Saturday, February 28, 2009

Damn the Doom!

Ok, enough of this already. . .here's a "few, we lonely few, we band of brothers" bit. . .

There is a lot of talk about "uncertainty" out there, and people feel that they don't know which way to turn. Allow me advocate that this moment uncertainty is an erronious attitude born of denial. We have nothing to be uncertain about except the most trival of details. We have been for a while lost in a forest, unsure of our path, many of us paralysed by indecision. No longer. We know the path that lies ahead, and we know it's going to be a miserable grim slog at times. There is really nothing left to do but pick up and soldier on.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing either. Acknowledgement of a task engenders effort towards its end. It is time to acknowledge the task that lies ahead. We have no option but adapting ourselves to our new future and our lot in life. This will be painful for many, of course, if not most. No matter.

We a dire future, but not necessarily a hopeless one. The hope is up to us, and the heroic manner in which we face what is ahead. I will not deny that hope and delusion can be very difficult to discern at times. Fine, so be it. The alternative at this point is dispair. I resolve to maintain meaningful hope even if my is an outright and undeniable lie.

We must either learn straightaway in a completely functional manner how to care for ourselves and our loved ones in every aspect of life, certainly including many of those we have taken for granted till now--or beg for aid from those who have been foresighted enough to do so. Whether by land or by sea the age of dabbling in these lifestyles as a recreational dilettante is over and to persist will be fatal. We still have time to press ahead honestly and make a few mistakes, but less time than we did a year ago.

Frankly, I intend full well to prosper. I would expect any enterprising individual with a good mind and the willing to learn--one that is a first order producer of knowledge or value will be as succesful as any. The brokers and agents of this world, or any of those who managed or outright stole the efforts of others will find it very difficult to adapt. The only bond between men and women and society will be one's word and one's integrity--woe to you if you've not demonstrated any to date!

One must: 

Provide a secure dwelling that one owns, or owns with others. Whether a cabin in the woods or a boat--or the back of a datsun wagon, to be without a castle of some variety will be a recipe of sure dispair.

Provide oneself with a diversified means of income--cashflow will be part of human society for the near future, and a great deal will be demanded likely. You will not be able to rely on  "employment." You will need to produce value. Whatever that means is up to you so long as it works.

Provide oneself with a network of knowledgable dependable freinds and cull the rest.

Provide oneself with the mental maturity and determination to succeed, as well as not to be a detriment to the community that by necessity one will find themselves within. Success will require acute technical understanding of the task at hand.

Lastly, resolve to make life meaningful. Whatever that takes. This may well be the last line of defense that the hero has--one must believe that one is carrying on for something. This something is not going to be hard to find--in fact, there are unlimited deserving opportunites that will require a hero for survival. . .

And with that, I resolve to stick with more practical stuff in posts for a while. As, it is, all in all, the practical stuff I do best. . .

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

great post jay.

3brainer said...

Excellent post. Very sensible. I appreciate the reminder to find meaning in our efforts. However, I must take issue with the statement:

"Provide oneself with a network of knowledgable dependable freinds and cull the rest."

Cull the rest? Are we to revert to the animal/herd mentality in times of stress? Surely, if we are to survive a big meltdown, we will all need to call upon our most valuable human traits of kindness and generosity to all, not only those we recognize as having something to offer us in the way of knowledge or deed. Exclusivity breeds fear and ill will. And once the culling starts where does it end? I don't think we need any more heroes, we simply need to remain human.

Steve Roberts said...

Exquisitely rational post, Jay! That's sne of the best summaries I've seen of the essence of survival... without straying into paranoid territory. Cheers!

Anonymous said...

3brainer - cull the rest - I think what jay means (jay correct me if i'm wrong) is that time is of the essence and its time to prioritize where we spend our time. It's time to start planting. Time to dig in our roots. The time is now. For those who do not "get it", its time to let them be to fend for themselves. If they wake up later and you care for them, then hopefully you have extra for them. And to have extra for them, you must get started now. No time to lose.

Also to add to this, not only should we be mentally prepared for success but also physically. I have over the past couple years lost over 70 pounds. My mental clarity and stamina have increased drastically along with the ability to stay positive and optimistic in the face of chaos and uncertainty.