stew pot timing

STEW POT TIMING


A minion asked a thoughtful question in Tuesday’s comments. Not a stupid question, like “why can’t oil last forever?” Nor a kiss ass question ( although I kind of like those ) such as “how can my hair look as nice as yours?” No, it was a sincere question with an important qualifier. Something to the effect of why was I certain the die off was coming. Was it just because I wanted it to? Then he thoughtfully added that he wasn’t being a smart ass. Yes, yes, I’ve covered all this before. But until I turn out book after book of post-apocalyptic fiction you will never be satisfied with my subject matter so I’m just going with whatever interests me at the time regardless if I’ve covered it three or twenty times before. Don’t piss me off or I’ll cover LED lights again.

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Timing is everything. Timing is even more important than size. I’m sure the ladies would disagree with me, but for now I’m talking about the timing of the collapse being more important than the size of your arsenal. Obviously, I have no idea of the timing of the collapse. If I did, I would have a following of hippie chicks with shaved heads with a picture of a bison tattooed on their foreheads. “We’re not worthy” chants would follow their exploits of crime as they furiously stockpiled our hidden mountain lair. I don’t know why they would have shaven heads, being a very poor choice of camouflage, but it sounds like a cool thing to do. You can’t have a proper cult without something new and weird. Perhaps they should have a hairy hat with bison horns. Then they could keep their hair. I don’t want any competition for best crew cut. And they probably wouldn’t be Demi Moore sexy with no hair. I don’t know how she pulled that off. It was a stupid movie, no bitch with a rack like that is going to pass the training, but she did justice to a crew cut. Anyway, we could argue every detail of the coming collapse. In fact, that’s what I do best and often and semi-profitably. Here’s a nice article to help shatter your complacency over the oil supply ( I hope ). http://www.energybulletin.net/52767

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Now, at times I lean towards rooting for business as usual. Even if the collapse has already started I still want it to be a slow and prolonged one. My own life, however dull and uninspiring, would benefit from a continuation of the Oil Age. And family members would stay relatively safe and happy which is a big plus. Other times, I would like to see the whole rotten edifice collapse under its own weight. I would like to see if I have what it takes to survive under another reality. And it would have far less BS than the current system. Really, if you think about it, too much luxury can be just as bad as not enough. We are fat and lazy and spoiled and a life of overindulgence with the only goal to buy more worthless plastic crap. This is far from a satisfying way to spend your life. Of course, the price you pay for an interesting life is to trade sloth and luxury for disease and death and cruelty and what not. I don’t think there is a middle ground, that fantasy of a simple solar powered agrarian life. It will be simple, but not an independent yeoman farmer type of life. It will be a simple serf toiling in the fields and dying of malnutrition as their lord takes most of the crop type. I think we will see a dystopia modeled after the current system or a dark age, with no happy middle ground. So I don’t know which one to root for. Interesting and satisfying but brief or long and safe and boring. To be honest, as I age and life loses some attraction ( not suicidal by any means, more of a recognition that it will just get a bit worse every year with more work and less reward ), there is a certain attraction in a life of slaying the unworthy and going out in a blaze of glory ( although, yes, the odds are the reality will be a lonely undignified painful death to no purpose ).

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So, okay, there might be a bit of wishful thinking about the coming collapse. But I think I can remain intellectually honest enough with myself that I can separate my fantasy life and my studies. Being analytical and whimsical can coexist. As I have explained so many times before, it all boils down to the simple question of energy. Less energy means less life. A surplus of energy is wealth, a deficit of energy is poverty or death. We are in a deficit of energy in this country. We have less every year. Even as the Catholic Church cheers on increased births, even as Mexico attempts the re-conquest of the border through overpopulation. Even as those in power benefit from a labor surplus. The system is gamed towards using more energy to solve all its problems. And the game is over. It is all over but the sudden plunge down the bell curve, we have already crested the top. It could happen later this year or in ten years. But it will happen. So why throw the dice hoping it will take ten years? Everyone is selling you gear and advice with that ten year time frame in mind. They are gambling with your life. And you are an idiot if you let them. Stop trying to prep to survive in comfort and just prep like mad to survive tomorrow. Just in case that is when it all falls apart. Remember the good old days of the Cold War? A missile exchange could have happened at any time. Prepping was a soon as possible endeavor. Now, we are led to believe you should have a thirty year mortgage, a six year SUV payment and buy five extra dollars of groceries each week to gradually stockpile.

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If you believe energy dictates the possibility of collapse rather than politics or the economy, the need to panic was yesterday. What I like to do when I feel myself relaxing, when I’m not paranoid enough, is to go visit http://www.dieoff.org/ . Look at the peak oil chart there. Or not. I keep yelling, you don’t even look up at the sky.
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