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Page added on August 13, 2016
Collapse Fatigue
When we initially awaken and realize life is not what we were taught, inner alarms scream for our attention. Even though we can sense a danger we didn’t previously perceive, we cannot judge how close it is. There is no scale to measure proximity, only the palpable fear of a real and present danger.
Naturally, most of us will desperately grasp for answers. How can this be? What does this mean? What do I do now? And who is to blame?
We need answers! Or at least we think we do.
As we search for answers, we find there is no shortage of players who are more than willing to supply us with all the answers to our now life changing questions. Most of these people speak with a voice of absolute authority, stating factoids and tidbits with complete certainty and conviction. Naturally they insist their truth must be your truth, for only a fool and still asleep sheep would reject self evident ‘truth‘.
Scared and desperate for answers, we eagerly listen to those who are brimming with explanations. We quickly discover the alternative media, where much of this information is promoted, is populated by a whole herd of people who arrived long before us, thereby seemingly affirming this new stream of stories and explanations as correct. Many of us find ourselves quickly, even gratefully, moving from our old herd to the new one.
Similar in structure to the world we are now rejecting, the alternative herd has many factions, some quite cohesive, others more fractured and splintered. There are survivalists, preppers, the woo-woo crowd, the intellectuals, the political activists, the militants and so on. There appear to be an unlimited number of cubbyholes where all sorts of kooks, geeks, homesteaders, healers and revolutionaries hang out. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you see another.
Within these groups there are many opposing approaches and opinions. Often, the same silliness and unnecessary drama we all experienced in junior high school, the office or perhaps within uncomfortable family situations, exists in these new venues where we find ourselves seeking answers.
The same propaganda techniques originally used to keep us in the dark about life are also employed in the alternative media. Scare tactics, faulty reasoning, ad hominem attacks and the always popular “science has proved…” or “history has shown…” neatly sum up tidy arguments for why you should now view life a particular way…..their way.
We tell ourselves we’re looking for truth. However, “the” truth is singular. The alternative media arrogantly claims a monopoly on truth in no uncertain terms. No chance they could be wrong, intentionally infiltrated with misinformation. Right? There are few along the way who will tell you there may be many truths, or that the truth for you may different than for me.
Eventually we find some perspective, even if it’s not the warm and fuzzy narrative the mainstream media often provides, then swallow hard and carry on. We create a new narrative to tell ourselves in order to try to make sense of all this new information. We begin to change some of our behaviors. Some of us change everything. Or at least we think we do.
As many of our readers know, after considering ex-patting (moving to another country) we chose a drastic lifestyle change and moved to our small mountain homestead here in Southwestern Virginia. By way of blogging about our experiences, we have talked to dozens of individuals and families who have either physically relocated or introduced at times radical changes into their lifestyle as a result of what they learned.
After several years of conversation a very interesting pattern has slowly emerged.
We prepare and ready ourselves for ( fill in the blank ). And we wait. It feels similar to a long wait at the oncologist’s office, a place we most certainly don’t wish to be. We dash to our appointment to see the doctor, then wait and wait in the reception area. We hurry to complete additional tests, then we wait and wait for the lab results. We rush to infuse the toxic drug cocktail, then we wait and and wait for the terrible side effects, all while praying for remission. It’s always hurry up and wait.
None of us actually wants what we are waiting for. But if it must happen, hurry up and bring it on so we can rip the band-aid off and move on.
The socioeconomic collapse, the disintegration of social and individual morals, the unraveling of the (perceived) American Dream, the fall of the American Empire, the foreseeable and potentially catastrophic interruption of goods and services, fossil fuel shortages, even the complete domination by the military/industrial/financial/big pharma complex has all turned into one big ball of hurry up and wait.
While we wait, each of us reassesses the costs and benefits of many of our previous decisions, then quietly adjust our inner narrative to align with our new findings. Lots of wiggle room can be found here to be used and abused.
