The End of the World as We Know it?

Along with the rest of the world, I was shocked and horrified by the recent shootings at the school in Connecticut.  It never ceases to amaze me the atrocities mankind is capable of.  I am reminded of the wisdom of the Terminator from the second film when he says “it is in your(human) nature to destroy yourselves”

What I find more amazing is how Gun shops are experiencing record sales of firearms in the wake of the tragedy as people load up on soon to be illicit weapons.  The obvious answer to gun violence?  More guns….  And people wonder why we need governments to tell us what to do.

Furthermore,  tomorrow is supposed to be the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar.

We loves to believe in Doomsday, don’t we?  Even I have my personal ‘favorite’ theories of what will cause the destruction of mankind.  I often watch the reality television show Doomsday Preppers.  It features 3-4 families per show who are dedicated ‘Preppers’ – people who are particularly concerned about an impending disaster – earthquakes, financial collapse, volcanoes, solar flares/EMP’s and others, and are preparing for it.

On the show it is common for people to stockpile: months worth of canned food, thousands of liters of water, guns, and even some have built elaborate bomb shelters or ‘bug out’ locations, sometimes many hours from their homes, where they can escape to in a crisis. The show is borderline comical at times, because of how loony some of the people seem although occasionally there is someone who finds the right balance between preparedness and common sense.

Something I find it odd about the show is that every  ‘contestant’ has selected only one disaster to prepare for.  I have a feeling that this is a requirement to partake in the show.    I have often asked myself if I was to be on Doomsday Preppers, what would I be prepping for?

Firstly, I couldn’t just choose one subject.  I feel like ‘Doomsday’ could come in many forms, and is impossible to predict, which is why many of the preparations overlap.  Food, water, shelter, fire, weapons/tools – will pretty much cover you for any eventuality.  But if I was forced to choose something, I would say climate related disasters and/or economic collapses will continue to impact human life through the 21st century.

Both are the results of humanity being obsessed with greed and consumption, without any thoughts to sustainability.  As the Terminator noted “it is in our nature…”  We have abused the earth by stripping it of resources, and over-breeding to the point where we have 7 billion people on the planet.  Many of which cannot even feed themselves,  access clean water, or education.  Although I am a ‘greeny’ in terms of trying to limit my carbon footprint, I am aware that despite our best efforts as individuals or as nations, we are still growing in population and finite resources will eventually run out.

With regards to financial collapse, I believe we were extremely fortunate to have escaped the most recent recession unscathed.  How long will it be before the next collapse?  Google the US Debt Clock.  They owe around $16 trillion dollars now, and the pace at which that is increasing is mind-blowing.  How long can the US continue to pile on debt before the bubble bursts?  When(not if) it does , nations such as Canada, Mexico, and all the other trading nations will suffer.  We live in a global economy now where all nations are connected to each other through international trade.  If one of our trading partners  fails, we all fail.

Damn…. maybe those Mayans were on to something after all.

But I end this year with a sense of hope, regardless of all the doom and gloom that is far too easy to find and fill our heads with.

I am fairly certain that although climate disasters will continue to increase, it will not become a ‘deal breaker’ in my lifetime (next 50 years if I’m lucky).  Although, I would have a hard time telling that to people in Fiji or Haiti, or some of the other small nations ravaged by climate change.  However, I believe Canada is in a good position to ‘weather the storm’ of climate change – being blessed by natural resources and a low population.  We at least have options.

Secondly,  I am confident that life will always find a way.  Life will go on.  In Guadalajara, Mexico, I sometimes I see the roots of the trees have broken through a sidewalk, and  crumbling and cracking the concrete.   For me, it looks beautiful if slightly unsafe to walk on.  No matter how much ‘artificial garbage’ we put over top of nature, nature will fight back.  That is essentially what climate change is.  We have pissed off the planet, and it is rejecting us.  Just like our own body vomits or get diarrhea to rid ourselves of an infection.  There is a beautiful harmony in nature if one looks closely enough.  It will always try to return to balance, no matter how much we try to screw it up.

In summary, I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.  Be realistic about the challenges we face, but let’s face them with a sense of hope.  If you are afraid, transform that negative energy into a sense of empowerment by facing your fears and doing what you can to prepare for potential problems.