I am a doomer some times and not at others. What I think happens with some people is that the expectation of impending collapse of civilization gets to them and they start to wish it to happen already.
I try to have a more balanced approach were I try to preserve the things I would like to survive the current crisis and prefere for the worst. Not that there is a lot of preparing to be made.
I think I am with you, nick. Planned degrowth may be some sort of compromise which could result in human and biodiversity survival. I don’t care about super wealthy people or dictators. Or mainstream propagandists. We in the USA are living in a sad dystopian dream where we somehow think that we are correct about everything when we usually are not. Gaza comes to mind. Really people, killing unarmed civilians is evil, but allowed to continue nonstop because: the Bible?? Oil in the Mediterranean? Beach property for the ultra-rich?? Domination of the dispossessed? Thus, I think that the trees, plants, oceans, animals, and insects, not to mention plankton, which it turns out is super cool and very complex, are much more interesting and deserving than humans. This put me squarely in the collapse accepting category, which maybe is where I do belong.
Love this one, with the visuals and all, and the crystal ball 🔮
I consider myself more of a category 1, if only for the reason that I believe that the present is all I have to begin with.
Yes, an outlook or some forecast can inform how I make decisions in the present, but from a philosophical standpoint (and I'm talking metaphysics now) I hold to the notion that this thing I experience is ... one being present.
Projecting into the future can be a fun and imaginative thought exercise, but the present is where it's at really!
I've been enjoying Nate's work since The Oil Drum. Another way for viewing the future is to see that for the species to survive long-term with technology, we need to become aware of the structure of human being-itself. As the structure changes, human nature changes. Most aren't aware how this works.
When we focus inward, we discover human nature is not set in stone. The Ego only sees itself and always wants more for itself. Fortunately, humanity is more than Ego, but it takes going inward to see.
Our civilization has become an empire of Ego which can't and won't last for long.
Non-Egoic life lives in Oneness, which Ego can't conceive. While Ego helps focus a child's attention so it can grow into a unique, creative individual, it must be discarded, like baby-fat, if the child is to mature into a healthy adult. Becoming Non-Egoic is a discipline that in the best of circumstances takes about 6 years to appear.
Here's an unfinished website describing my book No Ego Odyssey.
Are explorations into unknowns peaceful? They're often exciting, harrowing, boring, and terrifying all at once with destinations that hopefully make it worth the effort.
When Ego is gone, Self remains, but now rather than revolving around Ego, Self revolves around the absence of Being, which Self understands and experiences in many different ways. The scientific tradition and all great spiritual traditions agree Ego must go if their disciplines are to be practiced well; but all differ on what is experienced and what happens afterward. The truth is our sciences and religions are contaminated by Ego. Is identifying, sidelining, seeing-through, taming, and participating in the annihilation of Ego worth it? Self will do what Self does with it.
Most in our civilization are in the grip of our habit of seeing the world and ourselves through the prism of Ego, which is the fiery powerhouse of motivating energy within us that only sees itself and continually wants more for itself to the point of destroying ecosystems for its benefit. Fortunately, human nature is not set in stone. The bulk of our potential experience of life, and the divine, can only be encountered without Ego.
I believe so little is known about the Oneness of life without Ego because the journey pisses everyone off equally. The scientific do not recognize their science in Non-Egoic science and the spiritual do not recognize their theologies in Non-Egoic spirituality. Psychologists tend to recoil from the work because what many call the subconscious is actually Ego exerting its will. Calling Ego the subconscious deflects responsibility for personal action.
Like nature-itself manifesting the four laws of thermodynamics, the journey is dynamically creative full of birth and death where nothing is lost and everything transforms.
Not sure what you mean by psychologists claiming that Ego is the subconscious exerting its will. In Freudian terms, that’s usually referred to as the ‘Id’, not the Ego.
You're making a good comment. The Freudian model of the human psyche is extremely Egoic, portraying ourselves as Ego wants to see itself in the center of all things trying to balance the impulses of id with societal expectations expressed by the super-ego.
My work is about how the human psyche appears and acts when Ego is entirely gone. The problem with Ego is that it is highly unstable. While it helps focus us to a specific goal, it's like nuclear power. Unless contained, the Ego poisons and explodes, causing the bulk of humanity's pains, such as racism, murder, cruelty, and so on.
Ego causes people to consciously and willfully violate the appropriate boundaries of others in order to meet its own needs. Ego has zero conception of Oneness.
So how does the Oneness of nature, humanity, and existence appear when seen without Ego? We discover that what psychologists called the subconscious was actually the Ego overwhelming the personality for its own, personal needs.
When Ego is gone, we discover the id, with its instincts and impulses, is reflecting the "knowing" of nature-itself. Animal instincts don't arise from anything like human consciousness, but something very different which psychology doesn't even have a name for. Similarly, when Ego is gone, the super-ego is discovered not to be a societal impulse, but, again, reflects what psychology doesn't have a word for. We see cosmology, science, and theology in radically different ways when Ego is gone.
By postulating the existence of id, ego, and super-ego, Freud created an Egoic model that allows a human being NOT to take responsibility for his own behavior; a model that puts Ego at the center of human nature justifying its solipsist needs and overwhelming power. While Ego helps children grow into unique adults, we mature as we become increasingly selfless, which starts with losing Ego.
But don't we need a strong Ego to survive the world? Ego would like us to believe this, but the fact is we are far healthier as individuals and as a species when we have strong Selves without Ego.
I ask out of curiosity because I relate very much to the Oneness you describe. Maybe I draw from different ... inspirations? In my case it's the philosopher Parmenides for instance, some Christian mystics, and non-dual approaches of self-inquiry like Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta. Next to the actual practice of meditation, of course. I wonder what led you to this ... revelation?
