It's the End of the World as we know it--provoked by "Power Down" by Richard Heinberg
Are we really living through the height of Western Civilization? The peak of American society and dominance? How hard it is for me to fathom the end of, essentially, my life. I have am image, or really, a feeling that what is now will always be. I know on the surfarce that that is ultimately wrong. Homo sapiens will not last forever. The Earth, the solar system will not last forever. Because it was created it will end. The study of the environmental problems in this world, our world, are therefore other worldly. It is looking beyond the lifetime of everyone living right now. All 6.3 billion of us (and counting). Will, generations from now, remember this age as the great, short peak of the United States of America? Really, though this question is global. We created a global world which cannot sustain everyone for much longer. Once the energy supply disappears computers, shoes, metals, clothes, food, watches, telephones, plastics, pens, pencils, paper, telegraphs, fans, heating and air conditioning, fresh water, cars, airplanes, refridgerators, etc. Everything, nearly everything invented in the past century will disappear once again. Will my children work the fields, sew, raise animals and live like my great-great grandparents did? If I even survive the collapse. I want my life to be good, pleasant, enjoyable. I want the ability, privalegde to think and create. I want to travel and learn cultures, cultures which may not exist in fifty years. 2050, the catch-all date for destruction. I will be 64. Imagine the (possible) world then when oil is long gone. Other energy sources will not be able to take its place, famines, resource wars, civil wars, disease and a multitude of other senarios would wipe out nearly 80% of the worlds’ population. When I’m sixty-four.
Of course, it needn’t be that bad. But that’s only it things are done now, and it certainly doesn’t seem likely. I do not know how to grow food, maintain herds, butcher animals, make clotheing, etc. I am completely dependent on my nation to supply me and my nation is dependent on other nations for that supply as well. Therefore if one falls, if America falls, everywhere will fall. Money will be worthless, economies will descend into chaos. Yet here I am in a privaledged college, writing at my computer, communicating to a cyber world, listening to music from a program. I cannot imagine living without these things, and I think most Americans (most humans) are the same way. Yet, again, it is ridiculus of me to think of this lasting forever. We will go extint. Yes. Forget Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon 5, Battleship Galatica and the other sci-fi illusions. We will not colonize another planet. We cannot travel at the speed of light and still hope to live. Are there rifts in time? Worm holes? I am not smart enough to denounce those possibilities, nor do I say life (inteligent, human like life) does not exist out in the universe. Actually, as they say in the movie “Contact” it sure seems like a waste of space if Earth is truly “unique”. So then do future humans hope to colonize these other worlds? Assuming that we develop technology that: a) creates energy b) creates a hell of a lot of it and is mobile c) systems to filter air, generate gravity, food supply, water, and waste too d) on a gigantic scale. Needless to say, even if all of those things happen, about 99% of the Human population will not be able to get onto one of these space crafts. And how long can humans surive in space? Astronatus have been there for months, years at the most. But to go to a distant galaxy without a worm hole would take longer than any human life onboard the ship, including reproduction. By the time they were 1/100th of the way there the living humans would probably have forgotten why and where they were going. Really I’m being very optimistc, because everyone would probaby be dead and turned to dust way before 1/100th of the way to a new galaxy.
Basically then, the human speicies will become extint. Therefore, every culture, book, religion, music, philosophy, understanding of the world, invention will be dead as well. So then, what purpose is it now? We will all die eventually. Even conserving the earth is a farse, because it just prolongs the inevitable. Yes it will be an easier transition for our children, but when the end of the earth does come, I doubt it will be painless.
(to be continued when i actually have time)
Of course, it needn’t be that bad. But that’s only it things are done now, and it certainly doesn’t seem likely. I do not know how to grow food, maintain herds, butcher animals, make clotheing, etc. I am completely dependent on my nation to supply me and my nation is dependent on other nations for that supply as well. Therefore if one falls, if America falls, everywhere will fall. Money will be worthless, economies will descend into chaos. Yet here I am in a privaledged college, writing at my computer, communicating to a cyber world, listening to music from a program. I cannot imagine living without these things, and I think most Americans (most humans) are the same way. Yet, again, it is ridiculus of me to think of this lasting forever. We will go extint. Yes. Forget Star Trek, Star Wars, Babylon 5, Battleship Galatica and the other sci-fi illusions. We will not colonize another planet. We cannot travel at the speed of light and still hope to live. Are there rifts in time? Worm holes? I am not smart enough to denounce those possibilities, nor do I say life (inteligent, human like life) does not exist out in the universe. Actually, as they say in the movie “Contact” it sure seems like a waste of space if Earth is truly “unique”. So then do future humans hope to colonize these other worlds? Assuming that we develop technology that: a) creates energy b) creates a hell of a lot of it and is mobile c) systems to filter air, generate gravity, food supply, water, and waste too d) on a gigantic scale. Needless to say, even if all of those things happen, about 99% of the Human population will not be able to get onto one of these space crafts. And how long can humans surive in space? Astronatus have been there for months, years at the most. But to go to a distant galaxy without a worm hole would take longer than any human life onboard the ship, including reproduction. By the time they were 1/100th of the way there the living humans would probably have forgotten why and where they were going. Really I’m being very optimistc, because everyone would probaby be dead and turned to dust way before 1/100th of the way to a new galaxy.
Basically then, the human speicies will become extint. Therefore, every culture, book, religion, music, philosophy, understanding of the world, invention will be dead as well. So then, what purpose is it now? We will all die eventually. Even conserving the earth is a farse, because it just prolongs the inevitable. Yes it will be an easier transition for our children, but when the end of the earth does come, I doubt it will be painless.
(to be continued when i actually have time)