Quiz for our time...

 Just a little mental exercise to map cause and effect minus the talking points, talking heads and narratives.

1. Is what you are observing in today's chaotic world having the effect of sequestering or - ahem - conserving energy feedstocks? (Yes/No)

2. Would a giant energy shock force a serious re-think of global  economics models to adopt energy as a major underpinning of trade - and require a total rethink of legacy economics because promises made on infinite growth ain't gonna come true without infinite energy? (Yes/No)

3. If such mayhem from these physical realizations were to impact global populations would they be convoluted in a way as to see alignment with the business as usual LTG models? (Yes/No)

So if what ever you are seeing out there can be answered yes, yes, yes the results suggest in spite of all the hand waving and mud slinging theatrics, points 1,2 and 3 are being achieved.  

I'm not saying this is good or bad or anything else.  I am saying you should think about this because after some reflection this may all start to make sense.  

Pascha my Eastern friends, has arrived

Trampling Down Death by Death

Aleut: Khristus anahgrecum!     Alhecum anahgrecum!

Aleut: Khris-tusax agla-gikux!     Agangu-lakan agla-gikux!

Albanian: Krishti U Ngjall!     Vertet U Ngjall!

Alutuq: Khris-tusaq ung-uixtuq!     Pijii-nuq ung-uixtuq!

Amharic: Kristos tenestwal!             Bergit tenestwal!

Anglo-Saxon: Crist aras!             Crist sodhlice aras!

Arabic: El Messieh kahm!             Hakken kahm!

Armenian: Kristos haryav ee merelotz! Orhnial eh harootyunuh kristosee!

Athabascan: Xristosi banuytashtch'ey! Gheli banuytashtch'ey!

Bulgarian: Hristos voskrese!             Vo istina voskrese!

Byelorussian: Khrystos uvaskros!     Saprawdy uvaskros!

Chinese: Helisituosi fuhuole!     Queshi fuhuole!

Coptic: Pchristos aftooun!             Alethos aftooun!

Czech: Vstal z mrtvých Kristus!     Vpravdě vstal z mrtvých!

Danish: Kristus er opstanden!     Ja, sandelig opstanden!

Dutch: Christus is opgestaan!     Ja, hij is waarlijk opgestaan!

English: Christ is risen!             Indeed He is risen!

Eritrean-Tigre: Christos tensiou!     Bahake tensiou!

Esperanto: Kristo levigis!             Vere levigis!

Estonian: Kristus on üles tõusnud!     Ta on tõesti üles tõusnud!

Ethiopian: Christos t'ensah em' muhtan! Exai' ab-her eokala!

Finnish: Kristus nousi kuolleista!     Totisesti nousi!

French: Le Christ est réssuscité!     En verite il est réssuscité!

Gaelic: Taw creest ereen!             Taw shay ereen guhdyne!

Georgian: Kriste aghsdga!     Cheshmaritad aghsdga!

German: Christus ist auferstanden! Wahrlich Er ist auferstanden!

Greek: Christos anesti!             Alithos anesti!

Hawaiian: Ua ala hou 'o Kristo!     Ua ala 'I 'o no 'oia!

Hebrew: Ha Masheeha houh quam! Be emet quam!

Hungarian: Krisztus feltamadt!     Valoban feltamadt!

Ibo ( Nigeria): Jesu Kristi ebiliwo!     Ezia o' biliwo!

Indian (Malayalam): Christu uyirthezhunnettu! Theerchayayum uyirthezhunnettu!

Indonesian: Kristus telah bangkit!     Benar dia telah bangkit!

Italian: Cristo e' risorto!             Veramente e' risorto!

Japanese: Harisutos Fukkatsu!     Jitsu ni Fukkatsu!

Javanese: Kristus sampun wungu!     Tuhu sampun wungu!

Korean: Kristo gesso!                     Buhar ha sho nay!

Latin: Christus resurrexit!             Vere resurrexit!

Latvian: Kristus ir augsham sales! Teyasham ir augsham sales vinsch!

Lugandan: Kristo ajukkide!     Amajim ajukkide!

