Comments for Speaking Truth to Power http://carolynbaker.net owned and managed by Carolyn Baker Information Services, LLC Wed, 16 May 2012 19:11:56 +0200 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Relationships In The Long Emergency: I’m On Board, But My Family Isn’t, By Carolyn Baker by carolyn http://carolynbaker.net/2011/01/05/relationships-in-the-long-emergency/#comment-11251 carolyn Wed, 16 May 2012 19:11:56 +0000 http://carolynbaker.net/?p=699#comment-11251 In my coaching practice, I have so far encountered many more men who are on board whose wives or female partners aren't. No gender generalizations seem to apply to this one. In my coaching practice, I have so far encountered many more men who are on board whose wives or female partners aren’t. No gender generalizations seem to apply to this one.

]]> Comment on Relationships In The Long Emergency: I’m On Board, But My Family Isn’t, By Carolyn Baker by Silvia http://carolynbaker.net/2011/01/05/relationships-in-the-long-emergency/#comment-11250 Silvia Wed, 16 May 2012 18:13:53 +0000 http://carolynbaker.net/?p=699#comment-11250 Wow! All comments come from husbands and none from wives feeling the same... I became aware of what we call “Peak Oil” last January (2012) and have been reading every book, blog and watching videos and movies. I made many changes by myself (very small changes, but I work full-time, have two children, study for a bachelor, volunteer, have a huge debt, no savings, just a few acquaintances and live in a suburban townhouse – on the top of all that, I’m an immigrant). For a short period of time (just 5 months) I made a lot: I decided to leave my studies unfinished as it will take time and more debt and there is no guarantee that this bachelor will help me to get a job when this one is over (I am on a renewable contract that may end any August, being August 2014 the last after which there will be no renewal); I also started a de-cluttering process and got rid of two TVs and “stuff” nobody needed (still working on the rest). I also started compost and a vegetable garden (in pots, as they don’t allow me to grow vegetables on my own small townhouse yard, obviously chicken and goats are not an option either, but I do what I can). I started paying our huge debt aggressively; my only “allowance” is to continue buying books (collapse, peak oil, gardening and preparedness related). I also bought a bike and have started very slowly here (I have never liked cars, I think they are dangerous and use too much space and energy, I have always used public transportation. However, we do have a minivan that my husband drives and won’t give up, except for a smaller/energy efficient car) My husband is a nice person, very “intellectual” and reads a lot: from news to books and specialized magazines, mostly literature and history. He is not a handyman and doesn’t like to be in charge of the “practical” stuff. My perception is that although he understand the concepts, he doesn’t get the “emotional” part of it, nor the urge to make changes to our lifestyle. He has been supportive with all my recent changes, but he is not on board with seriously planning to move to a more resilient place, where we can grow our onw food and be more in charge of our lives; he thinks the car is a necessity and won’t give it up, and he is very reluctant to give up cable (we have reduced it to the bare minimum and I don’t watch TV since last December, but he likes to watch some PBS and Knowledge programs) I do feel frustrated and alone when I send him an article to read and he doesn’t even notice, giving priority to any other thing. I also feel frustrated when he says I’m going nuts and probably exaggerating all this. He says collapses had happen in the past and are happening all the time in other countries (which is true and I agree, but that doesn’t make “this” collapse less important and “this” is actually deeper and will reach a wider audience). He also says that preparing doesn’t make any sense, as if anything really big happens, there will be no way to “survive” if we have a vegetable garden and stock food and our neighbours don’t (which is also true, but again, that shouldn’t stop us from creating what we can and helping others to become more resilient as well). I think the key here is that he is aware in another level, and sees things in perspective. He might think that if all this will happen, better to enjoy life while we can. I have another approach: I still enjoy life (I love my veggie garden, and volunteering), but want to make sure we are somewhat prepared. The “conflict” puts a strain in the relationship. It would be much more fun to get rid of the car and TV together as a family, start showing that we walk the talk to our children, and saving money to move to a well planned place where, if the collapse doesn’t touch us directly, we would still thrive and enjoy a less stressful and more independent lifestyle. Wow! All comments come from husbands and none from wives feeling the same…
I became aware of what we call “Peak Oil” last January (2012) and have been reading every book, blog and watching videos and movies. I made many changes by myself (very small changes, but I work full-time, have two children, study for a bachelor, volunteer, have a huge debt, no savings, just a few acquaintances and live in a suburban townhouse – on the top of all that, I’m an immigrant).
For a short period of time (just 5 months) I made a lot: I decided to leave my studies unfinished as it will take time and more debt and there is no guarantee that this bachelor will help me to get a job when this one is over (I am on a renewable contract that may end any August, being August 2014 the last after which there will be no renewal); I also started a de-cluttering process and got rid of two TVs and “stuff” nobody needed (still working on the rest). I also started compost and a vegetable garden (in pots, as they don’t allow me to grow vegetables on my own small townhouse yard, obviously chicken and goats are not an option either, but I do what I can). I started paying our huge debt aggressively; my only “allowance” is to continue buying books (collapse, peak oil, gardening and preparedness related). I also bought a bike and have started very slowly here (I have never liked cars, I think they are dangerous and use too much space and energy, I have always used public transportation. However, we do have a minivan that my husband drives and won’t give up, except for a smaller/energy efficient car)
My husband is a nice person, very “intellectual” and reads a lot: from news to books and specialized magazines, mostly literature and history. He is not a handyman and doesn’t like to be in charge of the “practical” stuff. My perception is that although he understand the concepts, he doesn’t get the “emotional” part of it, nor the urge to make changes to our lifestyle. He has been supportive with all my recent changes, but he is not on board with seriously planning to move to a more resilient place, where we can grow our onw food and be more in charge of our lives; he thinks the car is a necessity and won’t give it up, and he is very reluctant to give up cable (we have reduced it to the bare minimum and I don’t watch TV since last December, but he likes to watch some PBS and Knowledge programs)
I do feel frustrated and alone when I send him an article to read and he doesn’t even notice, giving priority to any other thing. I also feel frustrated when he says I’m going nuts and probably exaggerating all this. He says collapses had happen in the past and are happening all the time in other countries (which is true and I agree, but that doesn’t make “this” collapse less important and “this” is actually deeper and will reach a wider audience). He also says that preparing doesn’t make any sense, as if anything really big happens, there will be no way to “survive” if we have a vegetable garden and stock food and our neighbours don’t (which is also true, but again, that shouldn’t stop us from creating what we can and helping others to become more resilient as well).
I think the key here is that he is aware in another level, and sees things in perspective. He might think that if all this will happen, better to enjoy life while we can. I have another approach: I still enjoy life (I love my veggie garden, and volunteering), but want to make sure we are somewhat prepared.
The “conflict” puts a strain in the relationship. It would be much more fun to get rid of the car and TV together as a family, start showing that we walk the talk to our children, and saving money to move to a well planned place where, if the collapse doesn’t touch us directly, we would still thrive and enjoy a less stressful and more independent lifestyle.

