I've mentioned this before, but I joined up for the c-realm vault for #89 in april 2014, after you hinted on the main c-realm at having more thoughts on Michael Ruppert's suicide. I don't know if that one was near the inflection point for your views, but I definitely found it the most powerful.
Some sample quotes from re-listening to that one, especially from listener Frank's email reflecting back what thoughts you were putting out:
- you were raising the alarm that "people were using the collapse narrative to create a death-cult"
- "to what extent is the collapse narrative a projection of peoples' inner demons, working their way into a public spectacle?"
I think personally around that time, I was trying to spread the whitepill of MMT to help people off the ledge of economic/financial doomerism (of the type in the first portion of this vault episode, speaking with ilargi). I mostly missed the peak-oil ecological collapse community at that point, other than keeping tabs on the /r/collapse sub as a tourist. But I definitely had the experience of being tempted into blackpill doomer 'potent cocktail' understanding of the world when dealing with my own lowpoint depression around 2007-2010. And indeed that it fell away again when my own situation turned around.
Thanks for the specific episode # callback. I'll review that one for perspective. Yes, the Peak Oil Doom message caught me at a vulnerable time in 2007, and then macro events in 2008 seemed to validate it. There was probably no previous time in my life when I would have been amenable to a collapse narrative.
I cannot remember exactly how I came to the c-realm. If it was via the ETC podcasts ‘08(?) or Knutstler(when it was still urbanism). I was never a doomer, but enjoyed your variety of voices Doug Lain(diet soap), the Arch Druid, Ayahuasca etc. z-realm too! Always memorable engaging conversations. And topics I might not have considered.
Your deep dive into AI sometimes is more than I can track week to week. Still it is my source of trying to comprehend the technology and potential.
[Your deep dive into AI sometimes is more than I can track week to week. Still it is my source of trying to comprehend the technology and potential.]
I've heard that from other folks too. I sometimes think my contributions are not novel enough to interest people who are already knowledgeable on the topic, but messages like yours make me think I should focus more on accessibility for people who are intellectually curious but not steeped in AI news.
Hey I've been following you from your Dope-fiend days and accompanied you through your tenure in Tennessee. then NYC and onto Virginia etc. Back in the day I was contributing articles to the old Reality Sandwich, working with Transition Towns and generally open to the ways in which we could fix some of our obvious problems and dependencies.
I was even selling Conversations on Collapse on my defunct online bookstore!
I most drawn to the aspect of practical ways to do things better. Being of a metaphysical bent I enjoy exploring larger scenarios and alternatives.
I appreciate your forays into AI but it leaves me cold - there's a certain zealotry in it (the likes of which you have detected and unpacked within the old peak oil scene) that pushes me away. Any prediction for the future that tells me exactly how it is going to be tends to excite my Gen X reflex to go looking for something else. Story of my life I guess.
[Any prediction for the future that tells me exactly how it is going to be tends to excite my Gen X reflex to go looking for something else.]
I hear ya.
Somebody may be predicting a future that largely comes to pass, but that just means they're the lucky one. They didn't know in advance.
There's an element of skill and vision in hitting the target, but there's no denying the role that luck plays. And premature certainty or marrying one's self-conception to a particular view of the future are profound cognitive handicaps.
I just read something about the prevalence of apocalyptic thought these days in the US. I wish I could find it. Anyway you have your work cut out or you if you want to help young people get a realistic understanding about how civilizations behave under stress
It's a personal project. Not a crusade. I don't expect to save the world, but I'm hoping to help a few people recognize and avoid a self-destructive temptation.
I've mentioned this before, but I joined up for the c-realm vault for #89 in april 2014, after you hinted on the main c-realm at having more thoughts on Michael Ruppert's suicide. I don't know if that one was near the inflection point for your views, but I definitely found it the most powerful.
Some sample quotes from re-listening to that one, especially from listener Frank's email reflecting back what thoughts you were putting out:
- you were raising the alarm that "people were using the collapse narrative to create a death-cult"
- "to what extent is the collapse narrative a projection of peoples' inner demons, working their way into a public spectacle?"
I think personally around that time, I was trying to spread the whitepill of MMT to help people off the ledge of economic/financial doomerism (of the type in the first portion of this vault episode, speaking with ilargi). I mostly missed the peak-oil ecological collapse community at that point, other than keeping tabs on the /r/collapse sub as a tourist. But I definitely had the experience of being tempted into blackpill doomer 'potent cocktail' understanding of the world when dealing with my own lowpoint depression around 2007-2010. And indeed that it fell away again when my own situation turned around.
I reposted that episode to the KMO Show feed. Thanks again for reminding me that it exists: https://rss.com/podcasts/kmoshow/2633121
Thanks for the specific episode # callback. I'll review that one for perspective. Yes, the Peak Oil Doom message caught me at a vulnerable time in 2007, and then macro events in 2008 seemed to validate it. There was probably no previous time in my life when I would have been amenable to a collapse narrative.
I cannot remember exactly how I came to the c-realm. If it was via the ETC podcasts ‘08(?) or Knutstler(when it was still urbanism). I was never a doomer, but enjoyed your variety of voices Doug Lain(diet soap), the Arch Druid, Ayahuasca etc. z-realm too! Always memorable engaging conversations. And topics I might not have considered.
Your deep dive into AI sometimes is more than I can track week to week. Still it is my source of trying to comprehend the technology and potential.
[Your deep dive into AI sometimes is more than I can track week to week. Still it is my source of trying to comprehend the technology and potential.]
I've heard that from other folks too. I sometimes think my contributions are not novel enough to interest people who are already knowledgeable on the topic, but messages like yours make me think I should focus more on accessibility for people who are intellectually curious but not steeped in AI news.
Hey I've been following you from your Dope-fiend days and accompanied you through your tenure in Tennessee. then NYC and onto Virginia etc. Back in the day I was contributing articles to the old Reality Sandwich, working with Transition Towns and generally open to the ways in which we could fix some of our obvious problems and dependencies.
I was even selling Conversations on Collapse on my defunct online bookstore!
I most drawn to the aspect of practical ways to do things better. Being of a metaphysical bent I enjoy exploring larger scenarios and alternatives.
I appreciate your forays into AI but it leaves me cold - there's a certain zealotry in it (the likes of which you have detected and unpacked within the old peak oil scene) that pushes me away. Any prediction for the future that tells me exactly how it is going to be tends to excite my Gen X reflex to go looking for something else. Story of my life I guess.
Anyway, thanks for all you do.
[Any prediction for the future that tells me exactly how it is going to be tends to excite my Gen X reflex to go looking for something else.]
I hear ya.
Somebody may be predicting a future that largely comes to pass, but that just means they're the lucky one. They didn't know in advance.
There's an element of skill and vision in hitting the target, but there's no denying the role that luck plays. And premature certainty or marrying one's self-conception to a particular view of the future are profound cognitive handicaps.
I just read something about the prevalence of apocalyptic thought these days in the US. I wish I could find it. Anyway you have your work cut out or you if you want to help young people get a realistic understanding about how civilizations behave under stress
It's a personal project. Not a crusade. I don't expect to save the world, but I'm hoping to help a few people recognize and avoid a self-destructive temptation.
Fair enough. Plus I guess that is how you persuade people anyway, communicating like you are talking one (or just a few) people