Norwegian: Christus er oppstanden! Sandelig han er oppstanden!

Polish: Khristus zmartwyckwstal! Zaprawde zmartwyckwstal!

Portuguese: Cristo ressuscitou!     Em verdade ressuscitou!

Romanian: Hristos a inviat!     Adevărat a înviat!

Russian: Khristos voskrese!             Voistinu voskrese!

Sanskrit: Kristo'pastitaha!             Satvam upastitaha!

Serbian: Hristos vaskrse!             Vaistunu vaskrse!

Slovak: Christos vstal z mŕtvych!     Vpravde vstal z mŕtvych!

Spanish: Cristo ha resucitado!     En verdad ha resucitado!

Swahili: Kristo amefufukka!             Kweli amefufukka!

Swedish: Kristus är uppstånden!     Han är sannerligen uppstånden!

Syriac: M'shee ho dkom!             Ha koo qam!

Tlingit: Krisdos kux̱ wudigút!     X’éiga kux̱ wudigút!

Turkish: Hristos diril - di!             Hakikaten diril - di!

Ugandan: Kristo ajukkide!     Kweli ajukkide!

Ukrainian: Khristos voskres!     Voistinu voskres!

Welsh: Atgyfododd Crist!             Atgyfododd yn wir!

Yupik: Xris-tusaq Ung-uixtuq!     Iluumun Ung-uixtuq!

Zulu: UKristu uvukile!             Ngempela uvukile!

Great and Holy Friday in the East has arrived

 Lord have mercy

Lord have mercy

Lord have mercy

Blessed Easter to all in the West...

 Christos anesti!  

Next week we will celebrate the East!

Western Good Friday is upon us

 

What can we make of this moment in time, we've been here before.

 Although no one alive today can share what it was like, the kind of turbulence we find ourself in is not new.

The Crises of the Third Century

Three Kingdoms

The End of the Han Dynasty 

and many many more examples exist in the historical timeline of the human race on this planet.

Perhaps the unusual aspect of this period we are in now is the connectedness of some kind of awareness of what is happening in various corners of the World in near real time.  The opinions posted, podcasts spoken and "news" reports proffered are as usual, a mix of truthfulness, misdirection, misunderstanding and/or outright deceit.  Often with aims to dehumanize, evoke nationalistic fervor and sew the seeds of internal strife. You have to figure that part out using your big brain. But that is the most salient awareness you need to bring to your mind in these days.  All of the divisive rhetoric reduces the power of the populace by fractionalizing what we think are important ideas.

We as a people tend to place short term survival ahead of long term wisdom. So fear, anxiety and anger are well known buttons to push to motivate human behaviors that make a small number of opportunists everywhere powerful and wealthy. Even Nicolo Machiavelli knew emotion spreads faster than reflection and Goebbels proved narratives are perceived as true when repeated enough times. But here is the interesting thing... today we communicate like never before. Add a good dose of discernment and we may very well have an impactful and positive result.

Part of rising above all the noise requires one to be realistic, search for the truth as best as you can discern it. That means being a passive listener will only render you a confused useful idiot. LOL, IMHO.

Recognize power is concentrated, but responsibility is diffused - by design. Any system or structure tends to project rules, and we like that.  Unfortunately even if they violate our moral or ethical imperatives.  Have a look at the Milgram Experiment.  Few of us have been tested and know what mettle we are made of. Those who have, have learned how remorseless, manipulative and compassionless certain evil people really are. It's a very small percentage of our population, but these people exist everywhere.  I have experience with this type... they are out there!

Don't assume the "us vs them" narrative is a meaningful  point of view.  It is a classical way to splinter groups and get them to fear or hate each other.  Red v Blue, Lib v Con, etc., etc... dead end.

Finally, as a citizen of the planet, any one of us has limited agency - but as a bloc we have tremendous ability to correct our errors.  

