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Chris Lempa's Blog

Web Address: http://www.zcommunications.org/zspace/chrislempa
Bio: Chris Lempa is a vegan, anti-authoritarian, youth program coordinator living in the Kaw Valley (United States). (More)

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Preparing for the "Crash"

By Chris Lempa at Nov 03, 2008

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http://blackoakmedia.org/archives/lempa/009.html

Preparing for ‘the Crash’

Chris Lempa
Black Oak Report
Vol. 2 Issue 4
This is part one in a two part series looking at the crash of modern society. The next Black Oak Report will look at culture more generallyblackoakmedia.org/mailinglist.html. Both articles will be expanded upon in the next the Fall issue of Black Oak Presents.

Crash – to fall or come down violently (www.thefreedictionary.com)
‘The crash’ is a common conversation amongst my friends.  To be clear, ‘the crash’ refers to what others call ‘the collapse’ or ‘societal collapse.’  For further clarification, the entry for ‘societal collapse’ on the anarchistic Wikipedia reads, “societal collapse is the large scale breakdown or long term decline of the culture, civil institutions or other major characteristics of a society or a civilization, temporarily or permanently.”  What may surprise some is that our talk of the crash is not negative, but, rather, it is quite positive.  Understanding and preparing for societal shifts can be fun, but more importantly will ease an otherwise stressful and harmful predicament.
The institutions that maintain modern culture are rotting.  Proof is everywhere.  Suspicion can be overturned by looking at the Financial Times or www.bloomberg.com.  Here's a headline from Bloomberg: Chrysler Says Lending Unit to End Auto Leases Aug. 1. 
That may not seem like much on the surface, but something has gone awry when an auto giant stops helping people buy cars.  Chrysler and GM were also featured as the Stupid Investment of the Week on the Market Watch website.  It really wasn't that long ago that the auto industry was the bedrock of the US economy.

Elephants in the Living Room
Of course there are many factors that led to the decline in the auto industry and our economy in general.  These same factors are leading to ‘the crash.’  The elephant in the living room seems to be fossil fuels.  The Enron debacle, along with major power failures on both coasts, started a buzz in the media, but energy companies and their think tanks were quick to respond.  Typical, since the media is often owned by the same companies (or their friends).  At the very least the corporate boards are incestuous.
Most people's lives are centered around fossil fuels.  Whether it's the computer being used to type this article or the plastic bottles in your house, oil plays a key role.  After oil there is coal.  Coal is hazardous on so many levels.  A report by the Natural Resources Defense Council links sulfur dioxide, A respiratory irritant associated with the onset of asthma attacks, to the burning of coal and crude oil (http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/fasthma.asp).

Societal Shift – Forced or Voluntary

Society as we know it will change.  This article spent a little time talking about the fossil fuel industry, but the actual effects are much further reaching.  Critics from every point of the ideological spectrum point out the flaws.  While the critics don't agree on solutions, they do agree that we are on a terrible path.  What is not clear is how the Earth will look fifty years from now.  What is clear is will change drastically.  We have a choice.  Either we sit around and watch it crash or we work to tear down the antiquated structures and replace them with something new and sustainable.

Comment On This Blog Post  See All Comments (1)

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By Loewen, Matt at Nov 06, 2008 00:30 AM

Hey Chris,

Im currently studying something called Integral Systems Theory. It\'s basically talking about the collpase, and the enormous possibilities it holds. One term in particular sticks out in my mind: catagenesis. Literally translated it means \'downbirth\'. As systems become too rigid, and start to fail as they cannot cope to stresses, new, more resilient systems being to flower and organise within the dying system, and actually serve to perpetuate its collapse. It\'s just really refreshing to know that a lot of us are beginning to embrace collapse as something positive.

Its funny- a lot of people think of collapse as this huge catastophic event, when it happens every day. A lot of people are tempted to wait around for it while not working to ensure that we have a chance of surviving it!

 

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By Lempa, Chris at Nov 08, 2008 15:08 PM
Thanks for the comment Matthew. Too many people view humans as something outside of the natural environment. Society should be viewed as any other ecosystem. Decay would then be seen as both a negative (short term) and positive (long term). Take a rotting tree for example. A tree may view it\'s decay and demise as a bad thing, but mycelium, lichen, and the soil surely view it as a positive. Perhaps we can view the dominant systems in the same way. They are failing and will eventually collapse. The result can be negative or positive depending on who/what is guiding it and who/what is prepared to step in. And your studies sound interesting. I\'d be interesting in checking out your syllabi and reading lists.

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