Just got around to looking at This, haven't read the actual paper, but it seems pretty legit. Scares me, stresses me out, and seems to make sense... if the solutions are really what they say they are, it's gonna be hard if we want to hold things together, 'cause there's no way the Feds can get away with drastic wealth redistribution measures, nor do I think that would be a good idea, really.
If change needs to happen, what needs to change are people's minds. Enlightened, emotionally strong people are the only people who are able and/or willing to give up luxuries for the sake of keeping shit from hitting the fan. I'd say we need to redouble our efforts on education, at the very least.
After getting a new job recently, I've been thinking a lot about wealth, and I've come to the conclusion that once I have enough to live comfortably, I should give ALL the rest away. I'm not quite sure how to do that, or what it will look like, but it seems clear to me that luxury is something none of us can afford right now, given the big picture.
We need to move in this direction, we need to build momentum in this way.
One thing that really frightens me about the collapse of civilization is how much I depend on the high complexity of our modern economy to thrive. I have no illusions about my mental illness; I rely heavily on the miracle of modern psychiatry to stay sane. If society collapses to the point where the knowledge and/or facilities to produce this medication are lost, I don't know what I'd do, except pray that those who call modern mental illness a product of our hyper-distracted times are right.
We are a strong people. I like to think of the United States as a skyscraper designed to be earthquake-proof: in difficult times we must be able to bend without breaking. We must be able to change drastically without having to tear everything down and start over. The founding fathers expected there to be revolutions, although they could not see what revolutions two centuries later would be like. We must find out what it will look like, and take the chance before it's too late. The longer we wait, the more rigid the girders become, the more destructive the change will be. Destruction means loss, loss of life. Suffering, confusion, desperation.
True maturity is to recognize that while sacrifice right now may seem unnecessary and painful, it is small sacrifice to make in order to save what is truly valuable. We must be wise enough to see what is truly valuable, and courageous enough to cling to it, leaving the rest behind. We must see that true strength in ourselves, and in each other, and hang on.
What does revolution look like to you? What do you think about radical wealth distribution, on a personal scale? Maybe I shouldn't buy that new computer. Maybe I should give the money that was going into my pension into a charity.
Dismantling our modern world in an orderly fashion is preferable to burning it down, IMO. Is that really necessary, and how to go about it?