Whether or not we are well adjusted to our new routine and altered mentality, we begin a fierce bargaining process with ourselves. This can often be heavily influenced by friends and family not being on board with the extreme changes we have made to our lives. Little or no personal affirmation can be garnered anymore from our formerly dependable emotional allies. Suddenly we are alone.
When we were an accepted member of the “normal people” herd, and in particular our own personal pod, we could get a quick pat on the back and the needed approval simply for wearing the right outfit, gossiping well at the water cooler or rooting for the right sports team. We could extract glowing admiration and unlimited confirmation endorphins if our display of wealth through luxury cars, fancy houses and high end accessories showed we excelled over others. Even the lowly trailer park has its own version of this tawdry behavior.
But then we woke up a bit and nothing looked as it once did. Worse, no matter how badly we want to be reinserted back into the matrix, we cannot un-know what we now know. Even if we pretend to ignore it, we can’t put the toothpaste back into the tube.
So we trudge forward. And we continue to hurry up and wait. And wait. And wait some more.
Now, collapse is a funny thing. Ultimately it is very personal, even though we tend to see it more as a process or societal event. For those who have already lost their job, their home or the secure structure that once defined their life, the collapse is already here. And those slowly bleeding out clearly see the collapse just around the corner.
This demoralizing ‘reality’ contrasts with those who still live within an insulated environment, often those who still receive massive infusions of government sourced money. For them, there has been no dramatic change in their reality. “What collapse?” they say. “I see nothing of the sort.”
We find them living within the ever expanding Washington DC suburbs, the closest you can physically get to the government cash register. Or the many college towns still bursting with economic activity paid for mostly with government backed student loans. And at hundreds of hospitals, along with the cluster of doctors and specialists offices huddled around them, all fed by direct infusion of health insurance, welfare, Obamacare and Big Pharma payments. There are many other examples, but you get the picture.
People who claim some awareness of things not being right will point their finger at the so-called sheep who trudge along day after day unthinkingly supporting the slowly decaying systems. And most of us who point fingers are quick to declare we are not them. We understand the evils now. We know it is unsustainable. We have taken action to address what we see happening. Whether this is actually true is beside the point. We believe it to be true, therefore it is ‘truth‘….for us.
So we continue to hurry up and wait. And wait. And wait some more.
At first, the extended waiting is a blessing in disguise. We have time to maneuver. We can make preparatory purchases and adjust our behavior. All of those answers we embodied to create our version of the truth can be acted upon. It’s all a grand bargaining with, and within, ourselves.
As part of the bargaining we might tell ourselves if we grow food and preserve it, we will not go hungry if ( fill in the blank ) happens. You know, so we can sleep a little better at night. Or if we grow those herbs and stock up on these teas, essential oils and some colloidal silver, we can treat or prevent many illnesses, thereby reducing our need for hospitals and doctors. Perhaps we purchase a quality axe and various other manual tools to back up the chain saw and other gas dependent conveniences we all take for granted. We should be sleeping even better now.
So we continue to bargain with ourselves in order to move forward. But ultimately, we are still waiting. And waiting. And waiting some more.
For many, the waiting becomes exhausting. And with exhaustion comes fatigue. We refer to this as collapse fatigue.
We have found many who had previously relocated have chosen to return to the cities or burbs where they can once again experience easy access to modern conveniences and social networks. There they find the affirmation they long for, which often comes from attending social events, shopping and getting together with friends and family for fun activities. By returning, perhaps they can get back to a more ‘normal’ existence since the crash/collapse/interruption of systems never seems to arrive.
Others who never relocated, but did make major changes to their way of life, grow weary, a bit embarrassed even, and are throwing in the towel and returning to more comfortable and convenient ways. Turning the back yard into a garden was a great deal of work compared to popping down to the local Stop & Shop for a store roasted chicken and a ‘fresh‘ salad in a bag. Don’t forget the false facade called dressing.
