For a minute there I thought I had to get off my couch, when all the while the fact is we don't have to do anything much but keep things afloat for just a few decades more! In fact, we'd best shut up about PO, because if our offspring finds out we knew about it all along, they'll turn and wring our necks come 2036!
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2006 6:57 pm Post subject: Re: If you're depressed now...
Alot of people here are becoming depressed somewhat waiting for peak oil to happen. The USA was ment to be finished 4th quarter of last year and if not, first quarter this year.....and that information was from practically 100% of the vocal peak oil authors and campainers, simmons, kunstler etc etc. There are 3 types of people in this world, 1 people who do not want peakoil to happen, 2 people who do want peakoil to happen and people who don't care if peakoil happens or not. To avoid becoming depressed, try to work your way into group 3.
Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 10:53 am Post subject: Re: If you're depressed now...
Actually I find PO knowledge has the opposite effect, when you see the big picture you tend not to get depressed about little things.
Depression is a hinderence, Hoplites' not right about much, but he is here. _________________ "One minute I held the key, next the walls were closed on me, and I discovered that my castle stands upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand."
Joined: Dec 02, 2005 Posts: 6284 Location: Oil-addicted Southern Californucopia
Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 1:38 am Post subject: Re: If you're depressed now...
There are four major global issues, any one of which could result in catastrophic or, at least, near-catastrophic disaster:
- Rapid decline in global oil production, starting in the very near future.
- Effects of global warming being more serious than even the most alarmist scientists thought it would be.
- "House of cards" global financial situation that appears shakier and shakier as time goes by.
- Reckless, irresponsible, megalomaniacal, incompetent staff of the Executive Branch of the United States government.
Any one of the above could easily result in severe hardship for huge numbers of people. The combined effects of two, three, or, God forbid, all four of them would bring about global conditions that really could result in a rapid die-off of a large percentage of the world's population.
We have plenty to be gravely concerned about. We have never seen some of these issues, and it remains to be seen as to how we will deal with them. We have certainly never seen a convergence of such powerful forces, and it may be looming just over the horizon.
We won't have much longer to wait to see if our fears are justified or not.
Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 7:46 am Post subject: Re: If you're depressed now...
Zardoz wrote:
There are four major global issues, any one of which could result in catastrophic or, at least, near-catastrophic disaster:
- Rapid decline in global oil production, starting in the very near future.
- Effects of global warming being more serious than even the most alarmist scientists thought it would be.
- "House of cards" global financial situation that appears shakier and shakier as time goes by.
- Reckless, irresponsible, megalomaniacal, incompetent staff of the Executive Branch of the United States government.
The first three are related. There wouldn't be any global warming if we weren't burning fossil fuels. And the global financial situation is due mostly to the fact that America has to import large amounts of oil, which creates a huge trade deficit, which brings about all sorts of other imbalances.
And my worst fear is that the fourth issue isn't really that the US government is reckless and irresponsible, but that they are doing what they can and it seems reckless and irresponsible, but it actually isn't such a bad idea under the circumstances. Desperate situations ask for desperate measures.
Joined: Dec 02, 2005 Posts: 6284 Location: Oil-addicted Southern Californucopia
Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 4:46 pm Post subject: Re: If you're depressed now...
Zardoz wrote:
There are four major global issues, any one of which could result in catastrophic or, at least, near-catastrophic disaster:
- Rapid decline in global oil production, starting in the very near future.
- Effects of global warming being more serious than even the most alarmist scientists thought it would be.
- "House of cards" global financial situation that appears shakier and shakier as time goes by.
- Reckless, irresponsible, megalomaniacal, incompetent staff of the Executive Branch of the United States government.
I was sleepy when I wrote this, so I have an excuse for forgetting the fifth factor, which we have also never seen before, and which greatly exacerbates all other problems: Population. We're at 6.5 billion now, there will be 7 billion of us by 2013, 8 billion by 2027, and 9 billion by 2045.
We can't do this. This won't work. Terrible things are going to happen. The only question is "when".
Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 5:25 pm Post subject: Re: If you're depressed now...
drew wrote:
Roger, you or I shouldn't really be posting on this subject due to our incorrect user ID's. 'Diogenes' and 'Hoplite' are both Greek names I do believe. While I know that a hoplite was a Greek soldier, I am not certain about Diogenes, but he might have been a philospher. Please, Diogenes, correct me if I am wrong. I will change my name now to the correct Greek version for this post, 'Andros'. I don't know what you are going to do Roger, since your name doesn't have Greek origins like mine.
Sorry, demos
Andros
I thought Hoplite was a yogurt. In which case there is a fundamental difference between PO Hoplite and the yogurt. One is cultured and the other is not. Sorry Hoplite, couldn't resist.
As far as depression goes--the most common cause of depression at the present time is the isolation of the individual in a technocracy. If peak oil changes this, many people will be at their wit's end, but they won't necessarily be depressed. It will be a dramatic and dynamic situation, full of fury, pathos, fear of sickness and death These forces will revitalize the links between human beings. Life will go from meaningless to deeply meaningful, very quickly.
...These forces will revitalize the links between human beings. Life will go from meaningless to deeply meaningful, very quickly.
