Insanity, end of the world, etc.
Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 11:30 pm
OK, at risk of alienating some of you (my anonymous soundingboard), I present this stream of conciousness (with typo edits):
Insanity. Do you know when it happens to you? I wonder.... These days, I’m not sure I’m all there. No voices, no little people in my head. Just the oppressive feeling that I’m waiting for something to happen. Am I excited about it? Scared? I don’t know. Apprehensive maybe. The world is not shaping up to be as we’ve been told. I see the end of things. Not all things, just the ones we’re used to.
Cars. Who needs ‘em? Well, that’s the way most of us get to work, to see family, friends. Can we live without them? Sure, but not in this place—not in this way.
Electricity. Well, if there’s no one able to get to the power plants, the big E isn’t going to be around for most of us.
Climate. Yeah, well, maybe more of us will have beach-front property. This one makes the others seem pretty small when you really think about it. Wow, the crops won’t grow because the temperature belt and water availability have shifted.... Who would’ve thunk? Oh, right, those pesky scientists (some of us believed you).
Yeah, three biggies. I’m not sure what our world looks like without those three, but it can’t be all that and a bag of chips. Fuck. Maybe I am losing it. Who but a madman would conjure up these visions? We’ve been trained since birth to consume. The more you consume, the better person you are. Support the economy—it’s patriotic, fuckers. But what if it’s not sustainable?
I dunno. Maybe there’s something to be said for the romanticized worlds of yesterday. A cobbler’s life was a simple one. Hard yet simple. Me, I’d probably run a turnip truck.
Nobody wants to talk about it. I try with my wife but I can see the notions I suggest make her uncomfortable. She’s kind enough to tell me I’m not nuts and that maybe I’m a visionary who sees the big picture. Then she doesn’t mention it again.
Mom seems to relate and so does dad. But neither are in my space to talk to in great depth. It’s troubling that mom has become a doomer recently. Maybe it was her second divorce. She used to be pretty positive. Dad’s always collected guns just in case. Christ, maybe insanity is hereditary....
One old time friend thinks the peak oil theories are flawed. He’s an economist (PhD type) and continued growth (ad infinitum) is part of his religion. How could we run out of economically available oil? Not possible. Growth must continue.
I tried to breach it with another friend this weekend. He gets that we’re in a big fucking mess but clings to the belief that alternative energies can save us. Well, good fucking luck is all I can say. Nothing we can create in the near-term will replace the work we accomplish on the back of oil. Nothing. Period. Don’t believe me? Google EROEI. Read a little. Weep a little. If predictions are true that we’re at peak or even 10 years away, how do we gear up to replace with alternative energies that only produce a fraction of the energy that oil does in 10-20 years? It would take longer than that just to replace all of the vehicles on the road.... Then add the biggie wildcard of climate change. Uhg.
I guess what really worries me is that this shit has begun to pervade my dreams. Do most people dream of the end of the world the way we know it? I know many a story has been written about those characters (fictional and otherwise) that predict the end of the world. Have I become one of them? There’s no religion in my dreams. Unless you count capitalism, productivity, progress and the like. How do you know when you’ve reached the edge? Is peak oil synonymous with peak sanity? I’ve felt an underlying tension amongst many people lately. Maybe we all know the game’s up but most won’t admit it. Admission goes against the grain of our capitalist religion.
Then there’s this whole Iraq clusterfuck. Is this the beginning of the last great wars for control of the remaining oil? A last grab for a few more year’s supply? My aunt was a heroin addict (I say was because she ultimately lost the battle). The behavior is not entirely foreign to me.
I feel these things. I rationalize these things based on available data. I find truth in these things. I believe the truly insane aren’t aware of their condition. What if I’m not insane. That worries me most of all.
(oh, and this weekend I'll be replacing brake lines if it's not raining)
Insanity. Do you know when it happens to you? I wonder.... These days, I’m not sure I’m all there. No voices, no little people in my head. Just the oppressive feeling that I’m waiting for something to happen. Am I excited about it? Scared? I don’t know. Apprehensive maybe. The world is not shaping up to be as we’ve been told. I see the end of things. Not all things, just the ones we’re used to.
Cars. Who needs ‘em? Well, that’s the way most of us get to work, to see family, friends. Can we live without them? Sure, but not in this place—not in this way.
Electricity. Well, if there’s no one able to get to the power plants, the big E isn’t going to be around for most of us.
Climate. Yeah, well, maybe more of us will have beach-front property. This one makes the others seem pretty small when you really think about it. Wow, the crops won’t grow because the temperature belt and water availability have shifted.... Who would’ve thunk? Oh, right, those pesky scientists (some of us believed you).
Yeah, three biggies. I’m not sure what our world looks like without those three, but it can’t be all that and a bag of chips. Fuck. Maybe I am losing it. Who but a madman would conjure up these visions? We’ve been trained since birth to consume. The more you consume, the better person you are. Support the economy—it’s patriotic, fuckers. But what if it’s not sustainable?
I dunno. Maybe there’s something to be said for the romanticized worlds of yesterday. A cobbler’s life was a simple one. Hard yet simple. Me, I’d probably run a turnip truck.
Nobody wants to talk about it. I try with my wife but I can see the notions I suggest make her uncomfortable. She’s kind enough to tell me I’m not nuts and that maybe I’m a visionary who sees the big picture. Then she doesn’t mention it again.
Mom seems to relate and so does dad. But neither are in my space to talk to in great depth. It’s troubling that mom has become a doomer recently. Maybe it was her second divorce. She used to be pretty positive. Dad’s always collected guns just in case. Christ, maybe insanity is hereditary....
One old time friend thinks the peak oil theories are flawed. He’s an economist (PhD type) and continued growth (ad infinitum) is part of his religion. How could we run out of economically available oil? Not possible. Growth must continue.
I tried to breach it with another friend this weekend. He gets that we’re in a big fucking mess but clings to the belief that alternative energies can save us. Well, good fucking luck is all I can say. Nothing we can create in the near-term will replace the work we accomplish on the back of oil. Nothing. Period. Don’t believe me? Google EROEI. Read a little. Weep a little. If predictions are true that we’re at peak or even 10 years away, how do we gear up to replace with alternative energies that only produce a fraction of the energy that oil does in 10-20 years? It would take longer than that just to replace all of the vehicles on the road.... Then add the biggie wildcard of climate change. Uhg.
I guess what really worries me is that this shit has begun to pervade my dreams. Do most people dream of the end of the world the way we know it? I know many a story has been written about those characters (fictional and otherwise) that predict the end of the world. Have I become one of them? There’s no religion in my dreams. Unless you count capitalism, productivity, progress and the like. How do you know when you’ve reached the edge? Is peak oil synonymous with peak sanity? I’ve felt an underlying tension amongst many people lately. Maybe we all know the game’s up but most won’t admit it. Admission goes against the grain of our capitalist religion.
Then there’s this whole Iraq clusterfuck. Is this the beginning of the last great wars for control of the remaining oil? A last grab for a few more year’s supply? My aunt was a heroin addict (I say was because she ultimately lost the battle). The behavior is not entirely foreign to me.
I feel these things. I rationalize these things based on available data. I find truth in these things. I believe the truly insane aren’t aware of their condition. What if I’m not insane. That worries me most of all.
(oh, and this weekend I'll be replacing brake lines if it's not raining)