[Chris25]

Re post-

Going to uni with PO in mind seems like a very daunting thing. You think why am I wasting three years of my life, when by the time I leave there is a high chance PO has been crossed resulting in very high inflation and economic decay.

The decission to go is also fueled by the fact people around you do not believe PO at all. You get hit with stuff such as- "engines are getting more and more efficient" "we have 40 years left" bla bla bla.

edited the old post and it disappered. So apologies for this shorter post.

[americandream]

They'll get to you mate..unless you become uber-anti..in which case you end up like me...being called a cynic and universally detested.

I'm not too sure whether being oblivious or curious is better. No matter what you do, the buggers aren't going to change and there's 6 billion of them these days and not an awful lot of space around..

[lateStarter]

Welcome aboard Chris25. Nice first post.

I understand exactly how you feel. I have recently had to go back to work to keep the funds for our 'project' going. It is very difficult at times to play the role of an interested and motivated employee when you know that the whole house of cards is about to collapse.

I actually like what I do and the subject matter, but it all seems so pointless. The only thing I want at this point in my life is to spend whatever remaining time I have on our farm out in the country. As it is, I only get out there once per week. A few hours out there and I feel like a new person. Hopefully, by September we will move there for good.

You actually have a great advantage going for you - you are young. In addition to everything else you are already doing, I would suggest learning some skills that you think might prove useful in the near future. Good luck...

[RonMN]

Welcome, glad to have you on board!

I'm sure you and I and many other posters have several things in common...while i still have my old friends, i find it difficult making new ones. Even my old friends simply don't wish to look at PO so I've stopped mentioning it.

Hopefully they'll forget i ever mentioned it because i don't want them parked on my doorstep when TSHTF!

I'm also looking for some acres...but i think prices will be a whole lot lower in about 6 months time.

[JasonHam]

Your so young to feel the way you do. Which indicates to me your mature beyond your years. Its took me 25 more years to become that jaded. Although, you are a teenager. Teenagers go through "things". You can't even begin to understand how you will change in the next 5 -10 years. Dont latch on to "Peak -Oil" doomsday scenarios to solve all your issues with modern life. And beleive me, most intelligent people feel the same way about the stupid media fixation with "rubbish" and the "club" scene. The club scene quickly gets old for most people. Again, will the doomsday peak-oil scenario come to be a truth? NO ONE, can answer that question. No matter how many people on this message board are "convinced" that it will happen. There is a very small percentage of people who think Peak -Oil will end civilization as we know it. I think it will be more of a transition. And it will be for the better. The mass media rubbish wont be so important anymore, making sure you have heat and food for the winter will be. Whos going to care about Bradjolie when they need to work with their neighbors to ensure they have food and heat in the winter? But , Mad Max was a movie!!!

[Iaato]

Hi, Chris 25. Welcome. You sound very bright and very mature for your age. This is tough stuff to get faced with at any age, but probably worse when you've got your whole life ahead of you.

I'm responding to this post because as I read your post, I thought about my daughter, who is 20 and going to college. (Must be emo day for me.) At one point last year, after hearing my talk of peak oil, she said, "why should I bother with a degree in marine biology?" And that's a good question. And it's a very important one.

You have the vision to recognize that the system is about to shift in a big way. Will there be negative things that happen with the shift? Yes. Will there be positive things that happen? Yes. So the question is, how do you prepare yourself for the change and yet maintain your life and grow as a person?

Well, first of all, get to the basics. At your age, your major tasks in life are becoming independent from your family and developing relationships with others. Those tasks are primary, and should take precedence over worrying about peak oil. Places like this can help, but it also is necessary to have local f2f relationships with others.

(Don't get me started. My 20yo fossil-fuel queen chose a school, Miami, at the far end of the continental U.S. from Anchorage. Then she met her bf online with WOW while working in San Diego. And he's in Montreal. Tell me that her criss-crossing the continent is not sustainable! It's a race for her to finish school before the oil runs out.)

So make friends online, but also make some good friends locally. If necessary, save the peak oil diatribes for this list--many people your age really aren't ready maturity-wise for this kind of burden, but they can be a lot of fun in other ways. And this is a good place to get those feelings aired without burdening friends who don't want to face it. I hear you about the withdrawal, but consider that that is a negatively reinforcing feedback loop. Not a good long term solution.

And I challenge you to think positively about the system. A wise man said that a natural turndown and descent in the system can be prosperous. For every negative outcome that you see, I challenge you to contrast that with a positive. So you can no longer go on a 4 hour spontaneous, vacuous joyride to the regional mall because of peak oil? So instead you plan a weekend outing with friends using mass transit or an overnight camping trip on touring bikes or skis, or stay home and throw a party at your house, thus doing something positive for both your social life and global warming. That's one example.

And having a broad, general education is the only thing that is going to prepare you to be the generalist that will be needed when the system shifts. A broad general education is what undergraduate education will give you. Especially in the sciences. Think of what a gift your knowledge of peak oil actually is. You have a curious, intelligent mind to have connected the pieces analytically, long before your peers. You're way ahead of the pack in terms of being able to adjust to the shift, and college will keep you there, ahead of the pack. And you're more likely to find similar simpatico peers in college than at the local pub. Did I say how important college was? (Yeah, I know, my daughter would be saying shut up at this point.)

Besides, what's the alternative? Obsess online with a lot of peak oil doomers (most older than you) and spin your wheels waiting in a frantic mood for something that will probably take a lot longer than predicted? I think I'd much rather have a blast in college.

[Chris25]

Thanks for the advice guys, it is much valued.

You are very much right about the whole peak oil scenario. The points that make life impossible to plan are- when will it happen? Will it be a disastrous collapse or slow transition?

I feel the best thing to do is prepare and as iaato said to find relationships. I also have to continue a "veneer" life in the modern world, because if the peak oil scenario does not occur within the near future then I could potentially waste my life away.

Another good thing about university is the fact that debt only has to be paid off if you are earning £15k+. I can also apply for a company contract in surveying and get most of my fees paid for.

Anyway thank you very much for the advice, I will continue to discuss matters on this forum and I hope that one day I find someone out there who I can relate to. Reading other threads on this forum, many suggest their loved ones do not believe in peak oil yet follow similar interests and lifestyles to themselves.

[Jellric]

Chris, you are not alone.

However I understand how difficult it can be when ones friends and family do not understand.

I am in a similar situation but older than yourself although my financial resources are not much better. One thing that has helped me, and may or may not help you, is to address the situation in a joking way with friends.

I worked my way into what proved to be mostly a soliloqy (sp?) about peak oil and its consequences to a friend. I honestly don't know whether he thinks I am correct or crazier than a shit house rat. I haven't asked him his opinion. But occasionaly I joke with him regarding him one day being the head of my "security team" when the zombie hordes arrive. He has indicated a preference for a shotgun so I have jokingly promised him one in return for protection.

On the surface it is just stupid joking behavior but I find it oddly comforting in a way. Who knows? When that day arrives our seeming little jokes may have made the transition easier. Maybe you can find something similar with your friends? I don't know. But good luck out there!