Living on the Banks of Denial
It’s
been a long time since my last, pre-election blog. I made several false starts
at resuming it since then, but the words just weren’t coming. But my reading
and learning has continued unabated,
and now it’s time to share some thoughts.
been a long time since my last, pre-election blog. I made several false starts
at resuming it since then, but the words just weren’t coming. But my reading
and learning has continued unabated,
and now it’s time to share some thoughts.
But
before I get into that, I have to let you know that the time has also come to
say goodbye to betterworld.com. It’s a sad development for me personally, but
the offer and the timing was right. (It will be sold to a fine and altruistic
organization called Better World
Books.) I will be moving Better World to a new domain. This blog will be
located at http://www.getreallist.com.
So they will be offline for a while as I make the transition, and this will
probably be my last blog at the current site.
before I get into that, I have to let you know that the time has also come to
say goodbye to betterworld.com. It’s a sad development for me personally, but
the offer and the timing was right. (It will be sold to a fine and altruistic
organization called Better World
Books.) I will be moving Better World to a new domain. This blog will be
located at http://www.getreallist.com.
So they will be offline for a while as I make the transition, and this will
probably be my last blog at the current site.
GetRealList will also be taking a few turns. First, it will focus almost
exclusively on energy, because my conviction has been steeled that energy is all
that matters going forward. Politics, at least in the US, is all but a lost
endeavor at this point. The corruption of our leadership and media, and the
revolving door between politics and big business, has effectively nullified any
real hope for working within the system for change and for the welfare of the
common man. This era belongs to the captains of industry, and there’s really no
time left to turn the ship around, even if populists did manage to gain some
control over it again.
exclusively on energy, because my conviction has been steeled that energy is all
that matters going forward. Politics, at least in the US, is all but a lost
endeavor at this point. The corruption of our leadership and media, and the
revolving door between politics and big business, has effectively nullified any
real hope for working within the system for change and for the welfare of the
common man. This era belongs to the captains of industry, and there’s really no
time left to turn the ship around, even if populists did manage to gain some
control over it again.
Second, it will be less oriented to disseminating information, and more focused on my
opinions. I have learned that those who are
willing to do their own research can find the information themselves, and those
who aren’t, didn’t read the articles I was sending around anyway. And finally, it will be a lot less concerned with building consensus, and a lot more about cutting straight to the truth, as I see it.
opinions. I have learned that those who are
willing to do their own research can find the information themselves, and those
who aren’t, didn’t read the articles I was sending around anyway. And finally, it will be a lot less concerned with building consensus, and a lot more about cutting straight to the truth, as I see it.
The one thing I will say about politics, at this juncture, is that
everything progressives need to know about why we lost the last election, and
how we lost it (aside from the many instances of corruption and dirty dealing at the
polls), and what we need to do next, is contained in a slim (119 page),
easy-to-read volume called Don’t Think of an Elephant:
Know Your Values and Frame the Debate–The Essential Guide for
Progressives
by cognitive scientist
George Lakoff. Buy it, it’s a lousy $8.00. Read it. Get ten copies for your
friends. Seriously.
everything progressives need to know about why we lost the last election, and
how we lost it (aside from the many instances of corruption and dirty dealing at the
polls), and what we need to do next, is contained in a slim (119 page),
easy-to-read volume called Don’t Think of an Elephant:
Know Your Values and Frame the Debate–The Essential Guide for
Progressives
by cognitive scientist
George Lakoff. Buy it, it’s a lousy $8.00. Read it. Get ten copies for your
friends. Seriously.
OK, on
to the world today.
to the world today.
I
started GRL essentially as an attempt to educate myself, and others, about 9-11.
The nearly four years since then has taken me on a wild ride of discovery,
learning things about geopolitics, energy, geology, history, and lots of other
topics in which I really had no interest previously. It’s been a long spiraling
path, leading to this core understanding: as Bob Herbert
wrote yesterday in the New York Times, “It’s the oil, stupid.”
started GRL essentially as an attempt to educate myself, and others, about 9-11.
The nearly four years since then has taken me on a wild ride of discovery,
learning things about geopolitics, energy, geology, history, and lots of other
topics in which I really had no interest previously. It’s been a long spiraling
path, leading to this core understanding: as Bob Herbert
wrote yesterday in the New York Times, “It’s the oil, stupid.”
