One of my esoteric teachers used to remind us, in the face of earthquakes and other natural disasters, that it's a living planet. Disasters strike. We are visitors here. The planet rules first. That awareness would be the sea to swim in that we didn't have to grapple with as humanity before we became industrial, and then we ignored to the peril we are in now. But, that mentality is necessary, and then you treat the living system with respect. We are one world, and first thing would be for everyone to be sensitive to that awareness.
We are temporary tenants here. We would have done well to recognize that and extend our lease. Our purpose is to take care of what takes care of us, the planet. That should be our uniting bond that transcends everything else. Indigenous people, yes imperfect, (they fought with each other, too) seem to know this much at least, which makes them far wiser than Western culture destroying everything in its path as far as I'm concerned.
My parents came from little to nothing and worked their way up to middle class. Proof of the success of capitalism, sure, for a lucky few, never mind the destruction of an inhabitable planet. Of course, they didn't know. Rachel Carson's Silent Spring didn't publish until 1962. Most people didn't know. My dad's first job was setting pins in a bowling alley at age 12. I grew up with a completely different perspective, that ebullience of the post WWII world long gone. I was reading newspapers by age 12 and watched Nixon resign on TV.
My parents were liberal, but didn't understand the destruction capitalism causes completely. My dad sponsored a poor child in Africa for a while, I remember the letters that would come back. However, by my mid-teens I could see and deeply felt how shitty the system was by how my father, the most ethical man anyone could ever know was treated as a college educator. Academia is just as vicious as the corporate world. Hence, move number six to Cincinnati at age 12.
Books as varied as Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, The Grapes of Wrath, and the works of Kurt Vonnegut informed me. The Tin Drum as well. Post WWII writers knew something each generation loses, perhaps our greatest Achilles heel.
What to do is a very individual question. For me confronting the crises we face through writing keeps me going. Most of the people in my personal life are disengaged, there's a place for that argument, too, if you feel resistance is futile. The most dire predictions point to no way out, but not fighting guarantees the worst outcome, so I choose to warn and fight for salvaging what we can.
Move, as in relocate? Ultimately, there is no safety. The collapse of the natural world our entire destructive economy is built on is inescapable as is the collapse of that economy, IMO. The most immediate danger and biggest killer is heat. I'm in the Buffalo, NY area. It's hotter than it was when I attended college 35 years ago, but not deadly. Proximity to Lake Erie is an asset, fresh water is not an issue. It's flat, so mud and rock slides aren't either. There is flooding potential though, and with that the possibility of water treatment facilities being overwhelmed. Three years ago we had a 48-hour blizzard because the lake didn't freeze over as it should. The moisture lifted and launched at the city. It was a completely different dynamic than the famous 1977 blizzard.
If I was in a hot place and cold afford to, I'd get out, I think that's the most immediate physical danger. Some of course are prepping. You might want to read Margi Prideaux who survived the Black Summer in Australia. She's deeply involved in building an independent community of diverse skills for when government collapses. Her approach seems well considered to me.
The best practice I have come across in my reading is to strengthen the community in which you reside. For a sensitive person like myself, I have been learning how to relate to others on their terms gradually. If you are a joiner, join local groups of like-minded souls. Above all take care of yourself, and grieve the loss of our climate stability with others, if not in person, then online.
That's sound advice. I'm not a joiner for better or worse. The moving I described and bullying I mentioned made me independent. I think it's simply my nature as an introvert as well. I have thought about involvement with people of similar concerns, but invariably spend all of my available time researching and writing. The conversations from these articles are very supportive for me.
I’ve been watching some informative shows about the natives in Alaska and the Arctic. Trust me, those folks are painfully aware of what is coming. One tribe leader said that they have been trying to relocate to a higher elevation. This is the 10th year of the relocation and they still are only 25% complete. The cost runs in the tens of millions of dollars. It looks very bleak.
As usual the Indigenous are sacrificed. Always falsely labeled as inferior, moving just one village of a few hundred costs tens of millions. Black people we enslaved are still largely trapped in our inner cities, where toxic waste and air pollution is most concentrated. They are sacrificed, too. Racism runs deeper than laws, or our occasional lame gestures towards justice. It's our social fabric.
A single heat advisory on Alaska seems like enough proof to me.
Hi Lillian. Yeah, it should be, right?
One of my esoteric teachers used to remind us, in the face of earthquakes and other natural disasters, that it's a living planet. Disasters strike. We are visitors here. The planet rules first. That awareness would be the sea to swim in that we didn't have to grapple with as humanity before we became industrial, and then we ignored to the peril we are in now. But, that mentality is necessary, and then you treat the living system with respect. We are one world, and first thing would be for everyone to be sensitive to that awareness.
