Ever get the feeling you're watching an over-speed flywheel coming apart?

[Junkdrawer]

At first small pieces break off the perimeter and they almost balance each other. But the wobble produces cracks and once the first big piece flies off, the whole thing breaks apart quickly and violently.

Our over-populated, over-industrialized planet is starting to look like that to me.

Perhaps hitting the brakes and slowing down the flywheel for repair should be considered.

[madokie]

1. Pretty good analogy

[htuttle]

2. Turning and turning in the widening gyre

[abelenkpe]

3. What? And disappoint the doomers, preppers

And those eager to bring about the second coming?

[Junkdrawer]

4. We consume too much and share too little....

And those Windmills and Solar Panels will NOT support an oil-equivalent lifestyle.

Profound cultural change is desperately needed.

[abelenkpe]

6. You are right

Just pointing out many are sadly looking forward to the end....

[Junkdrawer]

7. There was some poll in the news recently...

Some sick percentage of Christians believe a Second Coming is near.

Change is hard. Giving up and surrendering to Fate (or a God) is easy.

[Aerows]

15. EVERY generation of Christians

including the very first ones, has had those that strongly believed that the second coming would happen in their lifetime.

I guess when your life revolves around an outlook that life on earth is hell and that heaven can be achieved if you suffer enough in this world (and make others suffer with you), it sounds pretty good.

[Junkdrawer]

11. BTW: Seen this? "Belief That 'Second Coming' May Be Preventing Climate Change Action"

Belief that the "Second Coming" of Jesus is nigh may be stemming climate change action, according to a study published in the Political Science Quarterly.

The research, conducted by David C. Barker of the University of Pittsburgh and David H. Bearce of the University of Colorado, examined data from the 2007 Cooperative Congressional Election Study to discover that belief in the "end times" reduced a person’s probability of strongly supporting government action on climate change by 12 percent when controlling for demographic and cultural factors.

Furthermore, when the effects of party affiliation, political ideology and media distrust were removed, this number increased by almost 20 percent.
“It stands to reason that most nonbelievers would support preserving the Earth for future generations, but that end-times believers would rationally perceive such efforts to be ultimately futile, and hence ill-advised,” Barker and Bears said, according to the Raw Story. . . .

“That is, because of institutions such as the Electoral College, the winner-take-all representation mechanism, and the Senate filibuster, as well as geographic distribution of partisanship to modern partisan polarization, minority interests often successfully block majority preferences,” they wrote. “Thus, even if median voter supports policies designed to slow global warming, legislation to effect such change could find itself dead on arrival if the media Republican voter strongly resists public policy environmentalism at least in part because of end-times beliefs.”

...


http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2798439

[reformist2]

5. The capitalist system started collapsing in 2008, they're desperately trying to prop it up.

I actually don't think there are too many people. There's more than enough food and shelter. The problem is a stupid and outdated economic system that is unable to distribute these necessities to the people.

[kentuck]

8. Yep.

Good analogy!

[Safetykitten]

9. Very much so.

[newfie11]

10. All the time. Nt

[Kablooie]

12. It comes apart and fills the air with flies.

[kestrel91316]

13. Yes. But then I walk to work or ride my bike or take the bus,

and try to eat more produce and less processed food, and live small, and blah blah blah.

It's just hard when almost everyone around me is hyperconsuming their lives away.

[raouldukelives]

14. Every day and every dollar in the markets weighs the accelerator down a bit more. nt

[Safetykitten]

16. It's funny, because every new insanity is met with acceptance.

The Pacific full of radiation? Well, I guess that's ok, but I will make sure that if something worse happens it will not be ok. Then something worse happens, and well it's ok I guess...

The planet has only so many things left.