thegreatstory | Sanity 101: Living Fully in an Age of Decline (Basic Training) Essential Wisdom for Hard Times @thegreatstory | Uploaded December 2022 | Updated October 2024, 3 hours ago.
This 90-min program (four 20-25 minute sections), "Sanity 101: Living Fully in an Age of Decline (BASIC TRAINING) Essential Wisdom for Hard Times" gives voice to a decade of research into (1) the unstoppable nature of denial regarding biospheric and civilizational collapse, and (2) how we can live fully and contribute meaningfully even in the worst circumstances.
DESCRIPTION: No one needs convincing that we are living in hard times and in an age of chaos and breakdowns. Even those with no understanding of the runaway nature of biospheric and civilizational decline feel the stress. Just to read or watch today’s propaganda, formerly known as “the news”, is a sobering (or un-sobering!) experience. So... How do we cope? How can we stay positive? And, perhaps most importantly, how can we be of support to others who are confused, angry, depressed, or filled with fear, blame, or guilt? That's what this "basic training" in living life fully and loving the life you live even in the worst of times is all about.
THESIS: The stability of the biosphere has been in decline for centuries and in runaway (unstoppable) collapse for decades. This “Great Acceleration” of technology- and market-driven ecocide is an easily verifiable fact. The scientific evidence is overwhelming. Evidence is also compelling that the vast majority of people will deny this, especially those still benefitting from the existing order, those legitimately concerned about the consequences of collapse, those who fear that accepting reality means “giving up”. The history of 80+ previous boom and bust societies clearly reveals how and why Homo colossus (industrial civilization) is in terminal decline and destined for near-term extinction. Paradoxically, acceptance of collapse and its inevitable consequences may be the single most important thing any of us can do to live fully, fearlessly, and inspiringly in this Age of Decline: at TEOTWAWKI (The-End-Of-The-World-As-We-Know-It).
"CLIFF NOTES" -- 30 minute intro/overview/short version of this material, for those who are already collapse accepting and/or who have watched previous videos of mine: youtu.be/cLBJjBcSSnY
00:00:00 Introduction, Overview, Thesis
00:09:16 Feelings associated with Denial & Acceptance
00:10:00 The Big Picture / Great Story
00:12:13 Paul Chefurka: Ladder of Awareness
00:17:47 John Michael Greer: Clue
00:20:10 Denial (Adaptive Inattention)
00:25:07 FIRST BREAK
00:25:23 Great Acceleration of Collapse
00:32:36 What's Inevitable
00:25:00 Civilizations
00:40:08 REAL-izing Good & Evil
00:41:49 Overshoot and Hopium
00:48:58 Four (Deadly Accurate) Metaphors
00:52:31 SECOND BREAK
00:52:56 Accepting Ten Certainties
00:57:17 How to Maximize Misery
01:00:16 EcoTheo Credo / 4 Rs of RRR
01:01:34 Evil comes in language / Don't Look Up
01:08:23 Calm Gratitude at TEOTWAWKI
01:15:04 THIRD BREAK
01:15:18 Doom, Postdoom, Acceptance, Trust
01:19:27 Not too late... / Too late...
01:23:13 Benefits of Collapse Acceptance, Trust
01:28:00 Hope-Free / Stages of Grief
01:30:15 Final Note of Encouagement
WEBSITE: postdoom.com
RESOURCES: postdoom.com/resources
CONVERSATIONS: postdoom.com/conversations
GALLOWS HUMOR, COPING, DISCUSSIONS: postdoom.com/discussions
MORTALITY - A SCIENCE-BASED VIEW OF DEATH AS SACRED / MEANINGFUL (best viewed on desktop or laptop: thegreatstory.org/death-programs.html
SOUNDCLOUD PLAYLISTS: soundcloud.com/michael-dowd-grace-limits/sets
(4-MIN) 2014 HBO "THE NEWSROOM" CLIP: youtu.be/6CXRaTnKDXA
FULL (8-MIN) CLIP of 2014 HBO "The Newsroom" (EPA segments): dropbox.com/s/orq3tops40gftzo/HBO%20Newsroom%20Climate%20EPA%20Segments.mov?dl=0
This 90-min program (four 20-25 minute sections), "Sanity 101: Living Fully in an Age of Decline (BASIC TRAINING) Essential Wisdom for Hard Times" gives voice to a decade of research into (1) the unstoppable nature of denial regarding biospheric and civilizational collapse, and (2) how we can live fully and contribute meaningfully even in the worst circumstances.