Besides, the neighbors were always making rude comments and no one was supportive. Worse, because zoning laws prevent or severally limit raising livestock, solar panels on the roof and rain collection systems, how self-sufficient could they have become anyway? At least that’s what they tell themselves.
And then there are those who adjust well to their new life. They show few signs of fatigue or regret for turning their lives upside-down. We think the difference is that at some point, either before or during their self transformation, they began moving towards the concept of a more physically rewarding and emotionally healthy future, rather than running away from perceived dangers, real or otherwise. Geographic cures rarely work, while personal transformation often does.
By moving toward an embodied vision of what it means to live well, to be safe and secure, life stops depending upon specific events to occur, or other people waking to join our new herd, for us to be happy, healthy and well adjusted to our new surroundings. When we begin to create our own reality because we want to, rather than because we feel we need to, only then can we free ourselves from the need for constant confirmation that anchored us to the self destructive world we once lived within.
Once we free our mind from the ties that bind us to our chains, we can more easily walk away from the need to be constantly confirmed in an old way of life that is neither natural nor healthy. The reason we desperately seek affirmation is because we all know deep down within our inner being that the old ways are addictive and self destructive. This truth is self evident, regardless how strong our denial may be.
The common thread for those who awaken, yet do not suffer from collapse fatigue, seems to be finding some degree of inner peace. The way forward is always rough, full of roadblocks and potholes, with two steps forward and one (or two) back. It can be a lengthy and frustrating process if we are reluctant participants.
The biggest stumbling block appears to be pangs of loneliness and isolation, the feeling no one really sees life as we do. Most of us find it very hard to function without the affirmation of the herd to assure us we are on the right track. We are programmed from birth to crave verification, especially when what we wish verified is contrary to our very nature.
But at the end of the day, just before we fall asleep, ultimately we are alone in our head. Upon awakening, it remains the same. When facing decisions throughout our day, no matter who else is in our life, we are the only one inside our mind thinking and reasoning through the choices. Once we accept we are indeed ultimately alone, we come to realize we, all of us, are united together in our aloneness. It is then we cease to be lonely. It turns out to find the others we must look within.
By doing so we free ourselves to think critically and outside the conditioned confines of the box, regardless of whether we think others will approve or not. Our point of view no longer needs to be validated solely by the crashing of the system we still quasi operate within and depend upon. The urgency to hurry fades as we are no longer on an endless treadmill to beat the coming ( fill in the blank ). This is the result of heading here and not away from there. Since there is no waiting, there is no collapse fatigue.
If we can perceive our awakening as the gift it truly is, then begin the self work needed to achieve some degree of inner peace, this new state of mind, body and soul enables each of us to get back to the business of living life rather than just gaming ways to survive it. For some of us, it feels as if we are living life for the very first time. Free to question everything without being required to accept anything, we can begin to create a new reality regardless of our geographic location.
After experiencing the initial blossoming of true inner peace, it becomes contagious and feeds upon itself. We give ourselves permission to reject stories and narratives we are told without the pressing need for an alternative ‘truth‘ to fill the resulting vacuum. Suddenly the carnival barkers who permeate the alternative media lose much of their luster and credibility.
We no longer posses a critical need to know exactly what happened, or is presently happening, only that what we were and are told is not truthful. This point of view holds true for much of what we learned in history class, about ‘our‘ government, modern medicine and even spirituality. We can free ourselves, bit by bit, to accept we may never know the ‘truth‘ about many important things. By doing so, we now travel the previously unseen path of genuine awareness and discovery. This in turn opens up sweeping panoramas and a greater understanding of a world once again new to us.
Perhaps the ancients are correct. It never really was about the destination, but rather the journey to live, learn and grow.
08-07-2016
Mr. and Mrs. Cog
31 Comments on "Collapse Fatigue"
makati1 on Sat, 13th Aug 2016 11:06 pm
“Perhaps the ancients are correct. It never really was about the destination, but rather the journey to live, learn and grow.”
The journey is the exciting part, and I am enjoying every second of it. The destination will not be what we expect, nor will we be ready for it when it happens. We never are.
