Consider that if we manage to wring a few more decades of supply out of lower grade hydrocarbon stocks—mainly coal —we will simply ensure that a climactic storm sweeps our civilization away. Finally, consider that our one slender hope to avoid these disasters is to immediately implement a crash program to fundamentally restructure not only our energy infrastructure but our entire political economy. As far as the US is concerned this means fundamentally redefining the American Way of Life away from consumerism and consumption. It means the end of the car culture and other fundamental transformations.
But are any of our presidential candidates even remotely talking about their plans to deal with our crises of existence? Clearly, they are not.
There is no doubt that issues such as health care, preserving or reclaiming our constitutional rights and freedoms, taxation, education, and so on are important. However, when we are faced with existential crises which if not dealt with will inevitably collapse civilization itself, addressing these issues can ONLY be done in the wider context of dealing with the life or death challenges facing us. Anything else amounts to arguing over the placement of deck chairs on the Titanic AFTER it has struck the iceberg.
Therefore, the entire 2008 campaign, along with all energy and effort wasted upon it is a diversion from productive activities focused upon the transformation and survival of ourselves and those we care about, as well as our civilization.
Paying any attention to campaign rhetoric is counterproductive because it detracts from using our time and intellectual abilities to face reality and redesign our civilization. I note that simply including the environment, global warming and energy policy as additional issues is equally, perhaps more counterproductive. This is because such an inclusion implies that these world-ending crises are just more issues to be dealt with by our political system. Worse it implies that these crises which are actually caused by our corporate controlled political system can realistically be solved by that same system. This is civilization ending nonsense!
American politics is dysfunctional and delusional. America’s leaders and her people are in denial. We want to pretend that the oil fueled boom of the post WWII era can continue unabated indefinitely. However, reality will soon puncture our delusional bubble.
The existing global system of politics and economics, centered in the USA, is the cause of our crises. It must be fundamentally refashioned. However, it cannot and will not allow this to occur. The fortunes and power of the few rest entirely upon this system. And they are not about to give up wealth and privilege. Given this sobering reality, what are we to do? Throughout history accomplishing this sort of goal has always required a movement arising from below—from the people themselves.We need to take action in our own lives to change ourselves and to change how we live.
We need to break free of the mesmerizing attraction of corporate consumerism. We need to break free of the endless corporatist propaganda spewing out of the corporate mass media and think for ourselves. Thus empowered, we need to create a broad based social movement, which is independent of any political party, to compel needed change despite our non-responsive political system. We need to take collective actions both within and without the existing political economy.
If civilization is to endure almost everything must change. These changes must take place soon, and not in some far-off “tomorrow.”
I address these issues in detail in my forthcoming book, The Path Through Infinity’s Rainbow: Your Guide to Personal Survival and Spiritual Transformation in a World Gone Mad.
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