“Everyone, deep in their hearts, is waiting for the end of the world to come.”
— Haruki Murakami
So you want to talk about the end of the world without sounding like a crank?
Rule #1 should be: Don’t predict when it will happen.
A lot of the writing on this site has to do with the collapse of civilization (and what that means). Following Jem Bendell, author of the now (in)famous “Deep Adaptation paper”, I anticipate “inevitable collapse, probable catastrophe, and possible extinction”.
Of course, all civilizations collapse. And all species die. Eventually, everything ends. But we are now in a process of acceleration toward that end. When will this happen? Who knows. The best answer I have read is “sooner rather than later”–which doesn’t really say much.
I have noticed, though, that a lot of people who are in the Doomer and Post-Doom communities are not so circumspect when it comes to putting a date on the end of the world.
Here’s five reasons why you shouldn’t put a date on the end of the world.
1. You’re wrong. (Collapse is complex.)
The collapse of any civilization is a complex phenomenon. Our global industrial-capitalist civilization is incredibly complex. And it stands to reason that the collapse of that civilization will be complex as well. And that makes predicting it that much harder.
I think some of the tendency to over-simplify collapse is driven by an unconscious desire for control. We feel out of control in our lives. Contemplating collapse only amplifies this. Imagining a simplified collapse gives us a sense of control. A false sense. The desire for control is a big part of the reason people deny collapse. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that we would see vestiges of this desire in the doomer and post-doom communities.
When you talk about collapse as something simple, you’re wrong. Because it’s complex.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
People mostly want the same thing, and many of us already have it, but we don’t really notice it.