I don’t want to die a soft, ‘did everything right until the end’ person. I want to slide into that last moment and say: “Whew, what a ride!”
If you do it right, one life is enough.
james boags on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 3:45 am
Great comment mak
Go Speed Racer on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 4:27 am
For philosophy of life, I prefer the original 1985 Highlander movie. You live forever, accumulating souvenir nostalgia objects all the way, winning sword fight battles against evil villains.
The scene in the church where the evil punk rocker is totally irreverant to the church-goers, is also very cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYzwls5uRxE
Apneaman on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 7:01 am
Here’s some folks feeling fatigued….and not just on paper.
‘Unprecendented, historic’ flooding swamps Louisiana and kills two, forces more than 1,000 to evacuate
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/unprecendented-historic-flooding-swamps-louisiana-and-kills-two-forces-more-than-1000-to-evacuate
A ‘horror movie’: Fast-rising floodwaters in Louisiana spark a state of emergency
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/08/13/a-horror-movie-louisiana-is-in-a-state-of-emergency-because-of-record-flooding/?utm_term=.f873ec3d1392
Davy on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 7:47 am
How about life is fatigue. It’s a bitch getting old and it ain’t for sissies.
Davy on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 8:25 am
How about this collapse fatigue?
“A Stunning Admission From Deutsche Bank Why A Shock Is Needed To Collapse The Market, And Force A Real Panic”
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-08-13/stunning-admission-deutsche-bank-why-shock-needed-collapse-market-and-force-real-pan
“In what may be some of the best, and most lucid, writing on everyone’s favorite topic, namely “what happens next” in the evolution of the financial system, Deutsche Bank’s Dominic Konstam, takes a look at the current dead-end monetary situation, and concludes that in order for the system to transition from the current state of financial repression, which has made a mockery of all asset values due to central bank intervention, to a semi-credible system driven by fiscal stimulus, there will have to be a crash, one which jolts policymakers out of their stupor that all is well simply because stocks are at all time highs. And since a legitimate fiscal stimulus is what is needed to re-ignite the economy, US and global GDP will continue declining, even as stocks keep rising to new all time highs, not on fundamentals (which are all pointing in the opposite direction), but due to even more central bank intervention and financial repression, thus a Catch 22, which ultimately – according to DB – ends in the only possible way: with a major crash.”
onlooker on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 8:35 am
Someone has reading the writing on the wall. Too bad they did not continue reading the part that states that no Fiscal Stimulus will be forthcoming and Crash and Panic are here to stay.
Cloggie on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 9:46 am
“Perhaps the ancients are correct. It never really was about the destination, but rather the journey to live, learn and grow”
The riddle of life solved.
It is the core of Friedrich Nietzsche’s idea of “Eternal Recurrence”. Live life such that you would want it to return indefinately… because that is what will happen. Sort of.
Life on earth could be symbolized by the “Eternal Adam”. Life begins with protoplasma and that life evolves, brings forth ever more developed beings, until their is nothing more to develop and life has mastered forces he no longer can control, everything is destroyed and life begins all over again, with all the joys, suffering, horror, victories and defeats.
Eternal Adam.
regardingpo on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 1:03 pm
“Perhaps the ancients are correct. It never really was about the destination, but rather the journey to live, learn and grow.”
And perhaps Mr. and Ms. Cog are just idiots.
“The riddle of life solved.”
Awww it must be comforting to have such silly beliefs.
makati1 on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 5:17 pm
The insanity is becoming visible.
“Violence Erupts In America’s Heartland As Milwaukee Becomes The Latest U.S. City To Burn”
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/violence-erupts-in-americas-heartland-as-milwaukee-becomes-the-latest-u-s-city-to-burn
Sixties redo or … ?