DESCRIPTION: No one needs convincing that we are living in hard times and in an age of chaos and breakdowns. Even those with no understanding of the runaway nature of biospheric and civilizational decline feel the stress. Just to read or watch today’s propaganda, formerly known as “the news”, is a sobering (or un-sobering!) experience. So... How do we cope? How can we stay positive? And, perhaps most importantly, how can we be of support to others who are confused, angry, depressed, or filled with fear, blame, or guilt? That's what this "basic training" in living life fully and loving the life you live even in the worst of times is all about.
THESIS: The stability of the biosphere has been in decline for centuries and in runaway (unstoppable) collapse for decades. This “Great Acceleration” of technology- and market-driven ecocide is an easily verifiable fact. The scientific evidence is overwhelming. Evidence is also compelling that the vast majority of people will deny this, especially those still benefitting from the existing order, those legitimately concerned about the consequences of collapse, those who fear that accepting reality means “giving up”. The history of 80+ previous boom and bust societies clearly reveals how and why Homo colossus (industrial civilization) is in terminal decline and destined for near-term extinction. Paradoxically, acceptance of collapse and its inevitable consequences may be the single most important thing any of us can do to live fully, fearlessly, and inspiringly in this Age of Decline: at TEOTWAWKI (The-End-Of-The-World-As-We-Know-It).
"CLIFF NOTES" -- 30 minute intro/overview/short version of this material, for those who are already collapse accepting and/or who have watched previous videos of mine: youtu.be/cLBJjBcSSnY
00:00:00 Introduction, Overview, Thesis
00:09:16 Feelings associated with Denial & Acceptance
00:10:00 The Big Picture / Great Story
00:12:13 Paul Chefurka: Ladder of Awareness
00:17:47 John Michael Greer: Clue
00:20:10 Denial (Adaptive Inattention)
00:25:07 FIRST BREAK
00:25:23 Great Acceleration of Collapse
00:32:36 What's Inevitable
00:25:00 Civilizations
00:40:08 REAL-izing Good & Evil
00:41:49 Overshoot and Hopium
00:48:58 Four (Deadly Accurate) Metaphors
00:52:31 SECOND BREAK
00:52:56 Accepting Ten Certainties
00:57:17 How to Maximize Misery
01:00:16 EcoTheo Credo / 4 Rs of RRR
01:01:34 Evil comes in language / Don't Look Up
01:08:23 Calm Gratitude at TEOTWAWKI
01:15:04 THIRD BREAK
01:15:18 Doom, Postdoom, Acceptance, Trust
01:19:27 Not too late... / Too late...
01:23:13 Benefits of Collapse Acceptance, Trust
01:28:00 Hope-Free / Stages of Grief
01:30:15 Final Note of Encouagement
WEBSITE: postdoom.com
RESOURCES: postdoom.com/resources
CONVERSATIONS: postdoom.com/conversations
GALLOWS HUMOR, COPING, DISCUSSIONS: postdoom.com/discussions
MORTALITY - A SCIENCE-BASED VIEW OF DEATH AS SACRED / MEANINGFUL (best viewed on desktop or laptop: thegreatstory.org/death-programs.html
SOUNDCLOUD PLAYLISTS: soundcloud.com/michael-dowd-grace-limits/sets
(4-MIN) 2014 HBO "THE NEWSROOM" CLIP: youtu.be/6CXRaTnKDXA
FULL (8-MIN) CLIP of 2014 HBO "The Newsroom" (EPA segments): dropbox.com/s/orq3tops40gftzo/HBO%20Newsroom%20Climate%20EPA%20Segments.mov?dl=0
