[in_nowhere]

you have officially ruined my week and creeped me out!

I'm not totaly in the dark about PO, we watched a movie called "The End of suburbia" in my Cultural Anthropology class and that was pretty depressing in and of itself. I didn't think there was anyone out there taking it seriously though!!!!! And I find this place and people are talking about living in communes, or in self sustaining houses, ack!!!!

Our family lives on 5 acres so I'm not a total idiot about animals and growing food etc. I love animals and we have a pretty big garden, though it couldn't sustain us. The idea of an off the grid house is intresting but I have no idea how to make it work.

What really scares me is tha I am barely starting college and depending on when this really hits I may not even have a job to prepare with. What is the general thought on that anyways? 15 years? 20? Is it going to come slow and then kick in or just knock us out one day?
Something that has been nagging at me though is that with PO why worry about global warming?

[Cobra_Strike]

Bah...don't get too down. Its unlikely you have that long.

Really though, me too. I started collage and ended up so depressed I stopped going to class. I ended up dropping out, and have managed to collect my thoughts.

I am hoping that there will at least be books, because I do enjoy learning.

The storm in Oman could make things bad waaaaaay faster then many people have feared. Keep updated about the damage over the next few days. If Oman is shut in for any length of time it could test OPEC's spare capacity. And determine if there is any at all.

Then...well...I hope your drinking age wherever you are.

Popcorn anyone?

[KhanCEO]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('in_nowhere', ' ') What is the general thought on that anyways? 15 years? 20? Is it going to come slow and then kick in or just knock us out one day?

[Cobra_Strike]

No offense to Matt...but he scares me with some of his site updates. Well, its not his fault. He is not making the news after all, but none the less. O_o

If you like more in depth information analysis check out

TheOilDrum.com

From time to time they have wonderful, reasoned articles and well thought out discussions. Quite often daily.

We here at peakoil.com are largely doomy. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Just to warn, Matts site lifeaftertheoilcrash was my first 'sit down and read the whole damn thing' peak oil blurb.

[EDIT] from theoildrum
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/2629#comment-198483

If you look in that picture down the road....notice how there are power poles but no buildings. That place got fucking erased.

[birchm]

The way I see it, knowledge of peak oil can be either a curse or a gift depending on how you view challenges in your life. I'm in a somewhat similar situation and have done the following:

Given that my current living situation is not exactly stable, I've decided instead to use the little time I have left to raise capital for rural land after the inevitable economy bubble bursting resulting from PO takes place. All of these suburban homes being built out in BFE will be had for pennies on the dollar. By keeping my assets in countries that have balanced budgets and economies based upon real value, I will be able to afford it. I see this as an opportunity to begin a new life more in line with what I've wanted for a long time.

If you have any way of raising capital.. whether through work, internships, or student loan refunds, I highly suggest socking money away in bonds and mutual funds held in a currency other than the USD.

[mark]

I recall my first few days after being exposed to the concept of peak oil. All I could think was, "I had plans." So, I started my research and soon discovered all the things we "could" do to avoid the disaster that loomed.

Then, reality set in.

It took many months of research and discovery, dashed hopes, and failed schemes to finally reach UNDERSTANDING.

It's not just an energy problem. Nor is it just a financial problem. Climate change is only part of it.

Human nature has already set our course. Most who live it will call it a disaster of world wide proportions. I have only vague notions of how it will play out; nothing concrete that I could write here. But, it won't be pretty.

And yet, it will be the most exciting time in recent history, a time few of us will relish but some will see for the tremendous learning opportunity it presents.

Those of us alive now are most fortunate to have been given this opportunity. We are here because we've been chosen to go through this time of great change. Those of us who see what's coming are entrusted with knowledge, use it wisely.

Get the dvd of the movie "Children of Men." Before watching the movie, watch "the possibility of hope," which is a bonus feature.

Then, live your life.

[Aaron]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')omething that has been nagging at me though is that with PO why worry about global warming?

[Madpaddy]

mark wrote,
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')uman nature has already set our course. Most who live it will call it a disaster of world wide proportions. I have only vague notions of how it will play out; nothing concrete that I could write here. But, it won't be pretty.

[snowshoegal]

Hello and welcome, in_nowhere!

You are not alone in feeling freaked out. Check out Peak Oil Blues, a site run by a group of psychotherapists concerned about the emotional impact of the early stages of peak oil awareness. (I am not involved with the site, just found it to be a helpful resource when I was first learning about PO.)

