I was fascinated by the notion of “hospicing modernity “. It made me wonder if there’s a role for “collapse doulas” who like death doulas could help shepherd us to the other side of ecological death with sanity and grace?
It’s interesting to compare the denial of individual death with our denial of civilizational collapse. I also like framing both as simplify, simplify as Thoreau observed…
I will be sharing. Found you on bluesky. This essay gives me another way of looking at my collapse awareness and the onward loneliness it causes me. I have wanted to find others and maybe help them through the grief phases. If your essays could help them, that would be so useful. The dissonance can be crippling.
I like the term consensus trance. One can use various terms, perspectives and metaphors to try to describe it, and they can all be good. Certainly it’s a behavioral crisis, but it is even more than that.
Collapse is structural in all manner of ways: fossil fuels, civilization, psychology, technology, ecological realities, physical laws, game theory and more all play vital roles.
All there is left to do is mitigate and adapt best we can. While I believe mankind is extremely adaptive and industrious, I’m growing ever more sceptical that we will act preemptively at all.
Solid work. You see it. Looking forward to the next part!
Thanks Jan, I think the multidisciplinary nature of collapse makes it so fascinating on an intellectual level. Of course, it's completely grim on other levels.. Thanks for the comment :)
Thank you for this. I’m struck by the increasing pace and intensity a consensus trance might take the more the cracks widen. Perhaps the wide spread adoption of LLMs as our new oracles is symptomatic of a societal reaction to the increasing visibility of these cracks. The chatbots are simply reflecting back to us our own stories. As folks continue to find/create/inhabit their own machine mediated story bubbles, the will to be in person with humans and other beings appears to decrease. One result seems to be a dramatic decrease in the number of human births. Perhaps humanity will go out not with a bang but a masterbatory whimper.
Eloquently put. For an ecologist's perspective, anything by William Rees is helpful. I have also found Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast and Slow" useful.
I also really appreciated your recognition of the sense of loneliness brought on by swimming in a sea of people who are oblivious. It reminded me of something Aldo Leopold said about ecologically sensitive people living alone in a world of wounds.
Whatever you say about dealing with collapse is not really helpful. The only useful stories and imagery comes from religions, of all kinds even though they were never meant to do that.
Humanity’ story is the “Sodom and Gomor" story from the Bible, there is no salvation possible. Humanity broke all the barriers and now it’s time to reap the spoils, the anger and punishment of the overlords, whoever they may be.
Thanks for the kind words 🙏 Yeah, it's heavy but it's still better to know 💚
I was fascinated by the notion of “hospicing modernity “. It made me wonder if there’s a role for “collapse doulas” who like death doulas could help shepherd us to the other side of ecological death with sanity and grace?
It’s interesting to compare the denial of individual death with our denial of civilizational collapse. I also like framing both as simplify, simplify as Thoreau observed…
Thanks Sandy. CA posted this a few months back on this site https://thesundaysoother.substack.com/p/you-might-be-a-collapse-doula-if
Thank you for this, it is an excellent essay i have shared in my support group and restacked because it is so good.
I know. I get it. But damm its a load.
I will be sharing. Found you on bluesky. This essay gives me another way of looking at my collapse awareness and the onward loneliness it causes me. I have wanted to find others and maybe help them through the grief phases. If your essays could help them, that would be so useful. The dissonance can be crippling.
I like the term consensus trance. One can use various terms, perspectives and metaphors to try to describe it, and they can all be good. Certainly it’s a behavioral crisis, but it is even more than that.
Collapse is structural in all manner of ways: fossil fuels, civilization, psychology, technology, ecological realities, physical laws, game theory and more all play vital roles.
All there is left to do is mitigate and adapt best we can. While I believe mankind is extremely adaptive and industrious, I’m growing ever more sceptical that we will act preemptively at all.
Solid work. You see it. Looking forward to the next part!
Thanks Jan, I think the multidisciplinary nature of collapse makes it so fascinating on an intellectual level. Of course, it's completely grim on other levels.. Thanks for the comment :)
Thank you for this. I’m struck by the increasing pace and intensity a consensus trance might take the more the cracks widen. Perhaps the wide spread adoption of LLMs as our new oracles is symptomatic of a societal reaction to the increasing visibility of these cracks. The chatbots are simply reflecting back to us our own stories. As folks continue to find/create/inhabit their own machine mediated story bubbles, the will to be in person with humans and other beings appears to decrease. One result seems to be a dramatic decrease in the number of human births. Perhaps humanity will go out not with a bang but a masterbatory whimper.
That’s a fascinating take Josh
Tad bit tongue in cheek but…
Eloquently put. For an ecologist's perspective, anything by William Rees is helpful. I have also found Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast and Slow" useful.
Thanks Erica, I agree - Bill Rees is the GOAT
I also really appreciated your recognition of the sense of loneliness brought on by swimming in a sea of people who are oblivious. It reminded me of something Aldo Leopold said about ecologically sensitive people living alone in a world of wounds.
Excellent. Hope to keep hearing more from you.
Thanks G.P. Another one in the pipeline soon :)
Excellent post, Adrian. Thanks so much for this clear description of consensus trance.
Appreciate this Maya :)
Excellent.
Thanks Charles :)
Elon Musk 'Tech Messiah'
And the important role he plays in feeding barnyard animals hopium
https://fasteddynz.substack.com/p/elon-musk-tech-messiah
Whatever you say about dealing with collapse is not really helpful. The only useful stories and imagery comes from religions, of all kinds even though they were never meant to do that.
Humanity’ story is the “Sodom and Gomor" story from the Bible, there is no salvation possible. Humanity broke all the barriers and now it’s time to reap the spoils, the anger and punishment of the overlords, whoever they may be.