Say it with me, "It IS Too Late..."

[FirstLight]

It IS too late...can you say it ?
Posted by Journalgrrl in Editorials & Other Articles
Tue Feb 12th 2008, 10:31 PM
& how does it feel?

I recently recieved this article from a friend who lives in Idaho. She is one of those people who have chosen to live tribally, and re-learn what that means in this day & age. I, too, yearn to live off the grid, re-aquaint myself with the seasons and the land, so that the prospect of only needing to get "supplies" every month or so was really do-able. (BUT - I am lacking resources in the cash dept, I have two small children and I am but one woman...and truly it is such an undertaking it takes a couple families at least to really make it work....anyway, I digress)

This past week, I got blindsided with the realization that various "tipping" points have been crossed on SO many levels of our world...in war and human rights, in our own government and in the continuance of the psychotic powers that are consuming us into a hole, and we are powerless to change it. Or are we?

Perhaps if we recognize we are heading south of hades in a handbasket, we can still make something worthwhile out of the ride.
And if there's nothing else to be gained, maybe our own resititution in the eyes of the planet and our fellow man.

So here's the link to the piece by Sally Erickson, and the film they are working on (What a Way to Go) sounds like a must-see for those who would like to chart a different choice - see if we can make something else out of all this fear and helplessness...

"we're drunk and standing at the edge of the roof"
http://www.whatawaytogomovie.com/2008/02/0... /

So, once you have cried and taken few breaths to come to grips with all this...
I look forward to having this Talk of Truth with all of you
*pass the talking stick *

(I am reposting this because it got buried in the editorial/articles forum)

[cbayer]

1. Good piece. And living off the grid is really not that hard. nt.

[FirstLight]

2. I am forming an idea in my mind about greening my business

...by living off the grid, yurt-style and maybe even offering consulting to other businesses to do so too...perhaps a Green Business Alliance, like a chamber of commerce, but smarter :) and with no carbon footprint!

I think if we put our minds to it, we can DO this...and even if it doesn';t turn it around, it can't hurt!

[cbayer]

3. Good for you.

You can read a little about my life in my journal, if you are interested.
It feels really good to live this way and I know my footprint is small. It's amazing when you figure out how much stuff you don't need.
Just don't take away my internet connection! That's just a little too far off the grid.

[GliderGuider]

4. The movie's pretty amazing.

A lot of people are waking up to realize they've been sleepwalking toward the edge of the roof. When the panic and despair set in, how do you cope?

How do you Fight the Despair?

Above all, live mindfully -- so that no matter what happens, when you look in the mirror you feel only sadness, regret and courage, but not self-loathing.

[Delphinus]

18. Paul,

most excellent essay. Thank you for it.

[vickitulsa]

5. I'm reading it right now, Journalgrrl --

and oh my, how what I'm reading is resonating!

THIS is what I needed just now. THIS is exactly where I was headed, whether I quite recognized it yet or not. THIS is the kind of deep consideration and just-as-deep feeling that will get me to the conclusions in my journey that I must reach at this point in order to snap me out of my steadily worsening sense of being frozen in place at the horrors I see and foresee, which has threatened to paralyze me.

I wouldn't say it's provoking an epiphany -- not really, since pretty much everything this writer mentions, I'm already thinking and feeling. This is not a brief overview; rather (and fortunately) it is an adequately long explication (as my lit teacher 30 years ago would put it) that helpfully gathers, sorts, and examines the same elements I've been accumulating for quite a few years also.

Because this process is proving so beneficial to me, I will not skip to the end of the piece to see if I like the conclusion(s) the writer reaches. I want to savor every step of this trek and take some time to let it all sink in at an appropriate rate. Rushing or skipping ahead would be sort of like running full tilt through the nature path in a wildlife refuge, or even (for those who would prefer such) an amusement park, to its end!

I did want to let you know, however, that I am reading this marvelous bit of writing and that I SHALL return to discuss it with you as soon as I can. :)

Also, it can't hurt to bump this thread and rec it and hope others see it and decide to join us -- and hopefully take their turns with the talking stick as well.

----

Oh, and btw, I am not stalking you in any way. ;) I usually choose threads on the Latest page according to the title, and these days paying attention to the DU Forum it's in also, being concerned with avoiding GD-P; and I only noticed your name as the OP as I was clicking!

I'm not surprised to meet you again on a topic of mutual interest. And THANK YOU for this one, bigtime!

Later, :hi:
Vicki

[FirstLight]

9. you rock vickitulsa !

and it is always good to be recognized (except in a govt lineup! )

:hug: & heart to you too, sweetie!
And I should repost this on a NON primary day, for sure...! seems like things are buried fast today, so let's keep the conversation going, I think I may just find a way to get my yurt and start this year after all!

thanks again for the support, and always, thanks for keeping this topic alive! We do need to discuss the ability to triumph over the tragedy we are faced with... otherwise, I am just paralysed with it all. :shrug:
I really want to get a copy of the movie too!