]]> Comment on The Only Thing That Will Stop Global Warming Is A Massive Economic Downturn, By Liz Klimas by Robin Ward http://carolynbaker.net/2012/05/14/the-only-thing-that-will-stop-global-warming-is-a-massive-economic-downturn-by-liz-klimas/#comment-11248 Robin Ward Wed, 16 May 2012 05:24:51 +0000 http://carolynbaker.net/?p=2723#comment-11248 "a carbon tax levied on any activity producing CO₂' Does this mean breathe? “a carbon tax levied on any activity producing CO₂’

Does this mean breathe?

]]> Comment on What If Collapse Happened And Nobody Noticed? by Dorothy http://carolynbaker.net/2012/05/03/what-if-collapse-happened-and-nobody-noticed/#comment-11246 Dorothy Tue, 15 May 2012 13:46:56 +0000 http://carolynbaker.net/?p=2693#comment-11246 Carolyn - truth=telling at its most profound... it is most certainly happening all around us. And it is just as certainly been made massively more miserable by the psychotic greed of bankers and their government lackeys... For those of us trapped by circumstances beyond our control, which none of the 'prepper gurus' I've read -except you - has ever acknowledged, it is an ongoing seesaw between grief/despair and whatever we can make of it... While I don't appreciate being 'written off' by preppers any more than I appreciate being written off by the powers-that-be, I have appreciated your work on conscious collapse and emotional resilience. Thank you. Carolyn – truth=telling at its most profound… it is most certainly happening all around us. And it is just as certainly been made massively more miserable by the psychotic greed of bankers and their government lackeys…

For those of us trapped by circumstances beyond our control, which none of the ‘prepper gurus’ I’ve read -except you – has ever acknowledged, it is an ongoing seesaw between grief/despair and whatever we can make of it…

While I don’t appreciate being ‘written off’ by preppers any more than I appreciate being written off by the powers-that-be, I have appreciated your work on conscious collapse and emotional resilience. Thank you.

