Wed Nov 03, 2010 12:37 am
Cure for Peak Oil Trauma...
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- Learning the details about Peak Oil didn't upset me... I'd long since realized that this civilization was sliding toward the brink. Peak Oil just sort of explained to me why things have been happening the way they have.
- But a lot of people seem to get really upset when they learn about PO. Reading posts on doomer forums, I've seen panic and despair from some writers. I have a suggestion for those who have learned about PO and are worrying themselves sick...
- DO SOMETHING about it. We're talking about The End Of The World As We Know It... Not the end of the world altogether. There's no rule that says you have to sit around and wait for Bad Stuff to show up and smack you around.
- You say you don't want to live in a bomb shelter clutching a shotgun for the rest of your life? You can't afford to buy land in the wilderness and set up a hideaway? Cool. No one says you have to.
- No one knows for sure how things are going to go down. But there are a few things we do know for sure...
- You'll always need to eat and drink. Dry staple foods are cheap now, as are plastic barrels. Storable water isn't a bank breaker either. A few dollars a week and, before you know it, you've got a lot more breathing room between you and starvation.
- Fire will always be warm and useful. Learn to make and handle fire safely and effectively. I'm always astonished at the people I see trying to start a fire by lighting the top of a pile.
- Food stockpiles are finite. Learn how to farm, hunt, gather, fish and otherwise obtain food from places other than Food Lion and McDonalds. Learn to butcher animals. Even if you're a vegitarian right now. Learn to milk a cow. Learn to throw a cast net.
- Human beings will always want and need stuff. Learn to make stuff the old-fashined way. If Wal-Mart can no longer keep a flow of stuff coming from China, you'll still have stuff to trade.
- Stuff breaks. Learn to fix stuff. In the future, stuff will be harder to replace, so people will need it fixed.
- Governments have an extensive history of exterminating large chunks of their subject populations. Learn not to even think of turning to the government for help.
- Bicycles, horses, oxen, and sailboats all function perfectly well without petroleum or the electrical grid. Learn to use as many of these as well as possible.
- The facade of civilization is thin. You never know when your life may depend on the ability to run fast, walk far, fight hard, swim against current, go without food, tolerate cold, or endure heat. Try to get fitter and tougher.
- You may note that most of these suggestions have to do with learning and developing skills, not spending lots of money or hiding in a basement somewhere. They are about prepairing for a new way of life, rather than losing sleep over the end of the old way. With every forge-weld you stick, every rabbit you snare, and every mile you sail, you'll have that much less dread of the future.
- Ragnarok and Roll!
- Learning the details about Peak Oil didn't upset me... I'd long since realized that this civilization was sliding toward the brink. Peak Oil just sort of explained to me why things have been happening the way they have.
- But a lot of people seem to get really upset when they learn about PO. Reading posts on doomer forums, I've seen panic and despair from some writers. I have a suggestion for those who have learned about PO and are worrying themselves sick...
- DO SOMETHING about it. We're talking about The End Of The World As We Know It... Not the end of the world altogether. There's no rule that says you have to sit around and wait for Bad Stuff to show up and smack you around.
- You say you don't want to live in a bomb shelter clutching a shotgun for the rest of your life? You can't afford to buy land in the wilderness and set up a hideaway? Cool. No one says you have to.
- No one knows for sure how things are going to go down. But there are a few things we do know for sure...
- You'll always need to eat and drink. Dry staple foods are cheap now, as are plastic barrels. Storable water isn't a bank breaker either. A few dollars a week and, before you know it, you've got a lot more breathing room between you and starvation.
- Fire will always be warm and useful. Learn to make and handle fire safely and effectively. I'm always astonished at the people I see trying to start a fire by lighting the top of a pile.
- Food stockpiles are finite. Learn how to farm, hunt, gather, fish and otherwise obtain food from places other than Food Lion and McDonalds. Learn to butcher animals. Even if you're a vegitarian right now. Learn to milk a cow. Learn to throw a cast net.
- Human beings will always want and need stuff. Learn to make stuff the old-fashined way. If Wal-Mart can no longer keep a flow of stuff coming from China, you'll still have stuff to trade.
- Stuff breaks. Learn to fix stuff. In the future, stuff will be harder to replace, so people will need it fixed.
- Governments have an extensive history of exterminating large chunks of their subject populations. Learn not to even think of turning to the government for help.
- Bicycles, horses, oxen, and sailboats all function perfectly well without petroleum or the electrical grid. Learn to use as many of these as well as possible.
- The facade of civilization is thin. You never know when your life may depend on the ability to run fast, walk far, fight hard, swim against current, go without food, tolerate cold, or endure heat. Try to get fitter and tougher.
- You may note that most of these suggestions have to do with learning and developing skills, not spending lots of money or hiding in a basement somewhere. They are about prepairing for a new way of life, rather than losing sleep over the end of the old way. With every forge-weld you stick, every rabbit you snare, and every mile you sail, you'll have that much less dread of the future.
- Ragnarok and Roll!
I may be gettin' old, But I've been fightin' DIRTIER LONGER!
