[Teclo]

I happen to believe peak oil is possibly the best thing to ever happen to us
'Us' meaning people alive today

To explain a statement like that probably means you have to think like me, which few do, or few admit to
That is, that our society is reaching a point at which it must confront itself and decide what it wants to do
It has nothing to do with which political or economic system we labor under, but what we believe life is about

Never before have so many educated people been led by so inept politicians, who have the least control over their population and led us straight into a crisis of epic proportions

The basic lie that people want the things that those in power give us, is crumbling, whether its wealth or enforced religion
All of these merely enforce control over us anyway

As a 'spiritual anarchist' peak oil could be a new opportunity to wrest control out the hands of the incompetant elite and into the hands of everyone else

This process has already begun with democracy, but it ground to a halt about 1970 when the old elites fought back. Now they are trying to dictate to us again

If I may predict, this is what they wish to see happen:
They will use peak oil and subsequent economic collapse to assert their rule on us with all their power. Martial law, erosion of democratic expression, control of media
All this will be used to assert their control over the people, for the purpose of maintaining the old hierarchical power structures, the have's and the have nots, the rulers and the ruled, the ego over the heart

But their plan will fail, because we will show there is an alternative, which is sharing the world's resources with others and not fighting in futile wars
I think peak oil will finally set the world on the road to peace, because it will either be peace or destruction

At the beginning I mention we were lucky
Thats because without peak oil in would be our descendants in a future time who would have the blessing of taking part in this, instead its us who have that honour

Martin

[BabyPeanut]

benefit of PO:

Peal Oil Means Never Having To Say You Are Sorry[TM]

[BabyPeanut]

Benefits of Peak Oil:

• Fewer traffic jams
• faster rush hour
• Less time waiting in line at the car wash

[Liamj]

I'm with you Teclo, and there are more than a few others. Have you read Ran Prieur or David Holmgren? Believe they'd support sentiment too, along with many sustainable population advocates, some proportion of greenies, just about all the pagans, and every misanthrope around (i hate them ).

Holmgrens latest book has, somewhere in it, a couple of para's about benefits of (i think) oil depletion, including to drug addicted &/or alienated youf of the West. I think thats a great point: the meaninglessness many feel is real: our lives do have little meaning (compared to bulk of human history) when surviving is a no brainer, with so much near-free food/shelter/mates available.
I'm no cityslickers-are-useless-eaters fanatic, and i'm NOT looking forward to actually living thru decline, but IMHO objectively its got alot of benefits.

[0mar]

The best thing about Peak Oil? A lot of Expletive deleted people are going to die and nothing can save them.

[Permanently_Baffled]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('0mar', 'T')he best thing about Peak Oil? A lot of Expletive deleted people are going to die and nothing can save them.

[Doly]

The great thing about peak oil is that people will start appreciating again generalists like me.

[Liamj]

True Doly, and the generalists in all of us (aw-w-w-w..). Nobody get bored working 5 days a week on same job? Particularly mundane or physically taxing jobs, mixing them up more with other skills/work/responsibilities will be ace for all of us. I set myself a <5day work week limit 4 yrs ago, one of best decisions ever made. Actually exceeding it currently, but not on quarterly avg.
The age of hyperspecialisation is coming to an end, hip hip hooray.