]]> Comment on The Only Thing That Will Stop Global Warming Is A Massive Economic Downturn, By Liz Klimas by klem http://carolynbaker.net/2012/05/14/the-only-thing-that-will-stop-global-warming-is-a-massive-economic-downturn-by-liz-klimas/#comment-11242 klem Mon, 14 May 2012 19:28:52 +0000 http://carolynbaker.net/?p=2723#comment-11242 "“The money would be returned to the population on a per capita basis so the tax would not mean any extra fiscal burden.” Um, with no extra fiscal burden what effect would it have? None as far as I can tell. ““The money would be returned to the population on a per capita basis so the tax would not mean any extra fiscal burden.”

Um, with no extra fiscal burden what effect would it have? None as far as I can tell.

]]> Comment on What If Collapse Happened And Nobody Noticed? by Peter Goodchild http://carolynbaker.net/2012/05/03/what-if-collapse-happened-and-nobody-noticed/#comment-11231 Peter Goodchild Sat, 05 May 2012 10:00:21 +0000 http://carolynbaker.net/?p=2693#comment-11231 Carolyn -- Excellent piece of writing. I beg to differ on one point. You say, "I'm going to be the first pundit to go out on the limb and assign a timeline for the collapse." But I can't see any dates in your timeline. In any case, I beat you by nine months: "A Time-Frame for Systemic Collapse": http://www.countercurrents.org/goodchild300811.htm "A time frame for systemic collapse can be extrapolated easily from the on-line document The Coming Chaos, an abridgement of a larger text (see link below). The most significant page is at the start of the text, the chart of estimated past and future oil production. Most of the other time frames will parallel that curve. Then one can look at the chapter on electricity, which as Richard Duncan says will be the first really distinct, “on-off” type of indicator. The next parallel can be found in the chapter on economics, which mentions two "phases," divided by the point at which money as such is no longer an important means of exchange; past examples occurred with the crash of the USSR, and in Weimar Germany. . . . "But if anyone really needs a magic number, a good choice would be 2030. That's the date at which, with a 3 percent annual decline in oil production, the year's production will be half of that in the peak year. And half of peak oil means half of everything else in human society. A very important “half” will be population, because the other half will have died of famine. And that's the one item that very few people can mentally assimilate. The link to my book "The Coming Chaos," mentioned in that article above is no good now, but this one works: http://thecircleforhumanity.net/index.php?option=com_rokdownloads&view=file&Itemid=102&id=29%3Apeter-goodchild-the-coming-chaos&lang=en I think the most important point in your own article is the following: "The real purpose of austerity and neoliberal economic doctrine is to get the remaining wealth of industrial society into their bank accounts. . . ." Yes, exactly. I assume you mean "descendants," not "ancestors," of course. "People often wonder if the Romans knew at the time that their society was collapsing." Hard to say. In Book 2 of The Nature of Things, Lucretius talks about the decline in agriculture, and that was in the 1st century B.C. Best wishes, Peter Carolyn –

Excellent piece of writing. I beg to differ on one point. You say, “I’m going to be the first pundit to go out on the limb and assign a timeline for the collapse.” But I can’t see any dates in your timeline. In any case, I beat you by nine months: “A Time-Frame for Systemic Collapse”:

http://www.countercurrents.org/goodchild300811.htm

“A time frame for systemic collapse can be extrapolated easily from the on-line document The Coming Chaos, an abridgement of a larger text (see link below). The most significant page is at the start of the text, the chart of estimated past and future oil production. Most of the other time frames will parallel that curve. Then one can look at the chapter on electricity, which as Richard Duncan says will be the first really distinct, “on-off” type of indicator. The next parallel can be found in the chapter on economics, which mentions two “phases,” divided by the point at which money as such is no longer an important means of exchange; past examples occurred with the crash of the USSR, and in Weimar Germany. . . .

“But if anyone really needs a magic number, a good choice would be 2030. That’s the date at which, with a 3 percent annual decline in oil production, the year’s production will be half of that in the peak year. And half of peak oil means half of everything else in human society. A very important “half” will be population, because the other half will have died of famine. And that’s the one item that very few people can mentally assimilate.

The link to my book “The Coming Chaos,” mentioned in that article above is no good now, but this one works:

http://thecircleforhumanity.net/index.php?option=com_rokdownloads&view=file&Itemid=102&id=29%3Apeter-goodchild-the-coming-chaos&lang=en

I think the most important point in your own article is the following: “The real purpose of austerity and neoliberal economic doctrine is to get the remaining wealth of industrial society into their bank accounts. . . .”