[vickitulsa]

14. Yes! I kept thinking as I read on that I would love to see the movie.

The title alone intrigues me and has me guessing about possible suggestions it might put forth. Hopefully I'll find some way to see it, but if I can't, I'll be fine and won't let that hold me back.

I've finished Sally's article now -- even read a few of the comments and the basics on the Precautionary Principle, which I'd never heard of, oddly enough. I embrace that concept, certainly, though I'll have to decide, I guess, just which version or degree of it I feel most "right" with. :)

I also want to go back and read the two articles Sally linked to -- the one by the scientist and one by the journalist -- which prompted her to do the soul-searching that led her to write her thoughtful piece.

Mostly, I want for now to shut off most of the "data input" from this busy night, which included (for a change) following the election results and parts of two college basketball games, besides reading DU threads and Sally's article. I will wind down to my peaceful place, where I can "be still" as the white noise and background fades. This is something I have done for many years, btw, so you can see why Sally's words on that rang true to me.

I promote that quiet state by breathing certain essential oils like lavender and ylang ylang (and will wake tomorrow to eucalyptus and lemongrass). There's a reason for that old suggestion about "sleeping on it," for indeed the thoughts we have as we're falling into sleep can often lead to insights we wake up with, even though we may not connect them consciously.

I look forward to talking more about all this. I concluded most definitely a few years ago that it IS, indeed "too late," when it comes to reversing the damage done to our precious planet. In fact, in 1976, I was a member of The Cousteau Society, founded and run by Jacques Cousteau the famous ocean explorer and marine preservationist. He didn't know what we know now and he didn't guess everything perfectly. But that year, he sent out a seven-page letter to members, trying to alert us and urge us to spread the word, that he firmly believed if humans did not begin to reverse the damage WE are doing to our oceans within ten years, and reverse them in a big way, our oceans would get beyond that "tipping point" of no return. And then it wouldn't really matter what we tried to do.

I've been repeating his warning for over 30 years now, and it's strange how it is just now finally drawing serious attention from most people. In that letter, he went on to paint a picture of what he thought would happens when our oceans die, and it was truly frightening and sad beyond imagining.

Sorry for the ramble here, but that happens when I'm tired and sleepy -- didn't get a lot last night! ;)

But I do hope you continue the conversation on this crucial topic, for it's a lot MORE than just a "topic," and we need to keep the dialogue going. I will always be eager to join in it with you!

:hi: Our dreams can always be sweet and peaceful. We all need that. (Thanks for the heart! Wish I could give some but accept this :hug: instead, okay?)

[eShirl]

6. Could you elaborate on what you mean by "live tribally?"

You can live off the grid without living a tribal lifestyle, obviously, so I'm curious what you mean.

[FirstLight]

8. I am still a little fuzzy on exactly how her lifestyle works

...and she may still be "on the grid" but realy striving to leave very little of a footprint. She runs tribal workshops , etc and is striving to reconnect herself and others with that part of self that knows we are better off when we see that we are part of a Greater Family, and that includes the fourleggeds, the swimmers, the flyers, the rock people and the tree and herbal spirits, too...does that make sense?
I just know that my friend uses an interesting view of Spiritual Budgeting that I also resonate with... lemme look for the paper and I'll post it soon...

thanks for asking though, and I do agree, "off the grid" by no means is exclusive to tribal thinking...though those who choose a green lifestyle are basicaly aware that they are integral to our world-tribe in many ways, usually :)

[GliderGuider]

7. Off to the Greatest Page with you.

This is stuff we should all be thinking about.

[FirstLight]

10. Thanks...

and I did read about your lifestyle off the grid...super cool and sounds simple. You are right, I think if we all tried more, we would be suprised how litle we need to get by.

My folks had some land in the sonoma wilderness growing up, no electricity for years (we had to dig a 100'long trench for the wires) and the water system is still totally antiquated. I wish I could invest a small amount to make it a model of off the grid living and sustainability...
alas, I have no partner to help with all that hard labor, and three kids in the wilderness would surely drive me nuts in no time!(not to mention remote location and rattlesnakes galore) I need a 'tribe' so that we can each find our niche and work it.
I have a few friends in mind, but they are in no way committed to leaving their current lives to try it...the shit would have to hit the fan first, I am afraid.

So maybe I can figure out how to start from virtual scratch, get some geothermal land, build a yurt, etc...
though a boat may be a better idea if the seas are rising!
(edit - oops I was thinking about cbayer and her boat lifestyle... yapping away...)

