2463. More on what to do now.
For on whatever place one has fallen,
on that place one must find support
so that one may rise again.
—A U G U S T I N E , De Vera Religione
You will have noticed that most advice about our mess is diagnosis of what is wrong and what to take apart. Most of the advice has nothing to propose other than things like "quality, jobs, cut fossil fuels, mind your footprint., gender, race, age, justice Little about building. The things just listed are part of the old progressive agenda that were aimed at making that society much better but that no longer help much because, if we solved them, as we should, we would still be empty handed about what to do now. Negative requires a positive.
For starters, governance requires a somewhat coherent society. There must be positive things to do. But there is a problem:
If we cut fossil fuels the 7.5% mandated by 2030 , it will have cascading effects throughout the global economy. We need a plan of feeding and sheltering those affected.
There is no script for a leader who wants to lead. What would we want them to do? I think we don’t have a script.
Most people seem to want a change that changes nothing, like shifting from gas to electric home heating. Of course we would but it leaves the underlying dynamics of the economy, politics, philosophy in place.This collapse is an opening to use wisely. Do not think of getting us all to 40 hr jobs with slices of private property where we are separated from each other. We can face the future knowing that much had to change anyway and reality is constantly throwing up new possibilities. The first is that people’s need for food narrows their consciousness. And be tolerant of the fact that there will be many agendas people bring from the past, agendas that need to be compared and discussed. Don’t push a single view without listening and considering changes.
So before we get to what to do then we should talk about what to do now.
Prepare.
If we prepare now the future will be easier. First pay attention to your circumstances. Keeping the world from getting much worse but just a little worse may be the best we can do. This will be a challenge. We will need each other. Not just materially but as friends and community. The hint here is that we can use this crisis as a time to grow not only food in a utilitarian way but to grow self and community as worthwhile projects. It just might be that climate change pushes us back into working and planning cooperatively. Together. Maybe the generosity of collaboration can replace the cynicism of command and control.