[guest]

Yes, I'm back for one more post. I won't entertain any arguments this time.

I've been doing some thinking lately, and I've come to the conclusion that the last 15 years of my life (at least) have been a metaphor for the Peak Oil situation. Allow me to explain.

I got out of the military, and went to work for a local company in Omaha as a programmer for a relatively small wage compared to other programmers. I accumulated a lot of debt, took a second job to help pay the bills, but it wasn't enough. Through a series of unfortunate events (a car repossessed and an accident totalling the other one), I found myself in bankruptcy court, and living in my mother-in-law's basement (equating to the oil shock of the early 70s). Did I learn from this, and downsize my life to try to avoid this in the future (i.e. - conserving energy and planning for the future)? Well, for a time, yes (the Carter administration), but only because circumstances forced me to. Then I found a better paying position in Minneapolis, and soon started to live beyond my means again (the Reagan administration). This was followed by another bankruptcy (more oil shocks and recession of late 80s/early 90s). My income rose, and eventually my wife and I relocated to Denver, with even greater income. However, we found ourselves in a deficit-spending mode again, buying new cars while still owing too much on the trade-in, taking out student loans, etc. (sound like the 90s yet?). There were times I recognized this as unsustainable, and definitely seeing the constant quest for ever-increasing income to support an ever-expanding lifestyle as undesirable (Peak Oilers, environmentalists, etc.), but I was stuck until I could finish my bachelor's degree. Also, my wife and I took on several foster kids (population explosion, due to increased availability of resources). Well, two months after I graduated, I was laid off from my high-paying IT job (the Crash), had to relocate somewhere cheaper (Omaha in my case), and again had to take a second job to pay off the previous debt. Subsequently, we gave the foster kids back to the system (die-off), and my wife took a job to help pay off the debt (austerity measures and sacrifices that will likely take place in the future). Now, my primary employer may be on the verge of going out of business (economic collapse), and I may find myself back in bankruptcy court to discharge the unsecured debt. Of course, now that I've learned the painful lesson repeatedly, I know that it's time to downsize my life to eliminate debt and save money (institute a more sustainable economy). The challenge I face is convincing my potentially skeptical wife (the optimists) that a scaled-back, less consumer-oriented lifestyle is neccessary for long-term survival, comfort, and stability. It could be that I might have to leave her in order to scale-back my life (war).

How's that for a metaphor? Using this as an example may be a good way to introduce the topic of Peak Oil to my wife (which I've only barely begun to do).

[aldente]

Guest,

This is a strong tobak as we would call it in Germany, in particular with "giving back the foster kids". Now, the reply to this post is of a timespan more than a year and there is a good chance that this response might not reach you - and even if so, I guess it would not make a difference, but my best wishes to you man and also to your wife the optimist.

[Lokutus]

Troof city.