Take all of this and fold it into today's changing dynamics where governments and their influential groups are the policy brokers. Public opinion does have an important influential role but it first needs to be formed upon the reality of the situation and the collegial union of the many to make their voices heard. Thus flooding the zone with garbage propaganda prevents that coalescence.  That's where discernment and compassion matter. If left to its own devices - any government decides action, special influencers shape and incentivize the implementation to the advantage of their small circle of confidants - and unless you participate, the general population just gets pressured, persuaded and pulled along.  

So what attributes should we appreciate.  Well how about pausing before reacting... Expanding the "we" not the "them".  Reward accuracy in content, appreciate and actually take the time to understand multiple perspectives.  Understand the agenda certain voices bring to the forum.  You may have to do a little work to gain that knowledge.  

As we look to the future, a World that makes conquest increasingly an unacceptable cost to society would be a big step in the right direction. So would reducing the fear narratives in all of their manifestations. Somehow we need to evolve a limit on unchecked power, align our mutual economic interests with available energy, resource limitations and peaceful intent. We need to make aggression unprofitable, despicable and those who promote it should have sound reasons for what should be an unusual and rare position...

So this lofty goal will take time to achieve. Remember progress has never been a straight line, and that the current tensions although terrible also expose and identify particular weaknesses in our current systems. At the moment fear is being exploited and it is winning, division is being amplified and global systems seem to be reacting - not evolving - a lack of discernment all the way around IMHO.

But look around you, awareness of gross manipulation is very apparent, the germ of an idea that we are more alike than different is abetted by our communicative social medias. We stand at a cross roads in time. Energy is a big factor behind the chaos, but realization, collegial behavior and compassion are very strong forces and most of us have them.  Can we rise above the old ways and forge a better future?  We must try, and we must succeed.  

What about just you and your family?

 Continuing on this idea of "What can you do?" I wanted to leave you with a scaled down system for just a small family - two adults and two kids.  This might be helpful in helping you to frame the dimensions of the task of a sustainable life.

Let's first start by assuming 2 acres per person is a safe buffer size.  So you will need to acquire 8 acres of decent land, ideally a mix of cleared crop land and a 2 or 3 acre forest that can be managed to provide 4 cords of wood per year.  A property like this in the midwest of the US costs anywhere from $20K to $80K depending on things like out buildings on site, existing wells, fenced lots or just good quality land etc. By the way I used to heat a home almost entirely with wood and can attest to the 4 cord number. Just like in the larger plan you will need to dig a well and build rain catchment if not purchased with the land.  

Four people consuming 2500 calories per day means that you'll have to pick a variety of crops to yield about 3.5 M calories per year.  That can be achieved with a 1 acre garden for greens and a 5 acre farmed plot for your staple crops.  Those would be things like potatoes, grains, beans, squash, corn, wheat and a few chickens could make up the basis.  Just like in the 100 person think piece, a planting strategy and a crop rotation map obviously need to be figured out. Each of these staple crops yields a caloric and nutritional value.  You'll have to decide how you want to derive healthy results.  You may want to add things like cabbage for vitamin D. Fruit trees can be added but take years to produce.  Got maple trees? - there's your maple syrup.  Create a few bee hives, there's your honey!  

You still need dry storage, and you need to know how to can, dry, smoke or otherwise preserve wild game or fish you may acquire.  On a small independent endeavor you probably want to avoid livestock of any size as they drive a need for hay, need cover in some circumstances and generally add a lot to the work load. 

Electricity by nearby small hydro is best, wind chargers next or lastly, solar are real options with simple battery storage. You will have to get used to living with less electronic gadgetry but that's probably a good thing. Maybe consider buying a few oil lamps for the evening... They give a small amount of heat and with a reflector provide a warm light perfect for reading.

Realistically, a small project like this can comfortably provide 80 - 90% of your food with smart storage allowing you to amass a years worth of food stuff in storage.  This was pretty common on pre industrial age pioneer settlements.  

This is really pretty attainable, and depending on your goals near 80% food independence is pretty easy to accomplish.  If you work in the existing economy - sort of a hybrid lifestyle - Just about anybody can make this happen. 

My last post on  "what can you do".  Hope it inspires you!

Cheers!