Ironically, one of my first posts to the blog was a letter
to the editor that I wrote to the New York Times, just six days after 9-11,
asking why nobody in the major media was looking at the oil issue, or trying to
add up the true cost of it, including blood and national treasure. From there, I
learned about Hubbert’s Peak, our histories with oil producing nations, and many
other facets of our desperate dependence on black gold. On the whole, it’s a
pretty sordid story. I suppose I can understand why people have been reluctant
to face it.
to the editor that I wrote to the New York Times, just six days after 9-11,
asking why nobody in the major media was looking at the oil issue, or trying to
add up the true cost of it, including blood and national treasure. From there, I
learned about Hubbert’s Peak, our histories with oil producing nations, and many
other facets of our desperate dependence on black gold. On the whole, it’s a
pretty sordid story. I suppose I can understand why people have been reluctant
to face it.
We’ve
come a long way in these four years. The Peak Oil theory, considered a few years ago to be part of the
conspiracy fringe, has been amply supported by all credible sources, and is solidly in the mainstream of the public debate, worldwide. The media are finally
starting to take a clear-eyed look at the problem. President Bush and
Congress have been briefed on it. In 2005 alone, it has been publicly addressed by
ChevronTexaco (I’m sure you’ve all seen their big “Will You Join Us?” ad campaign), ExxonMobil,
Royal Dutch Shell, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett
(MD), the heads of the state-owned oil companies of Saudi Arabia and Iran, and
many others. A whole host of books and film documentaries about Peak Oil have
hit the stores, and television has gotten into the act. Not surprisingly, it was
also a key topic at the annual
Bilderbergers meeting.
come a long way in these four years. The Peak Oil theory, considered a few years ago to be part of the
conspiracy fringe, has been amply supported by all credible sources, and is solidly in the mainstream of the public debate, worldwide. The media are finally
starting to take a clear-eyed look at the problem. President Bush and
Congress have been briefed on it. In 2005 alone, it has been publicly addressed by
ChevronTexaco (I’m sure you’ve all seen their big “Will You Join Us?” ad campaign), ExxonMobil,
Royal Dutch Shell, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett
(MD), the heads of the state-owned oil companies of Saudi Arabia and Iran, and
many others. A whole host of books and film documentaries about Peak Oil have
hit the stores, and television has gotten into the act. Not surprisingly, it was
also a key topic at the annual
Bilderbergers meeting.
However, we’re still a dishearteningly long way from anything resembling
a solution. As Christopher Swann wrote this week for the Financial
Times, ‘America
is still in denial about energy.’ The entire roulette wheel of
justifications for going to war with Iraq has been proven false, but we still
don’t really believe, at least in any public way, that it was about oil. We are
worried about global warming, which is quickly getting worse and worse, but the
US still stands alone in the world, claiming that it needs more study before we
make any sacrifices, or the gods of industry will be angry. Oil companies are
making obscene record profits, but no sacrifice is asked of them to help
lead us to a sustainable future. Indeed, the new federal
energy bill, which passed the House today, will give them another $2.6 billion
in tax breaks, even as people across the country are dying from the heat, being
unable to afford or find a safe place with air conditioning, and paying record
prices at the pump. As usual, a pittance will be given to investment in
renewables and efficiency, while fuel economy and reducing our reliance on
foreign oil are still sacred cows in Congress.
a solution. As Christopher Swann wrote this week for the Financial
Times, ‘America
is still in denial about energy.’ The entire roulette wheel of
justifications for going to war with Iraq has been proven false, but we still
don’t really believe, at least in any public way, that it was about oil. We are
worried about global warming, which is quickly getting worse and worse, but the
US still stands alone in the world, claiming that it needs more study before we
make any sacrifices, or the gods of industry will be angry. Oil companies are
making obscene record profits, but no sacrifice is asked of them to help
lead us to a sustainable future. Indeed, the new federal
energy bill, which passed the House today, will give them another $2.6 billion
in tax breaks, even as people across the country are dying from the heat, being
unable to afford or find a safe place with air conditioning, and paying record
prices at the pump. As usual, a pittance will be given to investment in
renewables and efficiency, while fuel economy and reducing our reliance on
foreign oil are still sacred cows in Congress.
In the
New York Times last week, two articles in the A section caught my eye: one was
about the opposition
to siting new LNG importation facilities in Long Island Sound (to bring in
natural gas by ship, mostly from the Middle East, to fuel electricity plants),
and another was about the opposition to
a new wind farm proposed near Prattsburg, NY. In that same week, the East
Coast saw record consumption of power, as people tried to cool off with A/C, and
a couple of blackouts. But not one word was printed about looking to the future,
or tradeoffs between power and comfort. As if all these things were bizarre
abberations that had nothing to do with each other. As if the GWOT and resources
had nothing to do with each other.