[horsedrawn]

Welcome aboard! yes it all can be very depressing. But in that u can find out who u are, and what u are going to do with this knowledge?
u have 5 acres of tillable land?? and do u know how to grow food with out chemicals and man made fertilizer? And how to save your own seeds to replant the next year. these things can keep u learning for the rest of your life. so hang tough and move on with a new line of thought.

[Pops]

Hi again nowhere, I just posted to your water question in the planning forum.

Of course I am partial to that forum but I will say that if you go back through the old pages there you will find several threads asking just what you are, perhaps they might help.

Getting creeped out is a good thing, I would suggest continuing with your studies until you read enough here and at the various other site (the oil drum, etc) to make a somewhat informed decision – not that anyone is totally informed.

[pup55]

Hello, in_nowhere:

Better listen to Pops.

We get young people on here all the time, asking the same questions as you. You never know what will happen in the future. You are just creeped out about one alternate scenario. I think the odds favor a slow, annoying decline, rather than a complete collapse.

Sorry we baby boomers managed to make such a mess of things. We had a couple of chances to change the trajectory: once was in 1980, and the other in 2001. We screwed up in both cases.

Anyway, what to do: Keep in mind that any decline that happens does not need to be distributed equally. If Heinberg is right, the poor nations of Africa and Asia will feel the heat a long time before we will. When it starts to hit us, those of us that are the least prepared will do the bulk of the suffering. This being the case, you still have time to at least be alert to the idea of increased competition for jobs, resources, etc.

I stopped by the mall this afternoon on the way home. I did not have anything to buy, so I just people-watched:

In the big sporting goods store, I saw a 300 pound 60 year old, trying out a reclining lounge chair.

A group of fat 12 year old boys was crowded around a video game console.

A three year old boy was laying on the floor not far from the food court, screaming at the top of his lungs. The mother was hovering over him, trying gently to negotiate him into standing up and walking.

Groups of young females with big shopping bags were walking around talking on cellphones.

An Asian security guard with a bad complexion cruised by on a Segway.

So, here is your competition. Make sure you are in better shape, smarter, and/or more determined than this group, and you will be fine.

[Twilight]

Welcome.

I guessed at the rudiments of peak oil many years ago while at school. It started off as a hunch. Now I'm in the infrastructure sector because of it. I picked the right classes just because I knew this would be the place to be. And it is.

It's what you make of it.

[Pops]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pup55', 'I') stopped by the mall this afternoon...
Make sure you are in better shape, smarter, and/or more determined than this group, and you will be fine.

[jeezlouise]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pup55', 'S')o, here is your competition. Make sure you are in better shape, smarter, and/or more determined than this group, and you will be fine.

[in_nowhere]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')hat's your major?

[kochevnik]

I think you're sweating the small stuff too much. Water falls from the sky in most places - get a barrel - or get a bucket and walk to a stream lake or river. Just buy a water filter - I've got a giant one - supposed to filter 60,000 gallons lifetime. Cost me $130 bucks.

You're in way better shape than 99 percent of the people who come here - you can hunt fish, you know how to do without and you're smart. You're here, it's still early and the fat lady has entered stage right, but she hasn't opened her mouth. Consider how bad off you'd have been if you hadn't of found us.

Pup had probably the best quote I've ever seen around here.

Thanks for that.

[in_nowhere]

I do tend to sweat the small stuff but I live out on the hilly plains of colorado, there are NO, and I do mean no, rivers, streams, trickles, lakes, or ponds anywhere around here and rain is few and far between. Crops have to be irrigated, its pretty dry.

I know that a hand operated well can only go so deep due to pressure or something like that, and I think ours may be too deep to work by hand. There are so many people in Colorado and not much water, wells go deep and they are starting to worry about how the suburbs will get water in 20 or so years. They actually started diverting water away from the farms.

[Cobra_Strike]

Rape our food productive capacity to irrigate suburbia? Where have I heard that before....

If you know your area enough to think its unsafe, you might want to go with your gut feelings. No water means unlivable, plain and simple. however its still possible to have dew collectors and get some water...not enough for farming, just to live off.

[in_nowhere]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')f you know your area enough to think its unsafe, you might want to go with your gut feelings. No water means unlivable, plain and simple. however its still possible to have dew collectors and get some water