Yes, exactly. I assume you mean “descendants,” not “ancestors,” of course.

“People often wonder if the Romans knew at the time that their society was collapsing.” Hard to say. In Book 2 of The Nature of Things, Lucretius talks about the decline in agriculture, and that was in the 1st century B.C.

Best wishes,

Peter

]]> Comment on What If Collapse Happened And Nobody Noticed? by Robin Ward http://carolynbaker.net/2012/05/03/what-if-collapse-happened-and-nobody-noticed/#comment-11229 Robin Ward Fri, 04 May 2012 23:04:16 +0000 http://carolynbaker.net/?p=2693#comment-11229 I love you Carolyn. Finally someone gets it that this can drag on and on and on and on, like we are all on the Reservation now. I AM waiting for the act of the heavens, because that's in this depletion aspect in all the prophecy, as you me lady, are a prophet speaking truth. The FEMA Camps and Re-education camps are all about accelerated death rate from torture and fear stress. We know the game, so today's a good day to die! Hugs. Robin I love you Carolyn. Finally someone gets it that this can drag on and on and on and on, like we are all on the Reservation now.

I AM waiting for the act of the heavens, because that’s in this depletion aspect in all the prophecy, as you me lady, are a prophet speaking truth.

The FEMA Camps and Re-education camps are all about accelerated death rate from torture and fear stress. We know the game, so today’s a good day to die!

Hugs.

Robin

]]> Comment on The Big Empty: Eating Cheetos With The Hungry Ghosts Of The Corporate State, By Phil Rockstroh by carolyn http://carolynbaker.net/2012/04/28/the-big-empty-eating-cheetos-with-the-hungry-ghosts-of-the-corporate-state-by-phil-rockstroh/#comment-11216 carolyn Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:18:35 +0000 http://carolynbaker.net/?p=2685#comment-11216 Leah...In some locations, there is tremendous resistance to the heart and soul piece of Transition. Some people believe that heart=psychotherapy and soul=religion. It's really quite a bizarre and distorted perspective, but that's reality. Don't know where you live, but I encourage you to continue attempting to start an H & S group. If that doesn't happen, then start a blog and blast it to every Transition link you know of. People love to pre-occupy themselves with logistical preparation only. It's a great place to hang out in one's head. For many, heart and soul territory feels too abstract and close to the emotions---and for some people too threatening. What is needed now is Deep Transition, but I fear that many people will not be willing to explore it until they are experiencing "deep suffering." Leah…In some locations, there is tremendous resistance to the heart and soul piece of Transition. Some people believe that heart=psychotherapy and soul=religion. It’s really quite a bizarre and distorted perspective, but that’s reality. Don’t know where you live, but I encourage you to continue attempting to start an H & S group. If that doesn’t happen, then start a blog and blast it to every Transition link you know of. People love to pre-occupy themselves with logistical preparation only. It’s a great place to hang out in one’s head. For many, heart and soul territory feels too abstract and close to the emotions—and for some people too threatening. What is needed now is Deep Transition, but I fear that many people will not be willing to explore it until they are experiencing “deep suffering.”

]]> Comment on The Big Empty: Eating Cheetos With The Hungry Ghosts Of The Corporate State, By Phil Rockstroh by Leah Maka Grey http://carolynbaker.net/2012/04/28/the-big-empty-eating-cheetos-with-the-hungry-ghosts-of-the-corporate-state-by-phil-rockstroh/#comment-11214 Leah Maka Grey Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:28:31 +0000 http://carolynbaker.net/?p=2685#comment-11214 I have heard Carolyn speak and am going to get some more of her books to read. I am also a transition person, working with sustainability, resiliance and the renasance of the Grange Movement. I live in Portland Oregon, am an elder and have participated in the Occupy stuff. I am also struggling with the collapse of civilization. I do have lots of skills, but nowhere, have I found the Heart and Soul groups we so desperately need. I have done grief work all my life. Taken classes and taught the grief process. Among my "spiritual" friends I find a deep denial and resistance to working the grief they all express. They do not seem to comprehend the level of grief work needed for us to come together and survive the collapse. Especially among the "transition" people I have worked with grief is something we talk about but do not want to experience. Grief is not healed in our heads but in our hearts and bodies. Malidoma Some work is wonderful on the different kinds of ways to express our grief. I am saddened by the reluctance and resistance to doing this critial work. Thank you for continuing to remind us of the healing process. I have heard Carolyn speak and am going to get some more of her books to read.
I am also a transition person, working with sustainability, resiliance and the renasance of the Grange Movement. I live in Portland Oregon, am an elder and have participated in the Occupy stuff.
I am also struggling with the collapse of civilization. I do have lots of skills, but nowhere, have I found the Heart and Soul groups we so desperately need.
I have done grief work all my life. Taken classes and taught the grief process. Among my “spiritual” friends I find a deep denial and resistance to working the grief they all express. They do not seem to comprehend the level of grief work needed for us to come together and survive the collapse.
Especially among the “transition” people I have worked with grief is something we talk about but do not want to experience. Grief is not healed in our heads but in our hearts and bodies. Malidoma Some work is wonderful on the different kinds of ways to express our grief. I am saddened by the reluctance and resistance to doing this critial work. Thank you for continuing to remind us of the healing process.