New York Times last week, two articles in the A section caught my eye: one was
about the opposition
to siting new LNG importation facilities in Long Island Sound (to bring in
natural gas by ship, mostly from the Middle East, to fuel electricity plants),
and another was about the opposition to
a new wind farm proposed near Prattsburg, NY. In that same week, the East
Coast saw record consumption of power, as people tried to cool off with A/C, and
a couple of blackouts. But not one word was printed about looking to the future,
or tradeoffs between power and comfort. As if all these things were bizarre
abberations that had nothing to do with each other. As if the GWOT and resources
had nothing to do with each other.
Instead, the bright bulbs in our nation’s leadership propose extending
daylight savings time by a couple of weeks, and renaming the GWOT to the Global
Struggle Against Extremism.
daylight savings time by a couple of weeks, and renaming the GWOT to the Global
Struggle Against Extremism.
Yeah,
that will make a big difference. Good one, guys.
that will make a big difference. Good one, guys.
Meanwhile, we’re on a collision course with China. The trade deficit,
their $243 billion purse in US
debt, their aggressive pursuit of energy(including US oil companies), their
growth rate (9.5% last year), and our currency valuation against theirs all
add up to trouble. We’ll probably see it in the energy arena before we see it in
trade or currency, but even that is a tough call. Let’s not forget that their population is 4 1/2 times ours, at 1.3
billion vs. 295 million. And yet, even these things are dealt with in the press
as if they were all separate issues.
their $243 billion purse in US
debt, their aggressive pursuit of energy(including US oil companies), their
growth rate (9.5% last year), and our currency valuation against theirs all
add up to trouble. We’ll probably see it in the energy arena before we see it in
trade or currency, but even that is a tough call. Let’s not forget that their population is 4 1/2 times ours, at 1.3
billion vs. 295 million. And yet, even these things are dealt with in the press
as if they were all separate issues.
Oil
depletion. Global warming. Population. War and Terrorism. They’re all about the
same thing: Energy. It’s really a nasty picture.
depletion. Global warming. Population. War and Terrorism. They’re all about the
same thing: Energy. It’s really a nasty picture.
All Together Now
So let
me try to put it all together for once.
me try to put it all together for once.
As
Richard Heinberg put it, the
party’s over. Our capitalist leaders know that the game of cheap and easy
oil is up, along with the dreams of continual growth, personal wealth, and world
dominance. They know that our entire way of life is unsustainable, and they’re
going for broke to squeeze out the last bits of profit and protection for
themselves while they still can.
Richard Heinberg put it, the
party’s over. Our capitalist leaders know that the game of cheap and easy
oil is up, along with the dreams of continual growth, personal wealth, and world
dominance. They know that our entire way of life is unsustainable, and they’re
going for broke to squeeze out the last bits of profit and protection for
themselves while they still can.
You,
dear reader, are being hung out to dry. You’re going to be left holding the bag,
with a dangerously damaged environment, diminishing energy, a ruined economy,
and few of the essential skills you would need to live without all the
accoutrements of the modern world. You’ve been sold, screwed, blued and tatooed,
used like cannon fodder in wars for the enrichment of the rich, used like slaves
for your labor in building a house of cards, used like a cheap whore for the
pleasure of the powerful. And you’ve done it willingly, because you were
promised a piece of the action if you only complied.
dear reader, are being hung out to dry. You’re going to be left holding the bag,
with a dangerously damaged environment, diminishing energy, a ruined economy,
and few of the essential skills you would need to live without all the
accoutrements of the modern world. You’ve been sold, screwed, blued and tatooed,
used like cannon fodder in wars for the enrichment of the rich, used like slaves
for your labor in building a house of cards, used like a cheap whore for the
pleasure of the powerful. And you’ve done it willingly, because you were
promised a piece of the action if you only complied.
The
industrialized world is in denial. They don’t want to believe that our bizarre
weather patterns of recent years are only the first days of many. They won’t
give up their profligate lifestyles without a fight. They look at war as a
cost-benefit analysis. They look out for themselves, and the generations to come
be damned.
industrialized world is in denial. They don’t want to believe that our bizarre
weather patterns of recent years are only the first days of many. They won’t
give up their profligate lifestyles without a fight. They look at war as a
cost-benefit analysis. They look out for themselves, and the generations to come
be damned.
What’s Next?
What
happens next is anybody’s guess. I have tried to come up with a mere 20-year
scenario, and it’s really really difficult. But there are a few things of which
we can be sure, and you’re going to start feeling them in the next couple of
years.
happens next is anybody’s guess. I have tried to come up with a mere 20-year
scenario, and it’s really really difficult. But there are a few things of which
we can be sure, and you’re going to start feeling them in the next couple of
years.
