I am currently in Toronto, Canada, and am in search of a home in the country with my husband. We are trying to find communities that have an interest in the arts, community initiative as well as the organics movement. Having grown up in a small Ontario town, I know far too well that this sort of community will be hard to find.

All the best,
Heather

This book was very useful in that it allowed me to think of many pillars in our culture that I currently take for granted and what I would need to take responsibility for if they were not there. Perhaps it will save my life or future lives.

The main point I took from this is that this issue is something I have to personally think, and act on each day, with an open heart.

I think though, that there is a much bigger chance that we will basically either sink or swim together over here. Of course, to a certain degree. With all of us knowing so many people, how can we really be happy if sad things happen to many of them? We must all especially look out for children and other vulnerable people.

We are a culture based on super heros, heroism, helping the weak. Our spirits will be destroyed if we go against this. As can be seen in the massive soldier suicide rate in Iraq. These poor people have been forced to do something they know is not right, or die themselves, and after a while they can no longer be happy. Their entire ideal system has been destroyed.

One is that Communism taught that capitalism was pure evil. I have some friends from Russia also who said that the post communist Russia became more evil capitalist than the USA ever was because of these ingrained teachings. Of course, I really cannot judge this for sure as I have not lived there personally. And I do not know what our future will hold. But we have only a few centuries ago, all had ancestors who found some way to live here with less.

While over here there has been Capitalism with all of its woes,many of us have personally chosen to share more, so if we have embraced more sharing ideals it has come from within and not been forced on us.

We do not have a current problem of mass alcoholism as there was in Russia prior to the crash.

We do, however, have a huge proliferation of weapons and other drugs and lots of very traumatized people in jails and overseas. We need to learn to protect ourselves, but realistically we are potentially going to be threatened by very well trained people. It will be hard. These people may well have more power than the rest of us, so if we attempt to find special places for our dear ones, they had better be pretty well hidden! Thus, we really need to try and retain as much of our culture as we can in advance.

Things that have been learned in this century and before can help us: joy leads to more joy, violence to more violence. We can choose this as much as possible. If we neglect the violence, it will grow.

We have a worse problem in the sense that most people have not had to go without in the same way, and place value on non-material things.

Also, this will occur more gradually for us, hopefully, though faster than we would wish. But we have way less housing and other resources…

We are people from all over the world, thus we may have more conflict, but also more creative solutions.

While some religious groups are culty and scary, we also have a good tradition of bringing communities together in attempts to cultivate inner peace. Though as things become more capitalist, some die out…

We must focus on what we have, and also the lessons of our ancestors, and our true land owners – First Nations people.

We do, however, have a strong tradition of sharing, and pioneering. Some of it evil, but some of it industrious and fruitful. Many of us enjoy farming and gardening.

Not all activists have been suppressed and caused massive problems over here, a lot of them have seen their protests change general consiousness and protect things. The words of some of our dead activist leaders have helped us all to understand certain issues better and strive to personally make change.

We must keep an ingredient of this in ourselves…”War is Over” at least right now, in this moment.

While after a crash there may be a crisis of identity for those folks who love leadership and action… these tendencies can be of great help to us now. We can perhaps all step up and help something intelligent, sustainable, and caring happen. At least, in as many places as possible.

The danger with this I think is that we will give up and start preparing for the worst. Even it the worst is inevitable this will only make it come faster and harder with less love and community built in along the journey.

There are the familiar words of my grandmother when I was young: you never know when a bus might hit you, something terrible could happen at any time. So, relax and live life to the fullest. Now I feel more able to take some of what I can from this book.

Orlov really suggests that each individual focuses on helping themselves, but sharing with others. I think the sharing with others part is the good one to focus more on. We must be of help to one another. I know I would be extremely unhappy if I tried to do otherwise anyway and we are not culturally predisposed to have a few people in our lives that we know and trust, we know more people on a more superficial level. He mentions a lot of sad tales of people having to get what they need for themselves alone in times of danger.

He says to keep what you have a secret from others, lest it get stolen. But Russia was already preconditioned to have to be this way due to shortages of goods. I think this will just make folks over here feel really hurt, jaded, and angry. It will make things worse from what I can only guess.

I was recently living in another country where my living circumstances turned out to be more isolating than I had imagined. I hardly had any phone access and there was the occasional time when I was without internet. It was very hard to stop being utterly scared and unproductive. I became fearful and my mind would sometimes go to the worst place. In a place where I did not speak the language this was terrifying for me. I noticed that I became mistrustful and frightened and now I still have to work to undo some of this. For this reason, I really think that using the mindset developed in a time of scarcity or acting out of fear will only isolate us more. Lessons from spiritual traditions of 1000s of years advise that we keep our heart open, learn to open again when it breaks. Really, it is like a muscle – developing compassion and love, we must do it again and again,

Also, he says to try to keep a sense of humor. It will be necessary for sure. The truth is, that is what he is saying comes to pass; a lot of people won’t much want to get out of bed. We must be able to be open with one another about these deeper feelings of loss. We must learn to accept difficult emotions if we are going to stay together as communities.