[IrateCitizen]

11. What tipping points have we crossed in war and human rights?

Do you mean that we were much more cognizant of human rights at some other time in history? I only ask because from my study of history, I think that the concept of "human rights" is a relatively recent one borne out of affluence. I fear such concepts will become increasingly "quaint" among many as more of our natural tipping points are crossed.

[NNadir]

12. It's never too late to hole up in Idaho with 50 million cartons of cigarettes,

five million gallons of gasoline, the weaponry of the 82nd Airborne division, 800,000 bottles of beer, 750,000 dehydrated rations, and 22 solar cells.

Personally I have never thought otherwise.

It constitutes the core of my plan to deal with climate change.

[Psyop Samurai]

13. Reading now. Thank you. nt.

[Delphinus]

15. I've been hoping our independent film house

would show this movie - their website and the stories they send out are both heartening and disheartening.

[Psyop Samurai]

16. Well, I finished reading this last night, as well as all the comments...

...and it brought me to a quiet place of acknowledgment and connection. I would echo vickitulsa in saying that this is where I was headed, without being quite able to express it, and I too have "slept on it".

I have, over these last years, NOT focused on issues of sustainability to the extent that is warranted, not for lack of awareness, but for the simple reason that there was no legitimate authority to address them. It has seemed clear that "righting the ship" would require a certain amount of top-down vision and management, so the task became one of exposing the criminal enterprise of grasping exclusivity that had usurped our rightful collective power, as a prerequisite. That strategy, I'm afraid, has not turned out so well, and holds very limited promise going forward.

Percolating through our discontent has been the persistent meme that "the Republicans will not give up power in 2008". While not discounting the possibility entirely, I have tended to disagree with that assessment, not finding it particularly helpful to propagate. I think, rather, that it is time to acknowledge a more fundamental truth, as these writings belatedly bring to the forefront, which is that “the paradigm of domination and control” will not cede power. Moreover, it has a seemingly inexhaustible ability to co-opt the best-intentioned among us (witness the whole election process). When you do the math, and witness the depth of indoctrination within the prevailing paradigm, you begin to see that the timelines don't meet up, and must somehow come to grips with that fact and all of its horrible implications. Sadly, I do not forsee the reclaiming of a "moral center" inside the BIG LIE, though there may be better attempts to ameliorate the consequences.

Like others, I am soul-sick for lack of purposeful connection in the face of it all, and my own prospects don't look so good. Perhaps I can begin to forge such connection, though my own tapes keep telling me "it's too late", "others are not onboard, and I can't do it myself", and I entered paralysis a good while back. Your posting has led to a quiet place of acknowledgment which must be nurtured in order to assess any real potential and reclaim any real power. Hopefully I can build on that, though the anxiety and self-doubt seem never far off. I want to follow up on the "what a way to go" folks, and am interested in any further input of people here.

Thank you.

[FirstLight]

17. me too...

I just had aconversation with one of my friends last night and she is entrenched in the illusion, and thinks I am speaking of a doomsday that "could never happen to us" (is was talking of more than the climate, govt fascism, etc...but she thinks I am just a nutjob - I was thinking of the part in this article that talks about denial, and tried to explain it too...but to no avail)

The question of HOW is always the paralyzer, because it does seem so big. I think if we start with at least one shift per week, the rest is easy.... course I say that, but it's like dieting or recovery, expect to fall of the wagon several times. This society os not built to foster a sense of what's healthy - for ourselves or the planet.

Perhaps we should keep a connection here if nowhere else and continue the support and ideas flowing.
it is better than paralysis, and so is grieving...at least it begins to move us through this :grouphug:

thanks for your beautiful reply, I couldn't have said it better myself

[Psyop Samurai]

19. "Perhaps we should keep a connection here if nowhere else...

...and continue the support and ideas flowing.
it is better than paralysis, and so is grieving..."

I was thinking the same thing.

I've been disenchanted with compartmentalized thinking, and don't need to "compete", or be proven "right", or "win", or any of that. No, I need to reconnect, and when I do, I find that all that jockeying for position is inimical to who I am to begin with, which, on some level, I've always known.

Yes, "could never happen to us". Who is "us"? For many, the definition is rooted in the illusion of separateness, a staple of the "domination and control" paradigm. The apocalypse has already happened if you happen to live in Fallujah, the Niger Delta, New Orleans, or Tuvalu Island. There are threads that connect all of these things, and the systems behind them are unsustainable in any moral sense, even if you happen to live on top of the heap, and imagine yourself immune to it all.

So where do we go from here? How do we begin to create a life independent of the Beast when the Beast feeds us? I feel like it could be done, and with joy even, but for the denial.

But even that is a level of abstraction which removes me from the equation. The question is, what do I do? What can I do, given my present circumstances? I feel inadequate to the task, but would like to move forward. Hopefully, I can remain more focused in this direction - perhaps less crime and politics, more environment/energy forum.

:grouphug: