Greetings WoefulOne,
I apologize for the members that have posted harsh words thinking your first post was a joke and for those that have lost the kindness of the heart for others. They may have thought that a new person would post in the Welcome section or in the Psychology section. Moderators may want to move this thread to the Psychology section for proper consideration.
Your issues appear mostly related to the Psychology forum and the Planning For The Future forum. There is much information there with people starting to solve the Peak Oil issues for their own understanding and development.
There was a poster (along with many other threads in that forum)that had similar “no way out” thought patterns that can trap others into unproductive thoughts and actions.
http://www.peakoil.com/fortopic33455.html
Abacourix: I really, truly believe there is no way out. No matter how experienced a woodsman or farmer you are; there is NO amount of preparation that can possibly prepare oneself for the full range of consequences of peak oil.
Several years ago, I went into a severe psychotic shock after having learned about peak oil. I went CRAZY with it.
I decided to go the furthest possible means with my PO preparation - namely, learning how to thrive as a hunter-gatherer. I didn't like the idea of being a gardener or farmer, because that required a permanent residence (which can be attacked and stolen and taken over) farming requires climatic stability - and in the age of climatic change, this doesn't look very positive!
I have learned many good things. I am very adept at trapping deer; pounding cattail rhizomes for flour, making fire from a bow-drill and all sorts of wonderful skills associated with living without any reliance on modern technology whatsoever. I chose this route because I wanted to be prepared for the worst possible scenario that I could.
But alas, several years later, I still don't feel as though I am safe, at all. The more I think about it, the more I recognize that there are so many dangers completely outside of the range of an individual human being's influence. This includes widespread diseases and biological warfare; being in the wrong place at the wrong time (and other accidents), nuclear warheads, ecosystems being depleted by OTHER people wanting to survive.
I think I am going to die soon, no matter what.
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You can read the helpful sections their and refer to the details there.
My response to Alacourix would also apply to you even if you have not done any preps for the Peak Oil and related crisis’s:
Hello Abacourix,
What I have below might be of help.
>I really, truly believe there is no way out. No matter how experienced a woodsman or farmer you are; there is NO amount of preparation that can possibly prepare oneself for the full range of consequences of peak oil.
Very true, none of us will get out of life alive. However there are many ways to go, generally good and bad: as in long happy life and die peacefully in your sleep vs. fear, pain, suffering, torture, rape and a nasty death.
>I decided to go the furthest possible means with my PO preparation - namely, learning how to thrive as a hunter-gatherer. I didn't like the idea of being a gardener or farmer, because that required a permanent residence (which can be attacked and stolen and taken over) farming requires climatic stability - and in the age of climatic change, this doesn't look very positive!
Well done, you are better off than most people! Back in the 1980’s I was almost sure the Russians were going to nuke us and the best thing left to eat would be a two headed squirrel if I survived the attack and any squirrels survived. I really expected to die if that happened in the 1980’s because there was nothing I could do about it at that time. There were some close calls with the Russians but there was not WW III. Y2K was a small risk (10% chance of big problems, 10% chance of medium problems, 10% chance of small problems, and 70% chance of nothing at all) but I really did not expect much to happen. I was prepared for all but the 10% big problems and just did not have the resources to do any better.
Peak Oil is different than the WW III nuking in the 1980’s and Y2K risk, it will happen and soon and it will kick all of our asses in one way or another. The world that we have grown up in must stop and change. We have all grown up in a energy “Summer” we are now in a energy “Fall” and a harsh “Winter” is coming. None of us will live long enough to see another energy “Summer” but some of us will live to see a new energy “Spring”. Part of this change is risk management and part of the change is getting ready to be happy or sad with less. Since you have practiced and are prepared to be happy with less, the changes that are coming will not hurt you or hurt you as much. I am still getting prepared but I believe this change is necessary and good to get people and culture responsible again. The energy party was fun and the clean up is going suck for most but you will probably be OK.
>But alas, several years later, I still don't feel as though I am safe, at all. The more I think about it, the more I recognize that there are so many dangers completely outside of the range of an individual human being's influence. This includes widespread diseases and biological warfare; being in the wrong place at the wrong time (and other accidents), nuclear warheads, ecosystems being depleted by OTHER people wanting to survive.
The first step in avoiding a trap is to know of its existence and then plan to not get caught in the trap. You might not feel safe but you actually are much safer than most. Even chance favors the prepared mind, just like you. By knowing that there are diseases and possible biological warfare you can do something about it. Most of these things would burn out in months in your area. As long as you are not a wage slave like me paying off debt, you can sit back avoid others and pop out when things are better. I will be a slave for a about four more years and then I too can watch the world spin from a distance. I cannot save everyone but I would be able to save myself and some of those around me. Even big strong bears hibernate for the bad times of winter. Even if you are big bear strong and tuff, just chill out away from others and you will be OK. Nukes are very nasty and very destructive with both severe short term and long term effects. Stay away from down towns of big cities and have a way to get out of the down wind without being in the mass of refugees and you will be OK. Ecosystems damage will happen slowly and you can move around. There is some great wisdom in staying at least 50 feet above sea level. If a sever drought hits one year, you should already have some supplies to make it to another year or have the ability to go to another area that is not screwed up. If holding up in one location is not good, just travel by RV on land and sailboat on water. Remember, the principle of limited entropy in the world will generally protect you: Things can only get screwed up so much at any one time so go to the areas that are not so screwed up.
>I think I am going to die soon, no matter what.
Possible for anyone but not very likely. It is best not to dwell on creepy thoughts even if they can happen. There is no good reason to dwell on low probability issues. Wasteful of your limited resources. Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t do. You have worked hard and you knowledge and training will make a difference by giving you options that most don’t have. You cannot stop death, none of us are immortal, but you can put it off for a very long time if you are not very old and you want to live.
If you want some inspiration from great people who should so well in PO times without having to read lots of books check out:
Peak oil: A primer on remaining human
http://hydrocarbonman.com/index.html
Druid perspectives on nature, culture, and the future of industrial society
http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/
And last but not least, Jesus Christ really does love you. I am not talking about Churchianity or man’s interpretation of spiritually mixed with local culture often called religion. I am talking about pulling out your Bible and letting it talk to you. It will if you want it too.
You might have something like:
http://hydrocarbonman.com/blogs/peak_pessimism.htm
“One night the pressure got to me. I went outside to finally have it out with God. The sky was filled with stars - an unusual sight in the city - so I figured someone must be home up there. If you've seen the movie Forrest Gump - in which Lieutenant Dan, who lost both legs in Vietnam, lashes himself to the mast of a shrimp boat during a hurricane and screams at God, "Is that all you've got?" - then you know the mood I was in. I don't think I actually said, "Damn you!" but I came close. I went out to nail my list of grievances to the door of the universe: no job, no money for diapers, no retirement, no security for my kids.
Then something happened that probably happens more often than we know when people are under such stress: the sky spoke back. What I "heard" in response to my tirade astonished me, shut me up, and set the course of my life for the next 15 years (and still going). Now I'll share it with you:
The Voice calmly said, "If you believe that the future is just more of the same, a long highway climbing, uninterrupted, all the way to the horizon, then you are right; you'd better have a good job, health insurance, a 401k plan, and a college fund for the kids. You'd better know how to navigate corporate politics, the stock market, and the shark-infested waters of the IRS.
"But if you consider for a moment that the future is not more of the same, but is radically different from anything you've ever known, then you are going to need different tools and different skills to meet it. You might need to know how to live on much less, grow your own food, and overcome a hundred crippling consumerist addictions. You might need to learn a whole new way of thinking. The trouble you're in is not a bad place to start."
That was it. No thunder, no lightning. Just a little something for me to think about. I've been thinking about it ever since. I started looking at the world without my "the-future-is-today-only-moreso" bias and quickly realized the storm clouds were already gathering on the horizon, for all to see: peak oil, climate change, water shortage, terrifying vulnerability to technology, industrial agriculture, and a dizzying host of toxic waste products in our water and food supply. And that was just the short list. Our way of life was obviously not sustainable. Why hadn't I seen it sooner?”
Take care like you have been doing!
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End of my section to Abacourix but there is much hope for people that what to do something to improve their specific conditions in the "Psychology" forum and in the "Planning For The Future" forum
You will have to start doing preps to prepare yourself for what must happen without divine intervention, which I don’t think God will give, at least not on a fully planetary basis. God gave us a chance to have a great world and we blew it over 30 to 40 years ago. It is our mess now an we will have to clean it up the hard way. How hard it hits you personally will depend on your specific circumstances. Preparing will not stop the bad things from happening to the world but they will greatly ease what might happen in your specific life and circumstances.
Most meds can be stored and their might be alternate solutions that can be used. You might think a specific medical condition is unique but it really is just a extension of other necessities food, water, air, shelter, clothes, tools, etc. You store food and water, then also store your specific medicine, etc. Just store what you cannot make yourself or trade for in a energy and money poor future.
Good luck in your preps!
by WoefulOne » Sat 15 Mar 2008, 19:34:56 