Energy
will continue to get more and more expensive. In a short while, you won’t be
able to afford to fill the tank on an SUV. You will learn to like wearing
sweaters, and living without A/C. If you live in a big city or a suburb, you
will probably have to move. If you’re in one of the red-hot real estate markets
in the US, the value of your property will take a couple of sickening drops.
Your money and investments will devalue. You will find it increasingly difficult
to buy–or even get–food. Water will get scarcer, more expensive, and harder to
clean. The less essential your work is to basic survival, the more likely it is
that you will lose it. You will have to learn some things that your grandparents
or great-grandparents knew, about frugality, repairing instead of
replacing, and the basic skills of sustenance. Our worldwide population
will decline, willingly or unwillingly.
will continue to get more and more expensive. In a short while, you won’t be
able to afford to fill the tank on an SUV. You will learn to like wearing
sweaters, and living without A/C. If you live in a big city or a suburb, you
will probably have to move. If you’re in one of the red-hot real estate markets
in the US, the value of your property will take a couple of sickening drops.
Your money and investments will devalue. You will find it increasingly difficult
to buy–or even get–food. Water will get scarcer, more expensive, and harder to
clean. The less essential your work is to basic survival, the more likely it is
that you will lose it. You will have to learn some things that your grandparents
or great-grandparents knew, about frugality, repairing instead of
replacing, and the basic skills of sustenance. Our worldwide population
will decline, willingly or unwillingly.
What Now?
If
you’ve made it this far, good for you. You might have the stuff to give you a
fighting chance in the future.
you’ve made it this far, good for you. You might have the stuff to give you a
fighting chance in the future.
There
are still a lot of resources out there you can turn to, to help you prepare
yourself for the future. Educate yourself. Learn as much as you can. You will
have to change your lifestyle around, to dramatically reduce your energy needs,
and your dependence on modern society. Here’s a short list:
are still a lot of resources out there you can turn to, to help you prepare
yourself for the future. Educate yourself. Learn as much as you can. You will
have to change your lifestyle around, to dramatically reduce your energy needs,
and your dependence on modern society. Here’s a short list:
Get
out of your car. Ride a bike or walk.
out of your car. Ride a bike or walk.
Live
in a smaller house, find co-housing, or make your house much more energy
efficient.
in a smaller house, find co-housing, or make your house much more energy
efficient.
Grow
some of your own food, and produce some of your own energy (solar, wind,
biofuel). Learn about permaculture.
some of your own food, and produce some of your own energy (solar, wind,
biofuel). Learn about permaculture.
Learn
some basic
skills.
some basic
skills.
Get to
know your neighbors. Do what you can to integrate yourself with a small local
community. Find the common threads between you, and resist the forces that seek
to divide you.
know your neighbors. Do what you can to integrate yourself with a small local
community. Find the common threads between you, and resist the forces that seek
to divide you.
Reconcile with your family, you’re going to need each other.
Build
cash and eliminate debt.
cash and eliminate debt.
Get
into shape. You’re going to need to do a lot more physical activity than you’re
used to.
into shape. You’re going to need to do a lot more physical activity than you’re
used to.
Stop
having children.
having children.
Develop your cooking skills, especially for vegetarian
dishes.
dishes.
Pay
attention. Learn something about the rest of the world. Do your own research.
Don’t rely on the media that comes to you. Develop the skills of critical
analysis. Stop thinking that if your friends and neighbors think like you do,
that you’re right. Turn off your TV. Read.
attention. Learn something about the rest of the world. Do your own research.
Don’t rely on the media that comes to you. Develop the skills of critical
analysis. Stop thinking that if your friends and neighbors think like you do,
that you’re right. Turn off your TV. Read.
Be
courageous. Fear is the mind-killer. Overcome it.
courageous. Fear is the mind-killer. Overcome it.
Pray.
It’s
not an easy transition to make, for those of us living large at the top of the
roller coaster. (I set a pretty poor example, myself.) Some people will find it
too difficult, and give up. We’re are at a critical moment in human history, and
some of us will choose to fight and live, while others will succumb. At least
you have a choice, and a chance. If you’re willing, take it. The window of
opportunity is short.
not an easy transition to make, for those of us living large at the top of the
roller coaster. (I set a pretty poor example, myself.) Some people will find it
too difficult, and give up. We’re are at a critical moment in human history, and
some of us will choose to fight and live, while others will succumb. At least
you have a choice, and a chance. If you’re willing, take it. The window of
opportunity is short.
More
after the move. If you can stand it.
after the move. If you can stand it.
–C