Specific Advice I got from the book or thought of:

Tell everyone you know to start a garden. There are a lot of new farmers graduating from farming courses without land. There are now programs to connect them to those with land, even in cities. This would cost you nothing, you would just share the fruit of the land. If you have some – collaborate and then share the food with your neighbors. A very small plot will feed you and your family. But an acre can feed 30 or more families.

Don’t think about a lot about stuff you can’t predict. My god, you will just go crazy. There are a lot of very sad tales in that book that as far as I can tell, I will be powerless to avoid, so no point going there.

Value your friends, something we should already do.

Keep a gardening supplies, and bikes with a few extra tires around.

Pack a special area of your house as though you were about to go on a very long camping trip – imagining anything you might really need or like to have.

Try and imagine alternative situations where things are more difficult to obtain and we don’t have all of our conveniences.

Consider your safety and pay your debts.

If you live somewhere cold…get a good snowsuit.

It is hard, but the more that we are able to face reality and it’s possible consequences, the better things actually get.

In the city, there are subways, trains, people close by who can share skills and materials.

In the country, there is land to grow food, space for animals and beauty, but it seems somewhat more reliant on oil in terms of driving.

I suppose there are horses, and bikes as other means of transportation.

Why have you decided that the country is better?

Thanks for the great article.

It is heartbreaking to see the tar sands, and terrifying.

You are right about the Coscos and Walmarts killing communities. Here in the U.S. some environmentalists are cheering the “green” initiatives at Walmart, but research has shown that each one of these huge stores destroys over 100 local businesses. This destroys local community. What are we going to do when Walmart decides our community isn’t profitable enough, or when the shipments of cheap goods stop? The big box stores will close down and leave communitees gutted.

Your essays on the Greenpeace site are great. Thanks for standing up for the natural world. The story of the ducks is heartbreaking. All this destruction for money, so a wasteful society can be even more wasteful. Tragic.

Rex Weyler Responds:

Gail: I’m no expert on post-consumptive survival, but like you trying to figure it out. If you are doing all those things, then you are pretty much doing what you can. The grand global events will indeed be influenced by people you cannot control. Your price of fuel is driven by the consumption of your neighbours, U.S. industries, China, and the rest of the world. You can’t change that. Expand your garden and grow as much food as possible. Learn skills that could help you endure a sustained recession or worse, a collapse. Build community. We will find that love, compassion, and common neighbourliness are going to count big.

None of our possessions provide the real source of happiness or quality of life anyway. What counts? Joy in simple work, the food you’ve grown, time with family and community. We can have all of those things, even if we lose our jobs and the economy tanks.

Do not rely on your government, Republican or Democrat. They are hopelessly locked into an untenable paradigm and the underlying philosophies never appear to change. Governments will be almost useless in the transformations ahead because politicians spend most of their time attempting to win or hold onto power by pleasing and appeasing people, appearing to serve their desires, but not by informing them of difficult challenges. No politician in our western democracies wants to inform people that they must consume less of everything, but that is exactly what we should be doing, and in the future what we will be doing.

In “Reinventing Collapse,” Dmitry Orlov discusses how the Russian economic collapse offers lessons that will help Americans deal with the decline or collapse of the U.S. economy. This is a very useful book, partially because the author has a sense of humour and compassion that feels comforting and hopeful, even as he’s delivering unpleasant news. There is a nice synopsis here at the Energy Bulletin.

A sustained decline, at the very least, is almost certain. America and western society in the 20th century has been built on cheap liquid fuel — oil — which has now peaked and will decline. Meanwhile world demand for energy will grow, and this will change everything. Those least troubled will be those with the simple lifestyles. You live in a rural environment. Protect it. You drive one small car. Drive it less and look into converting it to electric. You take the limited bus. Take it more, or even take it over and make it more useful. You live simply. Good; lucky you. Try to retire debt and expand the garden. Your recycling and local buying habits are going to serve you well. Count your blessings and enjoy the simple pleasures. In harder times, your simple life will be a beacon to others.

Some years ago we left a rural life for the city for reasons of work and education for our children. My wife and I are now plotting our return, so you’re ahead of us and an inspiration. We’ve orgnaized a citizen Peak Oil taskforce to help prepare our community. That might be useful for you. For what it’s worth, I find it comforting to worship the earth, not just try to live sustainably, but to actually revere the living earth every day and take pleasure in the birds and the worms in my compost, because I know that’s what keeps me alive.

All the best, rw.