“We stand on the cusp of one of the bleakest periods in human history when the bright lights of a civilization blink out and we will descend for decades, if not centuries, into barbarity. The elites have successfully convinced us that we no longer have the capacity to understand the revealed truths presented before us or to fight back against the chaos caused by economic and environmental catastrophe.”

https://www.adbusters.org/magazine/88/chris-hedges.html

The mower stalled, twice; kneeling, I found
A hedgehog jammed up against the blades,
Killed. It had been in the long grass.

I had seen it before, and even fed it, once.
Now I had mauled its unobtrusive world
Unmendably. Burial was no help:

Next morning I got up and it did not.
The first day after a death, the new absence
Is always the same; we should be careful

Of each other, we should be kind
While there is still time

P. Larkin.
.

Here’s some cool pictures. IMO, these images go a long way towards illustrating the real internal spiritual condition of the so-called humans who have been running this country for the last 100 years and more, and there are still plenty of them about…

http://www.travislouie.com/paintings/

The kind of people who think that what this guy is doing is really great and elect him Pig Farmer of the Year, what a hero !

http://www.viva.org.uk/campaigns/pigs/foston.htm

Love and rage !

What is of value here is ‘taking a long term view as a response to facing-up to a crisis of real immediacy’. We can realise a holistic response that sees this crisis as a stimulant to sow the seeds of something that goes on growing: before, during and after the ‘collapsing civilisation’ phase of the crisis.

This places the visionary element ‘in the soil’ – and that is probably where it was always supposed to be. Infact, much of what hastens ‘the collapse scenario’ is the result (over the last 2 to 3 centuries) of too great a distance being forged between a relatively steady state, incremental evolution of land based developments/communities and the rapid, abstracted and technologically driven evolution of urbanised developments/communities. The latter then rebounding on the former and establishing unrealistic demands upon soil, plant, animal and man. Especially in the last 100 years. To the extent that our resource base is now severely depleted, disrupted and devalued.

By insisting on a renaissance of the ’slow and steady’ long-term ecological approach we can indeed ‘gain time’ and ’slow the crash’. What’s more, we can harmonise our own rythm’s to what is circadian and seasonal, rather than what is linear and monotone.

It is my contention that ‘Art’(in the context that Dark Mountain largely places it) can only thrive once re-harnessed to that which is itself of simple, fundamental importance to our daily lives. Soil, water, food, shelter etc. The ’soil under the fingernails’ that Paul speaks of is indispensible to the coming phase of our evolution – the one that leads to the establishment and expansion of the ‘arks’ that I cite in the above comment.

The Artist of the 21st century is not the same bird as the Ivory Tower artist of the past. The 21st century artist is an ‘actor’ (man/woman of action) who simply cannot remain a largely passive observer of the fate of his/her planetary home and fellow humans. That which is written, painted, played or sculpted by those who remain aloof from the fate of this planet and all its beings – can no longer be called ‘art’ no matter how eloquent the words or brush strokes that emerge form their exigencies.

That is the great change which is upon us. The age of responsibility. More fire, less ego, less posturing – and the recognition that we are not seperate from the veins of life that pulse in our embattled Gaia, but irrevocably interconnected.

http://www.permacultureforum.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=808&p=3654#p3654

I have been doing just what you recommend, for twenty years. 25 acres, 800 ft. above sea level.

I’m not certain if I will live to see the day, but some of the eco-fascists think that the future will be fortification of such places, with armed guards, to fend off the roving bands of looters and pillagers, the starving and desperate… Can’t say I relish that prospect.

My suggestion: if you haven’t already – get onto a small plot of land about 100 metres or more above sea level and start ‘growing your own’. Get the shelter heated with wood or other renewable resource and cook using the same. Practice your inner spiritual expansion regularly – and send positive microvita vibrations to others in need. Then link-up with those climbing the same mountain (or trying to) and start ‘the new resistance’ which will eventually help ensure that your species rich hay meadow and cow will not be bulldozed out of existence. Write about it – you are very good with words.

Then, one day, your ‘ark’ will be one of thousands – because many who have the same idea have actually decided to act on it! Survival and rebirth may just be the same thing, and there will be productive islands between the floods, oasese amongst the deserts and hope amongst the surrounding despair and desolation. And even if the scenario does not work out like this, you will have acted according to your intuition and responded to the life force – which is the starting point and sine qua non for anything of value.

You will also learn to respect the life of the peasant.

Still tinkering with a contribution to DM, but I’ve just posted on my blog an outline for THE ANSWER!

http://www.gentleapocalypse.com/2010/06/more-economic-growth.html#more

Slow bows,

Captain Mindhorne