What-If Scenarios
Aug. 29th, 2007 07:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
helwenInteresting Archdruid Report today, including the comments.
Not having studied the Peak Oil or Climate Change groups in great detail, I wasn't terribly aware of the popularity of certain myths among lesser groups and/or individuals who have been learning about Peak Oil, etc., until I started reading JMG's posts about the narratives that inform people's views on life, and in particular in regard to the more uncomfortable changes our world and lives are currently going through. On reading his posts, I've looked around and indeed seen those narratives repeated at various web sites, in people's blogs or comments on blog posts. The top three narratives appear to be: Technology Will Save Us, A Sudden Disaster is Going to Happen So We Need to Head for the Hills, and It's the 11th Hour So We Need to Get Ourselves Together to Save the World (just like in the movies!).
It reminds me of the discussions my friend![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
embermwe and I used to have a couple of decades ago. We had a scenario she came up with -- The Japanese Invent an Amazing Widget and the U.S. Economy Collapses. Hey, it was the 80's.
Of course, neither of us believed that the economy would suddenly collapse, but putting things on a limited time schedule meant we were more likely to cut to the chase in our discussions of what things were useful, what actions to take.
Being in the SCA and being handy people, we had a diverse assortment of goods and skills between us and our friends....
For location, we decided the house we were in wasn't the best -- among other things, we were renters there, and there wasn't a lot of land. We talked about the farm in Ashfield, but the house there was already full of people (not a bad place to stop at on the way to our final destination). We decided our friends Ron and Ina in NH was the best location -- really big house with only two people in it, who liked our little group. And they already had 4 acres of land, plus neighbors were pretty far apart, so there was room for growth.
We talked about what sort of things would be good -- but small/easy-to-pack -- trade goods, like glasses and goblets (until glassmaking got underway in our area). I think that part of our discussions was a little on the weak side, but we were pretty young, too.
But we also talked about the necessary things to bring - food, seed for growing crops, fabric for future clothing/shelter needs, and of course books. There were plenty of bows/arrows/knives, etc. in the house. We decided that one mental health necessity would be the record player and records, since we could always rig it up to play manually.
And, we talked about the people who should be included. All the people we came up with had useful skills, and/or the ability and willingness to learn and to make-do. Most of us had general skills like cooking, gardening, starting fires, sewing, basic carpentry, first aid, etc. Any of the people on the list (including us) could build temporary shelters. Then there were a couple folks who had some hunting skill, and an EMT.
I remember we were going to take our vehicles north and then save any leftover gas from my car (1971 Buick LeSabre!!) to use in her little Chevette - for emergency use only, of course. The LeSabre was going to be added to the metal supply, seeing as the whole body -- including the bumpers -- was made of steel. (These wouldn't be the only vehicles going north, but were the only two we felt we had the right to make a decision about).
It was an interesting exercise and passed the time as we travelled around the valley for work, errands, or gaming. But the reason it came to my mind after reading the Archdruid's Report today, was that although we were pre-supposing a dramatic collapse (again, for convenience of focusing the exercise, not because we believed it would happen) -- we chose neither the survivalist, nor the techno-saviorist, nor the 11th-hour-heroic narrative.
Oh sure, we chose to head north to sparser territory, but not out into the wilderness, just a smaller town -- bringing friends to go live with other friends. We recognized that skills, knowledge (in books or people's heads), and experience were the most precious commodities for the long-term. After all, we didn't just want to survive, we wanted to live. We chose an intentional community.
That's something I've started noticing being discussed on blogs, email lists, and web sites -- community. From the more organized concept of the Transition Towns in the UK, to discussions of families or friends living nearer one another for support, to personal outreach within one's community.
One of the good things about the online email lists and such, like the one for Riot for Austerity, is that people have a place where they can talk about their successes & struggles, and ask for or receive help. People cheer each other on. Or you read of someone else doing the same things you're doing to save resources, and suddenly you don't feel so weird for doing it.
I personally don't really mind being considered strange, but for a number of folks online, it's a pretty big deal because they aren't getting support from their families, friends, co-workers. One has a friend on hearing that this person is trying to save water and energy, brags to her about only using a towel once before throwing it in the wash. Another has co-workers who thinks it's weird that she brings her lunch in containers, and uses a cloth napkin. And if some people get grief for little stuff like that, you can imagine the lack of support for more major stuff... These online lists are not the community you can live with long-term, but are a community that can help as you seek to find the place you can call home.
L and I are finding that we made a pretty good home here, in Holyoke. Now we'll be starting over -- even L, who's returning to the home of his youth, but is not the same person who left there. I'm sure we'll find our place there, just as we have here. And thank goodness for our communities -- both the physical and the virtual!