We are temporary tenants here. We would have done well to recognize that and extend our lease. Our purpose is to take care of what takes care of us, the planet. That should be our uniting bond that transcends everything else. Indigenous people, yes imperfect, (they fought with each other, too) seem to know this much at least, which makes them far wiser than Western culture destroying everything in its path as far as I'm concerned.
Hard-hitting, humorous and personal, top post, Geoffrey. Curious to learn more about your upbringing now..
My parents came from little to nothing and worked their way up to middle class. Proof of the success of capitalism, sure, for a lucky few, never mind the destruction of an inhabitable planet. Of course, they didn't know. Rachel Carson's Silent Spring didn't publish until 1962. Most people didn't know. My dad's first job was setting pins in a bowling alley at age 12. I grew up with a completely different perspective, that ebullience of the post WWII world long gone. I was reading newspapers by age 12 and watched Nixon resign on TV.
My parents were liberal, but didn't understand the destruction capitalism causes completely. My dad sponsored a poor child in Africa for a while, I remember the letters that would come back. However, by my mid-teens I could see and deeply felt how shitty the system was by how my father, the most ethical man anyone could ever know was treated as a college educator. Academia is just as vicious as the corporate world. Hence, move number six to Cincinnati at age 12.
Books as varied as Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, The Grapes of Wrath, and the works of Kurt Vonnegut informed me. The Tin Drum as well. Post WWII writers knew something each generation loses, perhaps our greatest Achilles heel.
Thank you for sharing that.
Another salient reminder of just how close to the cliff we are ... and yes, what fool lights icecream on fire!
We all scream for...we all have to scream!
I'll recommend the book I'm currently reading, by Malcolm Harris. What's Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis
The path humanity is on right now plunges us into more of the worst we can imagine, and then on into the unimaginable.
Thank you for the recommendation. I won't be buying it on Amazon for sure.
Thank you immensely—comforting and constructive.
Thank you immensely. Wonderful reference and support. I appreciate you.
So what should I do? Move? Suffer? Share—?
First, I love that you're a beekeeper!
What to do is a very individual question. For me confronting the crises we face through writing keeps me going. Most of the people in my personal life are disengaged, there's a place for that argument, too, if you feel resistance is futile. The most dire predictions point to no way out, but not fighting guarantees the worst outcome, so I choose to warn and fight for salvaging what we can.
Move, as in relocate? Ultimately, there is no safety. The collapse of the natural world our entire destructive economy is built on is inescapable as is the collapse of that economy, IMO. The most immediate danger and biggest killer is heat. I'm in the Buffalo, NY area. It's hotter than it was when I attended college 35 years ago, but not deadly. Proximity to Lake Erie is an asset, fresh water is not an issue. It's flat, so mud and rock slides aren't either. There is flooding potential though, and with that the possibility of water treatment facilities being overwhelmed. Three years ago we had a 48-hour blizzard because the lake didn't freeze over as it should. The moisture lifted and launched at the city. It was a completely different dynamic than the famous 1977 blizzard.
If I was in a hot place and cold afford to, I'd get out, I think that's the most immediate physical danger. Some of course are prepping. You might want to read Margi Prideaux who survived the Black Summer in Australia. She's deeply involved in building an independent community of diverse skills for when government collapses. Her approach seems well considered to me.
https://margiprideaux.substack.com/
Just ran across this from Margi, a note published hours ago. This will give you an excellent sense of her experience.
https://substack.com/@margiprideaux/note/c-129733939
The best practice I have come across in my reading is to strengthen the community in which you reside. For a sensitive person like myself, I have been learning how to relate to others on their terms gradually. If you are a joiner, join local groups of like-minded souls. Above all take care of yourself, and grieve the loss of our climate stability with others, if not in person, then online.
That's sound advice. I'm not a joiner for better or worse. The moving I described and bullying I mentioned made me independent. I think it's simply my nature as an introvert as well. I have thought about involvement with people of similar concerns, but invariably spend all of my available time researching and writing. The conversations from these articles are very supportive for me.
Thank you kindly—wise advice all. I appreciate you.
I’ve been watching some informative shows about the natives in Alaska and the Arctic. Trust me, those folks are painfully aware of what is coming. One tribe leader said that they have been trying to relocate to a higher elevation. This is the 10th year of the relocation and they still are only 25% complete. The cost runs in the tens of millions of dollars. It looks very bleak.
As usual the Indigenous are sacrificed. Always falsely labeled as inferior, moving just one village of a few hundred costs tens of millions. Black people we enslaved are still largely trapped in our inner cities, where toxic waste and air pollution is most concentrated. They are sacrificed, too. Racism runs deeper than laws, or our occasional lame gestures towards justice. It's our social fabric.
From Baked Alaska to Baked Alaskans. Will the Iditarod have to use little red wagons instead of sleds? Insanity looms.
Maybe they can use military grade robo dogs, too.