| Well, the heading of this group pretty much says it all. But, “collapse” is anything but specific, so allow me to outline exactly what we mean. While collapse encompasses a litany of causative factors, the primary three are Climate Change, energy scarcity and permanent economic decline. Each of these will eventually bring industrial civilization to an end, but combined; they might bring humanity itself to the brink of extinction.
As a “group” we are no longer interested in organizing ourselves around the concept of sustainability for the sake of “saving the planet”. This is what the last four decades were meant to do. That window of opportunity has now closed, and because of it, life as we know it will never be the same again. At this point, there is nothing we can do to reverse the damage that has already been done, and which will only continue until some catastrophe seriously culls our numbers. There are simply too many people, who are consuming too much to reverse the sixth great wave of mass extinction. No matter how “green” we might be, nothing can counter the impact 6.8 billion people will continue to have on the earth’s fragile biosphere. “Sustainable development” is nothing more than delusional thinking, designed to perpetuate the corporate status-quo. In the words of James Lovelock, what we need now is a “sustainable retreat”. Thankfully, we live in the PNW, so we already possess many of the key ingredients that will make for a habitable region for quite some time.
Of course this is a incredibly sad and disheartening reality to have to reconcile, but unfortunately this is the lot that our generation has been dealt, and we must come to terms with this new unprecedented reality, whether we like it or not.
At this stage, we are looking to network—develop affinity—with only those who fully grasp the reality of collapse, and who have already done the psychological and emotion heavy lifting, required in finding some semblance of acceptance of this incredibly daunting new world. In other words, those who have read much of the non-fiction that has come out over the last decade. Names like Kunstler, Heinberg, Lovelock, Catton, The Energy Bulletin, etc………
The road ahead is going to be profoundly difficult to navigate; we are staring down a long list of unsolvable dilemmas, which leaves us all with very few options. Anyone who has seriously considered collapse has already discovered this for themselves. And given the staggering cultural inertia and denial, they will as well, have undoubtedly found themselves somewhat marginalized by friends and family because of this, which in itself, can at times be more disheartening than anything else.
We are looking to just commiserate with others in regards to collapse, before we truly enter into any serious preparedness planning.
We of course have our ideas as to how the future will play out, but, given the enormous uncertainty collapse entails, the future is at best, up in the air.
We are not interested in any long term urban preparedness plan, for urban infrastructure simply does not provide the basic necessities that will be required in a post-industrial world. But, the interim period—between now and when the shit finally hits the fan—means we will still be very dependent on urban commerce for some time to come.
Nor are we looking to collectively purchase a new farm, but are instead, looking to coordinate with any existing farms that can read the writing on the wall, and understand that they must explore alternative ownership arrangements, if they are going to remain viable in the near future. This means that they must be willing to be involved in some sort of Land Trust with outside investors, who can greatly reduce their mortgage, because no farm that is straddled with a large mortgage is going to make it in the near future.
Our goal is to coordinate a group of like minded individuals who comprehend the urgency of collapse, and who are interested in securing a safe refuge on a rural farm west of the Cascades. Initially, this will need to be those who at least have a little money to contribute.
Oregon’s current land use laws are a clusterfuck to say the least, therefore, any group looking to collectively own land zoned for agriculture, will simply have to exploit certain existing loopholes, now, in preparation for a future when such zoning restriction will no longer be enforced. This alone, makes coordinating a large group of people nearly impossible. But, regardless of the near endless list of obstacles, we must persevere nonetheless.
If any of this rings true with you, then drop us line and we’ll see where it takes us.
All the best, Daniel. | |
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