Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Perid of Adjustment vs. Rude Awakening

Okay, now the buzz on the street is that we're going to take a permanent hit on standard of living. Ok. Yeah. First we spend too much, then we borrow too much, and then we keep on spending and borrowing...this has been going on for as long as I've been alive (shut up!). But I've always had this little nagging suspicion that the situation can't last forever. There are no more worlds to conquer on this planet...there is no more wild Frontier...there is no more Westward expansion and no more "manifest destiny". We're done.
Right alongside of that is...THERE IS NO MORE EVER-EXPANDING ECONOMY. We live on a finite planet with finite resources...everything we need/want is right here. It can't be used up and thrown away...because there is no more. Once it is used up and thrown away...it's gone. UNLESS, we re-cycle. And even if we re-cycle, we use up resources...just different ones from the original older cycles. It changes at each iteration. Eventually, we reach a point of diminishing returns where even re-cycling isn't sufficient anymore. When that happens we have to CHANGE OUR PARADIGM. This means we have to discard outmoded ideas...ideas that don't work anymore in the face of the current reality.
If we want to survive as a species, we have to stop fucking with each other. Politics will have to change. Personal conduct will have to change. We have to stop using and abusing, drugs, alcohol, ourselves, each other. Somewhere out here is a psychiatrist putting a gun to his head because he can't take it anymore. He has failed and he knows it. Somewhere out here is a politician who is too stupid, greedy, and selfish to do the same. He, apparently, needs a little help.
When I said we have to stop fucking with each other, I also meant it literally. At least until we get everybody all the birth control help they can possibly use. Again, it has to do with using up our finite resources. Too many people spoil the broth. But if we don't want to listen, just wait a while. Plagues and famine will take care of the problem...Gaiea always resets herself when things get out of balance. Mostly to the detriment of all the current species...so, no worries, mate. Order will be restored. All will be right with the universe once again. We just won't be around.

Not if we don't change our ways.