to believe in peakoil, even though oil is a finate resource like everything else, there are allways other options. I think economists are half right and Peaknils are half right. With a day worth of news, economicists will be optimistic and peakniks persmistic and each belittling each others views (eg simmons and lynch). In the 70's there was more fear than now. I believe it's stupid to be worrying about this stuff, I am totally unconcerned nowadays with peakoil, eg hurricanes or whatever, it doesn't matter, life goes on as usual with no change. More important issues are inflation and economic stablity problems because of bad government and irresposible fed chairmens. You should be preparing for that instead of peakoil.

[Dukat_Reloaded]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')nd when we die, we'll be rid of our earthly worries, fears, etc. and understand this connection, love, and compassion better. I feel that when we die we'll feel more alive than we do when we're living.

[LadyRuby]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dukat', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')nd when we die, we'll be rid of our earthly worries, fears, etc. and understand this connection, love, and compassion better. I feel that when we die we'll feel more alive than we do when we're living.

[Dukat_Reloaded]

My opinion of near death experiences or NDE is they hold little credit. Assuming a person has a soul, when someone has a NDE, their soul leaves their body, floats around and then re enters it. My question is, memories are stored in the brain, how can someone remember this when their brain has stopped functioning. I think people with NDE are dreaming as most likely there would still be some brain activity, and I wouldn't be suprised the brain creating some strange memories under the stress of dying.

[LadyRuby]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dukat', 'M')y question is, memories are stored in the brain, how can someone remember this when their brain has stopped functioning.

[EnviroEngr]

Kudos, LadyRuby.

You'll know by now an important milestone has been reached in your walk through this Land of Shadows.

To celebrate: http://music.yahoo.com/ar-260958-videos--Queen then scroll down to <Bohemian Rhapsody (Original) (1999)> and click on it. If you have media codecs installed, the sublime Freddy Mercury will serenade you with some reassurance.

Cheers --

[AmericanEmpire]

I agree with the subject of this post entirely. I have also come to an acceptance stage, finally after about 6 months of depression and anguish. Its a waste of my life to worry about Peak Oil constantly.

The world is not gonna change course before TSHTF so we are more likely gonna fall and fall hard. I can't prevent it from happening. If peak oil kills me it kills me. The simple fact is the odds dictate that if 5 billion people die world wide from a civilization collapse, then I will probably be one of them.

All I can do is live life to the best of my ability and enjoy each and every day as if its the last I will have.

[cat_gst1]

I was sitting in church today, I go to a Unitarian Universalist church, and received a very similar message, a message I know, but still needs to be repeated occasionally. I am very thankful for all the stuff I have in my life, but I think I am most thankful for life itself, the good and the bad. For if it were not for sorrow, hurt and fear how could we ever expierence joy, comfort and love. In this odd thing we call life, we seem have to experience the difficult to recieve the wonderful. Peak Oil and all the other scary things out there are just more adversity which, if we choose for it to, will allow us to grow, to expierence, to live more fully. What is the point if we don't live our lives as fully as we can? We do what we can to prepare for our future but, I think we get the most out of our lives when we live in the moment, savoring the everyday things which bring us joy. I do not know if there is some sort of afterlife or not, or some sort of meaning to life other than what I make myself, thus, it seems of upmost importance to me to not dwell in fear and hate but rather have the best life I can.

[cat]

Sorry, that last post under guest was mine. I forgot to login.


{fixed, sorta; EE}

[DarkDawg]

All very selfish thoughts. YOU are only concerned for YOUR own lives, how YOU deal with PO, or what happens when YOU die. Do any of you have children?

Only a few of YOU even mentioned your families. Are you not the least concerned with the legacy we are leaving future generations? YOUR inaction is their suffering.

YOU may no longer be concerned about PO and may have accepted it as the ultimate reality and choose to simply enjoy your meaningless life oblivious to PO's onslaught, but you owe much more to the planet that raised you.

Why is everyone so negative?
Why does everyone think they know exactly what will happen in the future (full collapse of civilization)? Nobody can predict the future.
Why do you all think that nothing can be done to help reduce the affects of PO?

I for one have not given up hope. I do accept PO and its POSSIBLE consequences, and that does mean I will do everything I can to prepare my family and my children for a better life. And yes, I do stop to smell the roses. However, I really feel that society can make a difference if people would stop thinking just about themselves for more than two seconds.

Besides, for those of you seeking more fulfillment out of life and claim to promote love as the ultimate savior, I can tell you there is no better joy in life than giving to those that are less fortunate than YOU.

...just something to think about this Thanksgiving.

[FairMaiden]

I think your thoughts are exactly why alot of ppl on this site sound sometimes like PO will be a good thing (myself included). Because the eternal optimist in me hopes that the rude awakening about our unsustainable society will force everyone to start living each day to the fullest. One need only go to a third world country in South America to see how happy ppl can be without technology. And they waste nothing - everything is recycled and reused. Often these societies don't want us to "help" them because they don't want their way of life altered. My way of life has been altered for the better from PO in the realizations it has given me.

[LadyRuby]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DarkDawg', 'A')ll very selfish thoughts. YOU are only concerned for YOUR own lives, how YOU deal with PO, or what happens when YOU die. Do any of you have children?

Only a few of YOU even mentioned your families. Are you not the least concerned with the legacy we are leaving future generations? YOUR inaction is their suffering.

YOU may no longer be concerned about PO and may have accepted it as the ultimate reality and choose to simply enjoy your meaningless life oblivious to PO's onslaught, but you owe much more to the planet that raised you.

Why is everyone so negative?
Why does everyone think they know exactly what will happen in the future (full collapse of civilization)? Nobody can predict the future.
Why do you all think that nothing can be done to help reduce the affects of PO?

I for one have not given up hope. I do accept PO and its POSSIBLE consequences, and that does mean I will do everything I can to prepare my family and my children for a better life. And yes, I do stop to smell the roses. However, I really feel that society can make a difference if people would stop thinking just about themselves for more than two seconds.

Besides, for those of you seeking more fulfillment out of life and claim to promote love as the ultimate savior, I can tell you there is no better joy in life than giving to those that are less fortunate than YOU.

...just something to think about this Thanksgiving.