The next decade will be looked back upon as the period during which we put down our credit cards and double-shot macchiatos - and picked up spades, hand saws and knitting needles.
We cannot, repeat cannot move forward powerfully without first salvaging everything we can from our now rapidly fading past.
The world we must attempt to emulate in many ways mostly exists in books, low-technology Christian communities and dusty museum exhibits. It is a world of cobblers, coopers, tanners and woodsmen. A world of flour, cloth and timber mills. A world where most everything is made by hand.
And yet, we have changed so much in the past 120 years that we cannot wholly return to our previous state. The miracle that is oil gave us the time to dream big and pursue those dreams: emotionally, spiritually, technologically and economically.
We must re-develop the skills and strength of our ancestors, but integrate them with our recently acquired knowledge and awareness of our place in the universe. Furthermore, we must do this as fast as we can. Starting now.
Why the rush? Our whole economy runs on the promise of affordable and easily available oil into the future. Most importantly, banks make a series of assumptions in relation to people’s capacity to repay their home and business loans.
But as people and businesses begin to default, due to rising energy costs – the market becomes unstable. Banks suddenly need to write-off huge amounts of unrecoverable funds. The market responds and subsequently crashes.
The recent Global Financial Crisis was partly triggered by this exact event – people living in outer suburbs on low wages, commuting to the city and back each day, who suddenly couldn’t make ends meet.
Expect this to be the first in a series of crises, which will become progressively more severe as markets finally realise that energy supply, and therefore economic output have entered a period of unpreventable and unstoppable decline.
Energy descent is not something we can fight. It is already happening and the culture shift will arrive. My personal desire is for creative rather than reactive responses, which is the inspiration that leads me to share about our changing world.
Presently we are used to coming up with ideas for consumer products - getting someone in third world countries to engineer and manufacture these products, then on-selling them to consumers. We (the developed world) have not been factory workers or farmers for decades, for the most part.
Instead we are teachers, health practitioners, retailers, I.T professionals and service technicians. We know very little in the way of how to be self-sufficient. Where do we start?
Imagine yourself as a homesteader - unable to simply drive to the shops and buy what you need. Rather than using money, you need to grow and make things yourself.
Allow me to illustrate:
You need to eat ---- You must grow instead of buying your food.
You need a house ---- You may need to learn how to build using site available materials like clay, sand, rocks and even rubbish.
You need clothes ---- You need to mend what you have, trade with others, and make your own.
You need money ---- Your job may be so dependent upon the present oil-rich system that your qualifications may no longer be needed in this new and unusual world. Also, money may not be worth what it is now, because it is not a "real" asset of itself.
Obviously, my comments suggest major changes coming to a town near you soon. Luckily though, there are already people in your town that know a lot of what you need to learn. And I'm willing to bet they want to teach you, and help you.
The transition isn't about going it alone. We need to learn how to be inter-dependent and community-reliant --- rather than acting as a tiny cog in the immense machine of the global economy.
Think about what you'd imagine yourself to be doing in a world without cars or debt. It's hard to envision, but whatever comes to you - my suggestion is to SKILL UP for these activities. And, enjoy doing it as you go along. We are all in the same boat. We all need each other.
Learn to use a loom or shoe a horse. Practice eating locally and preserving foods when your area experiences a glut. Find a local seed-saving group. Grow the widest variety of produce that you can and enjoy sharing it with others. Learn how to repair things rather than throwing them away. If you can, get out of debt as much as possible. Change your priorities and educate yourself about Energy Descent.
The world we are going into will be faster in terms of change, yet slower in terms of the pace of daily life. Don't fear, life will actually get better! Ask anyone who is already enacting their own transition experience. Why not embrace it also, and truly make it your own?
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