Apneaman on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 5:21 pm
Five dead, tens of thousands flee Philippines floods
“MANILA: Five people have been killed in the Philippines and tens of thousands have fled from floods caused by days of unrelenting rain, rescuers said Sunday. Civil defence officials warned residents of Manila and nearby provinces to expect more heavy seasonal rain over the coming days as more than 24,000 people sought refuge in schools and government buildings.”
http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/08/165473/five-dead-tens-thousands-flee-philippines-floods
Boat on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 5:34 pm
mak,
“Sixties redo or … ?”
Possible. Will it end with cops without guns? Maybe tranquilizer only guns?
Apneaman on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 5:41 pm
How climate change is rapidly taking the planet apart. Part 2: amplifying feedbacks, divestment
http://www.flassbeck-economics.com/how-climate-change-is-rapidly-taking-the-planet-apart-part-2-amplifying-feedbacks-divestment/
The planet is not going anywhere. It’s actually taking the human infrastructure apart. Like in this photo from Louisiana.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cp0l2OaWgAA-OYd.jpg
Boat on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 5:45 pm
“I don’t want to die a soft, ‘did everything right until the end’ person.”
Having a “good ride” in life can be a base jumping thrill seeker to the bible loving Amish. No human has the answers. However on a harsher note I would cheer Kim Jong-un being taken out. Go Hillary.
Apneaman on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 5:45 pm
Collapse process in GB.
Tenant evictions reach highest level on record
More than 170 tenants were evicted every day in England and Wales in 2015, according to Ministry of Justice figures
“The MoJ data shows the number of evictions increased by 53% over the five years from 2010, to the equivalent of more than 170 a day.”
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/feb/11/tenant-evictions-highest-level-england-wales-ministry-of-justice
Apneaman on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 5:56 pm
Boat, Kim going would be a release for millions – possibly. Who knows maybe he would be replaced by an even more oppressive military regime. See, capitalism doesn’t look so bad when you compare it to those poor bastards in North Korea eh;)
If it’s true that those folks are completely isolated from the rest of the world and brainwashed then they don’t know about peak oil, resource depletion, overpopulation, AGW, ocean acidafication, 6th mass extinction or that I’m awesome…….hey wait a minute. That’s the same as 99.9999% of the people in N America.
makati1 on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 5:58 pm
Ap, yep, we are getting rains, but they are the normal kind here. It is the “rainy” season. Not like those currently pounding the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi Valley.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/7000-rescued-as-storms-flooding-wreak-havoc-on-louisiana/ar-BBvzQXy
Most of Manila is not more than 10-15 feet above sea level and the lower areas do not drain well. As you can see in the picture in the article, the inhabitants handle such events as part of normal events. The street outside our condo tower floods to a foot deep when a typhoon goes past (rarely). You wear boots or just sandals and short pants and watch where you walk. All building entrances are built above the normal flood level. No basements. No flooded cars as there are few who can afford to own one. No lost appliances, for the same reason. Low actual damage. When the water goes down, things dry out and life move on.
makati1 on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 6:03 pm
Boat, it could end with a new Civil War and the destruction of many cities. One sign it is moving negative is when the white population joins in in a big way. We shall see.
Sissyfuss on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 7:37 pm
You called, Davy? I was busy rearranging my Elton John collection.
Sissyfuss on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 7:43 pm
Jeez Mak,now they’re rioting in Milwaukee
even when it’s a black cop killing an armed black guy with a long rap sheet and not the musical kind. I think they’re just bored.
Apneaman on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 8:55 pm
A Culture Driven By Fear: The Psychology of Collapse
“…we do our best, but our collapsing civilization is now so frantic, intimidating, undependable, constantly threatening and hostile to any healthy creature, and there is no place of respite, no harbour from its relentless onslaught, that violence (physical and psychological) and trauma have become endemic. You would think that compared to those who grew up in war zones or during great depressions, today’s citizens of affluent nations would have it easy, but we don’t — even in past times of crisis there was almost always an underlying social cohesiveness that served as a bedrock to “keep calm and carry on” until the horror ended, and there was a belief that it would end.