]]> Comment on Redefining Wealth, By Craig Comstock by Robin Ward http://carolynbaker.net/2012/04/26/redefining-wealth-by-craig-comstock/#comment-11213 Robin Ward Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:57:15 +0000 http://carolynbaker.net/?p=2679#comment-11213 Quote: Are there environmental limits to our present type of economic growth? [Of course there are. Our challenge of the seventies was to change the course and invent that which would further the resources into the future. The only further we got from the investment class was leftovers after Jerry died. Holy be His Name! In Gamble's movie "Thrive," a claim of free energy from planetary magnetics is presented along with the suppression of alternative energy ideas. The oil, gas, and coal calves can't give up their teet, but there is a way for them to profit just as much if we do it by ... the 1970's. CRASH! BURN! Quote: Which ones would you give? [ Healthy microbes in my soil excite my low self. A warm cuddly partner at the end of the day nurture's my middle self, study of the word and struggle to make things better for the seventh generation to come causes my Higher Selves to shiver my timbers with pranic ecstasy. Kundalini for Christ, and Whirling Dervish of Mary Magdalene; let's smoke a pipe and do a community sweat lodge so our minds can be one. Quote: Now, like a tar baby, these side effects are adhering to us, no matter how hard we try to shake them off. [ Oh Mistress, please don't throw me in the Briar Patch. I know, I'm Fukued. Since my birth I have danced in the dust of Luciferian illusion of clean air, clean water, clean earth, and I have witnessed burning rivers, toxic floods ( on Martha's Vineyard, too), and been coated with the dust of Prometheus via Hiroshima, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, Vernon Yankee and Gulf War One, Two, and Three, strikes you're out! Quote: we ought to be looking at the system as a whole [ There was a Ricky Nelson song, "My bucket's got a hole in it." Need we say more? "A big, big, hole in it." "My bucket's got a whole in it, it don't work no more...." Please oh Mistress, don't throw me in the Briar Patch. Quote:
Are there environmental limits to our present type of economic growth?

[Of course there are. Our challenge of the seventies was to change the course and invent that which would further the resources into the future. The only further we got from the investment class was leftovers after Jerry died. Holy be His Name! In Gamble’s movie “Thrive,” a claim of free energy from planetary magnetics is presented along with the suppression of alternative energy ideas. The oil, gas, and coal calves can’t give up their teet, but there is a way for them to profit just as much if we do it by … the 1970′s. CRASH! BURN!
Quote:
Which ones would you give?

[ Healthy microbes in my soil excite my low self. A warm cuddly partner at the end of the day nurture’s my middle self, study of the word and struggle to make things better for the seventh generation to come causes my Higher Selves to shiver my timbers with pranic ecstasy. Kundalini for Christ, and Whirling Dervish of Mary Magdalene; let’s smoke a pipe and do a community sweat lodge so our minds can be one.

Quote:
Now, like a tar baby, these side effects are adhering to us, no matter how hard we try to shake them off.

[ Oh Mistress, please don’t throw me in the Briar Patch. I know, I’m Fukued. Since my birth I have danced in the dust of Luciferian illusion of clean air, clean water, clean earth, and I have witnessed burning rivers, toxic floods ( on Martha’s Vineyard, too), and been coated with the dust of Prometheus via Hiroshima, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, Vernon Yankee and Gulf War One, Two, and Three, strikes you’re out!

Quote:
we ought to be looking at the system as a whole

[ There was a Ricky Nelson song, “My bucket’s got a hole in it.” Need we say more? “A big, big, hole in it.”

“My bucket’s got a whole in it,
it don’t work no more….”

Please oh Mistress, don’t throw me in the Briar Patch.

]]>