Alt Op.#45 The coming Fall and What can save us

Now, as I remember last week’s article was a downer where I went on about how the economy and the civilization it supports is likely not long for this world because they are both so unsustainable. I still stand by that. Especially with all the changes in our climate that are going on.

Honestly folks this is a geologically and climatologically active planet we live on. It’s just been napping for a century or two and us short lived humans will just have to get on board with the new way nature works or take a hard fall.

Now, as I see it, one of the hang ups of our modern civilization is that it just does not allow for change. At least not change like we are seeing it now and will continue to see it in the future. We have come to depend way to heavily on Big Brother and the ever popular “Somebody” who is supposed to take care of us, our things, and our way of life, keeping it from changing, so that we can just keep toddling along with a frown on our faces complaining about taxes and how big government interferes in our lives.

Yes, we do that. Just think about it a bit.

To illustrate the point I tried to make above, here is a tidbit I read somewhere, possibly on the internet. Those areas of Mississippi that did NOT wait for government assistance or money; did not stop and ask “where’s FEMA?” or “What if we do something that will keep us from getting relief (money) from the government”, those are the area’s that were being rebuilt and prospering while those that cried about how the government wasn't helping them were not.

Yes, the places where the government finely did jump in got those nifty trailers and tons of cash eventually poured in. As far as I know a lot of those trailers are still there and some of the money has been spent fixing what was destroyed but the rest of the cash? Who knows. Yeah, I know. A lot of what I’m saying here is “hearsay” as I can’t remember where I read it or even how reliable some of the reports were. But it makes sense to me that if you sit around on your hands waiting for someone, anyone else, to do for you nothing will get done and you will be in the same place, the same situation until you get up off your buttocks, and use your own hands to do for yourself.

That brings me back to what can be done about this fall of civilization, of the economy, that I see coming. What can we do? The answer as I see it is not simple, not easy and probably not popular as it will require looking at the world around us in a new way. It may even require us to give up some old and cherished
points of view and ways of life. This complex and difficult path is, surprisingly, fairly well laid out within an idea, a way that has a name. A name that has been copy righted so that only those actually trained and
receiving a certificate stating that they have been so trained, can legally use it to describe themselves or their work with it. That word is Permaculture.

Yes, I’ve used that word a lot. I can’t afford to travel to the places where the training in Permaculture design is given nor can I afford the classes. Thus you will not hear me say that I am a Permaculture Designer. I am
just a poor old gal that is trying to use the ideas and methods of Permaculture to improve my land, lower my impact on the local ecosystem, and maybe even grow some food. To get a look at this stuff for yourself go to www.permies.com or just Google the word Permaculture.