Not so today. I think there’s a growing, instinctive, subconscious realization that our civilization is nearing End Game, that “there is no future”, and I see a growing sense of anomie that disengages us from each other and makes us feel “hopeless”. Domesticated creatures like us, saddled with ‘selves’ and trapped between an often-troubled past and an apparently globally ghastly future, desperately need hope to function coherently. They need to believe, as past generations have, that with hard work and determination they can make the world better for their children than it was for them. Who now still harbours such delusions?”
http://howtosavetheworld.ca/2016/08/13/a-culture-driven-by-fear-the-psychology-of-collapse/
makati1 on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 9:28 pm
Sissy, I think they are about fed up with the way they have been treated for about 500 years and the recession/depression they are experiencing is coming out in violence. I see it increasing exponentially over the next few years. Spreading into the poor and middle class whites as more and more youth cannot find self-supporting work, even with a degree, and more and more families are put on the street by the banksters. During the last depression, the populace was not armed like the current ones are. And, during the last depression, most had family that owned farms they could go to. Not so much now. I see this as the excuse for the Police State to come out into the open and for a form of dictatorship in America.
This is just the beginning. The hate, fear and stress of the last 8+ years is coming out for all to see and the US MSM cannot cover it up or ignore it as anyone with a cell phone can video and send pics and videos across the world in real time. Was a time when cops only returned fire, not instigated it. Too many shootings that were NOT justified brought on this change.
I hope all of you that are stuck in the Police State are prepared for the next few years. I think they are going to be something you never expected or wanted. Buckle up!
Sissyfuss on Sun, 14th Aug 2016 10:21 pm
I know what’s coming Mak, I’m just trying to keep loose so as not to join the rock throwers when Hillbillary appoints Goldman Sachs as the official bank in charge of Social Security.
makati1 on Mon, 15th Aug 2016 12:18 am
Good for you Sissyfuss! I might be tempted myself, if I were there. I prefer to watch the show from the outside. I may have one more trip to the states when my step-dad dies, to help my sister with the cleanup and real estate sale. Then I will likely never darken those shores again. My family can visit me if they want to see me.
Cloggie on Mon, 15th Aug 2016 6:47 am
Talking about collapse and fatigue…
http://www.infowars.com/secret-service-whistleblower-hillary-has-major-neurological-problems/
… I wouldn’t be surprised if in the end Sanders would return to the presidential race.
Or, alternatively, Bloomberg. James Howard Kunstler would celebrate that:
http://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/the-agonies-of-sensible-people/
Wonder why that is…
roccman on Mon, 15th Aug 2016 11:46 am
I ran into collapse fatigue years ago – round and round we go.
Spiritual slavery is much more interesting and dire.
Last 9 words of Tolstoy’s War and Peace that i just finished reading:
“To recognize a dependence not perceived by our senses”.
green_achers on Mon, 15th Aug 2016 2:17 pm
“Perhaps the ancients are correct.”
What ancients would that be? Just wondering.
James on Wed, 17th Aug 2016 9:40 pm
All of the “good life” we are experiencing now, is just a flash in the pan lifestyle. We are really only supposed to live life at the agrarian level, close to earth, level. At this point, we should choose the things we need to live a healthy life such as medicines, non-energy using tools and machines, Etc., and let go of the high technology based life. I believe we will all be happier and healthier for it.
makati1 on Wed, 17th Aug 2016 10:17 pm
James, I totally agree and I am in the process of dong just that. Good luck.
ghung on Wed, 17th Aug 2016 10:20 pm
James; “…. we should choose the things we need to live a healthy life such as medicines, non-energy using tools and machines, Etc., and let go of the high technology based life. I believe we will all be happier and healthier for it.”
Gosh, James, are you doing those things? ‘Cause there is no “we” when it comes to changing behavior. Those changes are generally forced by circumstances, shouldisms be damned.
