I’m convinced that civilisational collapse is a given; climate change and resource depletion are upon us and there’s little we can do about it. The basic problem is how we think about ourselves and our relationship to the rest of life. There are even indications that this might be hard-wired into us and if so, then what’s coming, in a sense, was pre-ordained.
There are too many of us, consuming finite, non-renewable resources and consuming renewable ones at an unsustainable rate. We’re also damaging the ecological systems that support life on this planet.
Mother Nature’s solution to our personal, human-induced crisis is to ‘cull the herd’. Millions will die in the ensuing collapse until our numbers are reduced to levels that the earth’s resources can support.
This is Basic Ecology 101, and anyone who doesn’t ‘get’ it is in for a huge shock in the years to come.
Since I became aware of the problems, I’ve been trying to get people to understand what’s ahead and to prepare. I’ve found that all I get is denial and anger (boy! do I get anger!), so I’ve decided that I won’t broach the subject of resource depletion or climate change with anyone any more.
What I’ll do is continue to make preparations; to attempt to become self-sufficient in food, water and fuelwood. It may not be enough, of course. If the majority don’t prepare, then those that haven’t will be coming to take what I’ve got from me as they scramble to survive. It may not do them much good either, since most won’t know how to maintain self-sufficiency even if they find it. Most people are ignorant of these basics, having become accustomed to the idea that someone else will always be there to grow their food for them, harvest and transport it to the nearest supermarket, and provide them with seemingly limitless amounts of water and energy.
The next few decades in humanity’s history should be interesting. Not pleasant …..but interesting.
June 11, 2010 at 8:05 am |
It most certainly will.
Good Luck with your preparations. I hope you can find a group of like minded individuals around your area so you don’t feel quite so much of an island. I know feeling like you have to do it all yourself is extremely stressful, thus I am eternally grateful to my local community harvest group and the Mt Districts permaculture.
Kind Regards
Belinda
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June 12, 2010 at 2:31 am |
Hi Belinda,
Thanks for your comments to my foodnstuff blog. I’ve replied there and have tried to post comments at your blog but it won’t let me (I always have problems with blogspot blogs and comments).
Anyway, I wanted to comment on your latest post, re ideas for the DVD. I think you’ve covered pretty much everything I would think of and I agree with the person who said to add in bread-making and bee-keeping. Under preserving I’d also add lactic acid fermentation (ie sauerkraut-type stuff, which I’m just experimenting with), if you hadn’t already intended to.
I noticed you’ve linked to Geoff Lawton’s latest DVD (isn’t he an inspiring guy?) about soils (I only just watched it a couple of days ago) and I also noticed you’ve put aquaculture on your own list. As a ‘permie’ how do you feel about aquaculture, given the knowledge that soils are complex ecosystems in their own right and that fungi and bacteria in the soil link to the plants and help them take up nutrients? I’m wondering what Geoff would have to say about it as a method of growing food, ie without soil. I have some reservations about it and was going to do a post about it, but need to read more about it, I think. I presume fungi and bacteria are absent in aquaculture systems. I also wonder how complete is the range of nutrients provided to the plants in these systems, given that soils contains so many trace elements, which are necessary for plant growth and our own nutrition.
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June 12, 2010 at 2:09 am |
Hi Belinda, thanks for the comments. The average person’s denial is worrying, to be sure, but hopefully as time progresses and the collapse process quickens, more people will come to it.
The thing that worries me most is that achieving self-sufficiency is a steep learning curve, as you probably know, and needs plenty of time. I’m afraid most people won’t acknowledge the problems until it’s too late to do anything about them.
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June 12, 2010 at 3:21 am |
Hi Foodnstuff,
Very sad to hear that you can’t comment on my blog, you always have really interesting things to contribute to the discussion. Thanks for your input on the DVD post.
Personally I find aquaculture very questionable from a permie pov. In this case I was out voted as my partners in crime are enamoured with the idea and the DVD’s are not really supposed to be specifically permie just overall introduction to food skills (both prep and growing) as well as sustainablity solutions. That said as we all come from a permie background we have tried to include any good materials that run long those lines.
I’ll have a look around and see if I can find DVD materials on the lacto fermentation. I did a lot of experimenting with it early this year and really liked the results I have to say. I understand why they are focusing on DVD’s but I have to say this project would be a lot easier to pull off if I was allowed to include books 🙂
BTW. I suspect we are basically on the same side of Melbourne. If you are interested in meeting and having a chat irl at some point please email me.
Kind Regards
Belinda
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June 12, 2010 at 3:34 am |
I certainly agree it’s the learning curve part of the problem that really has me most concerned. I have been actively skill building for the better part of 2 years and I was able to do it alone because I had a really wide base of personal experience to give me the confidence to move forward even when I had no idea if it was all going to work.
Even within our Community harvest group, the focus of which is based around these ideas I haven’t been able to raise enough people, I will run for any number over 2, for a workshop on either soap making or pasta making. Our jam making and relish workshops were run for me, who had already done both processes before and was just wanting to see how someone else works, and another lady who had never done either before. The Sourdough bread making workshop I run though was something that really pulled in the numbers. There are just so many things competing with peoples attention now days that unless you find a way to capture their imagination no amount of offering educational opportunities seems to gain traction. That said I am still in the process of putting together a set of courses for my local community house to see if I can find pockets of interest through more formal adult ed channels.
Kind Regards
Belinda
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