That's what happened during and after World War II. The intensity of living during those times was such that people were unified like they never had been, and never have been again.
Apparently many Brits experienced something akin to withdrawal symptoms after the war. They were accustomed to having such an intense, defined, meaningful purpose for so long that after it was over they found life to be rather empty and downright boring.
If TSHTF, we'll undoubtedly find that any boredom we might feel now will be relieved, rather quickly.
Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 11:08 pm Post subject: Re: If you're depressed now...
Zardoz, It's that life lived on the razor's edge thing. It will also do wonders for romantic love, also rendered obsolete by modern life. The closest most couples come to valiant struggle against insurmountable odds, nowadays, is renovating a kitchen together. If their "relationship" deteriorates, under a cloud of drywall dust, they can always get a paperback book that tells them how to rebuild it through self esteem building. Blecch.
When I went to Kwaii about 10 years ago, this fellow was telling me about this terrible hurricane they had a few years prior. He described it in the scariest, gut wrenching terms, the fear, the horror, etc..etc... After he finished, I smiled and said it must have been the best time of his life. He got this really strange look on his face and said, "How'd you know that?" Similar to the second world war, I guess.
Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:00 am Post subject: Re: If you're depressed now...
threadbear wrote:
When I went to Kwaii about 10 years ago, this fellow was telling me about this terrible hurricane they had a few years prior. He described it in the scariest, gut wrenching terms, the fear, the horror, etc..etc... After he finished, I smiled and said it must have been the best time of his life. He got this really strange look on his face and said, "How'd you know that?"
This is exactly why I am cultivating a hard-core drug habit, playing russian roulette with my favorite pistol on a daily basis, and removing the brakes from all the family cars.
Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:13 am Post subject: Re: If you're depressed now...
Vexed wrote:
threadbear wrote:
When I went to Kwaii about 10 years ago, this fellow was telling me about this terrible hurricane they had a few years prior. He described it in the scariest, gut wrenching terms, the fear, the horror, etc..etc... After he finished, I smiled and said it must have been the best time of his life. He got this really strange look on his face and said, "How'd you know that?"
This is exactly why I am cultivating a hard-core drug habit, playing russian roulette with my favorite pistol on a daily basis, and removing the brakes from all the family cars.
Good times.
Different dynamic if you bring it on yourself. Trying to create depth of experience and joy by bringing on unpleasant situations, is a bit like trying to get yourself to giggle by tickling yourself. Won't work.
Maybe you could hire someone to sneak up and kick you in the ass really hard, if that's what it takes. For a small fee I can make your life completely miserable. I'm also available for weddings and bar mitzvahs.
Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:41 am Post subject: Re: If you're depressed now...
Quote:
Different dynamic if you bring it on yourself. Trying to create depth of experience and joy by bringing on unpleasant situations, is a bit like trying to get yourself to giggle by tickling yourself. Won't work.
Maybe you could hire someone to sneak up and kick you in the ass really hard, if that's what it takes. For a small fee I can make your life completely miserable. I'm also available for weddings and bar mitzvahs.
Joined: Sep 02, 2005 Posts: 113 Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 4:41 pm Post subject: Re: If you're depressed now...
threadbear wrote:
Zardoz, It's that life lived on the razor's edge thing. It will also do wonders for romantic love, also rendered obsolete by modern life. The closest most couples come to valiant struggle against insurmountable odds, nowadays, is renovating a kitchen together. If their "relationship" deteriorates, under a cloud of drywall dust, they can always get a paperback book that tells them how to rebuild it through self esteem building. Blecch.
When I went to Kwaii about 10 years ago, this fellow was telling me about this terrible hurricane they had a few years prior. He described it in the scariest, gut wrenching terms, the fear, the horror, etc..etc... After he finished, I smiled and said it must have been the best time of his life. He got this really strange look on his face and said, "How'd you know that?" Similar to the second world war, I guess.
Exactly right. We have been through 3 hurricanes in the last two years here in South Florida. The last one, Wilma, fortunately, brought a cold front through and dropped the daytime temp into the 70's (normally, October weather is very hot).
The grid went down immediately, (FPL hasn't serviced most of the infrasturcture in years) and didn't come back up for months, for some areas. We were without electricity for 9 days. The result was unbelievable. I live a townhome community, set up in rows. We woke up with sun, and slept shortly after dusk, every night, the community was outdoors, cooking, conversing, actually MEETING each other for the FIRST time. We also gathered around the chiminea at my brothers place, after gathering branches for the fire, staring up the sky, which of course was many orders of magnitude brighter without the light pollution. For 9 days, no work, other than finding something to eat, and drink. I loved every minute of it, learning to use only candles for light, not needing to drive everywhere, (there were several restaurants running gas ovens within walking distance), the fact that a real community had emerged, overnight. I actually believed it would last, the community part at least, but it was not meant to be.
When the lights came back on, like rats in an experiment, all of us shuffled back into our climate controlled boxes, to sit in front of our TV's, and fall back into isolation. After all the parties, barbecues, star watching, and real living, not once, since then, has community reemerged. Can't wait for next hurricane season. _________________ Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.
-Edward Abbey
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Sorry Hoplite, couldn't resist.