Davy on Thu, 18th Aug 2016 7:08 am
What should we do and does ethics matter for our fellow man and our Mother Nature? This is a complex question with no clear answers but it is profoundly vital. The big question I have is does it matter? It appears we rode one off the cliff and now are in a free fall into a collapsed civilization. We opened door that guaranteed doom. That door cannot be returned through.
There is little we can do as an individual to make a difference in a sense. We don’t matter so why not live life large and fast? Have it all that you can have and who cares about the consequences if it doesn’t matter. On the other hand it is the common efforts that create trends that can make a difference that may buy us time. If we practice relative sacrifice we can buy time for ourselves lowering the degree of destructive change. It is the degree and duration of shocks that determine a species survival. The same can be said about one’s local.
It comes down to time and measure in my mind. At the macro level we have cooperative competition of globalism where unknown peoples agree to a level of trust within a privacy of one’s rights to self-determination. At this level there is only so much common ground that can be reached. We are very different cultures connected in a loose socio-political arrangement. A world order is never going to really work because it can’t at the civilization level. Conspiracies of one and the likely desire of groups to have one will be incomplete because at this level control is lost and individual choice trumps centralized control.
This leaves the individual and his local. An individual has his connection to his immediate environment. This connection creates ethics. How do we live in our interaction with others and our respect for the environment that supports us? We have personal conduct and ethics within a greater macro situation of nations living together in an interconnected world. We have laws and customs. What should you do as an individual in this situation? The problem arises with personal value. Will you put value in relative sacrifice? Why should anyone sacrifice consumption for the environment if some Chinaman or ugly American is going to consume it anyway? Why leave fish in the sea if they are all being caught anyway. We all know the tragedy of the commons.
I believe we need a new code of conduct as a new man. We are no longer modern men we are now postmodern. We are in a new epoch and a new age. We have new meaning and it is not the meaning we once had. We have science to tell us what we had was wrong when we thought it was right. We have historical experience to look back on and see we are a failed civilization if we consider a test being sustainability and resilience of our species within the social narrative we created.
This new code of conduct should be one centered on localism and sacrifice. Sacrifice for two reasons. One reason is personal preparation for a life of less. The other is a common effort to adapt and mitigate a fall from affluence that was really nothing more than destructive behavior. We have science to tell us we are destroying our climate and our environment. It is not normal human nature to do this. Human values do not find value in destroying one’s home. We should have and do less because of this. If we embrace this code it will translate to a nation of change and a global change. That being said because of cooperative competition among diverse and separate people there is only so much that can be accomplished at the global. In fact talk of going local means even more competition and less cooperation.
It appears there is no hope at that level and that seals our fate to a collapse sooner than later. It is beyond the human ability to make necessary changes at the global level especially considering the degree of overshoot and the little time remaining. This leave you and your local. If you realize your behavior may not matter at and in the commons of the global but it does matter locally you will embrace localism to find meaning. This code change needs to focus on the local community and local environment. Downsize into that place. Fall down into a place bellow the radar of the global. Collapse in place in your local per your local to find meaning in collapse. Find strength in a connection to your fellow man and nature locally. Fight globalism and the modern that science and history has proven wrong.
Survival comes down to location at this point. Are you in a place where you can do these things? Can you connect to your fellow man at the level needed to cooperate and support each other? Is your local nature capable of supporting you so your efforts to support her will matter? I would say most urbanites in complex urban centers of dispersed living arrangements are not. Many in inhospitable places based upon extreme fossil fuel support are not. Many in the immediate crosshairs of climate change are not. I would say most global people who live between nations and travel the world are not. There is no hope for these people and their lives. We know where these places are so learn where your place fits into this test. They will fall into a local by chance without order. Many will be chewed up in that chaos and destruction that comes with and the end of the modern and the birth of the postmodern.
You can make a choice now to embrace this new age or you can take your chance on living this age off the cliff. That is your existential choice and it is a vital one. The vital is your life and your livelihood. “Choice” has never been so important nor will there be a second chance for most. Now is the time to make profound choices that will mean life and death for you and yours.