Not having studied the Peak Oil or Climate Change groups in great detail, I wasn't terribly aware of the popularity of certain myths among lesser groups and/or individuals who have been learning about Peak Oil, etc., until I started reading JMG's posts about the narratives that inform people's views on life, and in particular in regard to the more uncomfortable changes our world and lives are currently going through. On reading his posts, I've looked around and indeed seen those narratives repeated at various web sites, in people's blogs or comments on blog posts. The top three narratives appear to be: Technology Will Save Us, A Sudden Disaster is Going to Happen So We Need to Head for the Hills, and It's the 11th Hour So We Need to Get Ourselves Together to Save the World (just like in the movies!).
It reminds me of the discussions my friend
embermwe and I used to have a couple of decades ago. We had a scenario she came up with -- The Japanese Invent an Amazing Widget and the U.S. Economy Collapses. Hey, it was the 80's.Of course, neither of us believed that the economy would suddenly collapse, but putting things on a limited time schedule meant we were more likely to cut to the chase in our discussions of what things were useful, what actions to take.
Being in the SCA and being handy people, we had a diverse assortment of goods and skills between us and our friends....
For location, we decided the house we were in wasn't the best -- among other things, we were renters there, and there wasn't a lot of land. We talked about the farm in Ashfield, but the house there was already full of people (not a bad place to stop at on the way to our final destination). We decided our friends Ron and Ina in NH was the best location -- really big house with only two people in it, who liked our little group. And they already had 4 acres of land, plus neighbors were pretty far apart, so there was room for growth.
We talked about what sort of things would be good -- but small/easy-to-pack -- trade goods, like glasses and goblets (until glassmaking got underway in our area). I think that part of our discussions was a little on the weak side, but we were pretty young, too.
But we also talked about the necessary things to bring - food, seed for growing crops, fabric for future clothing/shelter needs, and of course books. There were plenty of bows/arrows/knives, etc. in the house. We decided that one mental health necessity would be the record player and records, since we could always rig it up to play manually.
And, we talked about the people who should be included. All the people we came up with had useful skills, and/or the ability and willingness to learn and to make-do. Most of us had general skills like cooking, gardening, starting fires, sewing, basic carpentry, first aid, etc. Any of the people on the list (including us) could build temporary shelters. Then there were a couple folks who had some hunting skill, and an EMT.
I remember we were going to take our vehicles north and then save any leftover gas from my car (1971 Buick LeSabre!!) to use in her little Chevette - for emergency use only, of course. The LeSabre was going to be added to the metal supply, seeing as the whole body -- including the bumpers -- was made of steel. (These wouldn't be the only vehicles going north, but were the only two we felt we had the right to make a decision about).
It was an interesting exercise and passed the time as we travelled around the valley for work, errands, or gaming. But the reason it came to my mind after reading the Archdruid's Report today, was that although we were pre-supposing a dramatic collapse (again, for convenience of focusing the exercise, not because we believed it would happen) -- we chose neither the survivalist, nor the techno-saviorist, nor the 11th-hour-heroic narrative.
Oh sure, we chose to head north to sparser territory, but not out into the wilderness, just a smaller town -- bringing friends to go live with other friends. We recognized that skills, knowledge (in books or people's heads), and experience were the most precious commodities for the long-term. After all, we didn't just want to survive, we wanted to live. We chose an intentional community.
That's something I've started noticing being discussed on blogs, email lists, and web sites -- community. From the more organized concept of the Transition Towns in the UK, to discussions of families or friends living nearer one another for support, to personal outreach within one's community.
One of the good things about the online email lists and such, like the one for Riot for Austerity, is that people have a place where they can talk about their successes & struggles, and ask for or receive help. People cheer each other on. Or you read of someone else doing the same things you're doing to save resources, and suddenly you don't feel so weird for doing it.
I personally don't really mind being considered strange, but for a number of folks online, it's a pretty big deal because they aren't getting support from their families, friends, co-workers. One has a friend on hearing that this person is trying to save water and energy, brags to her about only using a towel once before throwing it in the wash. Another has co-workers who thinks it's weird that she brings her lunch in containers, and uses a cloth napkin. And if some people get grief for little stuff like that, you can imagine the lack of support for more major stuff... These online lists are not the community you can live with long-term, but are a community that can help as you seek to find the place you can call home.
L and I are finding that we made a pretty good home here, in Holyoke. Now we'll be starting over -- even L, who's returning to the home of his youth, but is not the same person who left there. I'm sure we'll find our place there, just as we have here. And thank goodness for our communities -- both the physical and the virtual!