I believe there's a very large subset of group 1 (focused on the present) who do have an established view of the future. The huge problem with that group is that they didn't come up with it by thinking for themselves. Their active thinking is, indeed, "how to put food on the table". Then, after a hard day's work, they plop down in front of the TV or internet and passively absorb the future being designed for them by the masters of propaganda; i.e., by the psychopathic billionaire oligarchs who have captured mass media and want to drive us into a master/slave totalitarian future. "You will be safe and life will be comfortable with all of our wonderful, advanced technology in place. Trust us. You will own nothing, but you will be happy."
Are we any different? It could be said we are part of that subset. Really, everybody is part of society and those who muse on substack are a subset of the whole.
If the reality is that we are being conned and herded by a group of transnational elites, they are probably delighted that we are talking amongst ourselves and splitting ourselves into groups, whilst doing nothing about those behind the scenes.
They seem to want to use psychology and technology to keep control, so stop playing their game and using their technology. Just an idea!
I am a doomer some times and not at others. What I think happens with some people is that the expectation of impending collapse of civilization gets to them and they start to wish it to happen already.
I try to have a more balanced approach were I try to preserve the things I would like to survive the current crisis and prefere for the worst. Not that there is a lot of preparing to be made.
*I prepare for the worse.
There needs to be an edit button sometimes haha
I think I am with you, nick. Planned degrowth may be some sort of compromise which could result in human and biodiversity survival. I don’t care about super wealthy people or dictators. Or mainstream propagandists. We in the USA are living in a sad dystopian dream where we somehow think that we are correct about everything when we usually are not. Gaza comes to mind. Really people, killing unarmed civilians is evil, but allowed to continue nonstop because: the Bible?? Oil in the Mediterranean? Beach property for the ultra-rich?? Domination of the dispossessed? Thus, I think that the trees, plants, oceans, animals, and insects, not to mention plankton, which it turns out is super cool and very complex, are much more interesting and deserving than humans. This put me squarely in the collapse accepting category, which maybe is where I do belong.
I am glad Nate is posting here.
Love this one, with the visuals and all, and the crystal ball 🔮
I consider myself more of a category 1, if only for the reason that I believe that the present is all I have to begin with.
Yes, an outlook or some forecast can inform how I make decisions in the present, but from a philosophical standpoint (and I'm talking metaphysics now) I hold to the notion that this thing I experience is ... one being present.
Projecting into the future can be a fun and imaginative thought exercise, but the present is where it's at really!
I've been enjoying Nate's work since The Oil Drum. Another way for viewing the future is to see that for the species to survive long-term with technology, we need to become aware of the structure of human being-itself. As the structure changes, human nature changes. Most aren't aware how this works.
When we focus inward, we discover human nature is not set in stone. The Ego only sees itself and always wants more for itself. Fortunately, humanity is more than Ego, but it takes going inward to see.
Our civilization has become an empire of Ego which can't and won't last for long.
Non-Egoic life lives in Oneness, which Ego can't conceive. While Ego helps focus a child's attention so it can grow into a unique, creative individual, it must be discarded, like baby-fat, if the child is to mature into a healthy adult. Becoming Non-Egoic is a discipline that in the best of circumstances takes about 6 years to appear.
Here's an unfinished website describing my book No Ego Odyssey.
www.noegoodyssey.com
Sounds fantastic!
The (original) Odyssey had a pretty violent ending! Do you see yourself as more of a peaceful journey?
Are explorations into unknowns peaceful? They're often exciting, harrowing, boring, and terrifying all at once with destinations that hopefully make it worth the effort.
When Ego is gone, Self remains, but now rather than revolving around Ego, Self revolves around the absence of Being, which Self understands and experiences in many different ways. The scientific tradition and all great spiritual traditions agree Ego must go if their disciplines are to be practiced well; but all differ on what is experienced and what happens afterward. The truth is our sciences and religions are contaminated by Ego. Is identifying, sidelining, seeing-through, taming, and participating in the annihilation of Ego worth it? Self will do what Self does with it.
Most in our civilization are in the grip of our habit of seeing the world and ourselves through the prism of Ego, which is the fiery powerhouse of motivating energy within us that only sees itself and continually wants more for itself to the point of destroying ecosystems for its benefit. Fortunately, human nature is not set in stone. The bulk of our potential experience of life, and the divine, can only be encountered without Ego.
I believe so little is known about the Oneness of life without Ego because the journey pisses everyone off equally. The scientific do not recognize their science in Non-Egoic science and the spiritual do not recognize their theologies in Non-Egoic spirituality. Psychologists tend to recoil from the work because what many call the subconscious is actually Ego exerting its will. Calling Ego the subconscious deflects responsibility for personal action.
Like nature-itself manifesting the four laws of thermodynamics, the journey is dynamically creative full of birth and death where nothing is lost and everything transforms.
The analog is Homer, Kubrick, and history.
Not sure what you mean by psychologists claiming that Ego is the subconscious exerting its will. In Freudian terms, that’s usually referred to as the ‘Id’, not the Ego.
You're making a good comment. The Freudian model of the human psyche is extremely Egoic, portraying ourselves as Ego wants to see itself in the center of all things trying to balance the impulses of id with societal expectations expressed by the super-ego.
My work is about how the human psyche appears and acts when Ego is entirely gone. The problem with Ego is that it is highly unstable. While it helps focus us to a specific goal, it's like nuclear power. Unless contained, the Ego poisons and explodes, causing the bulk of humanity's pains, such as racism, murder, cruelty, and so on.
Ego causes people to consciously and willfully violate the appropriate boundaries of others in order to meet its own needs. Ego has zero conception of Oneness.
So how does the Oneness of nature, humanity, and existence appear when seen without Ego? We discover that what psychologists called the subconscious was actually the Ego overwhelming the personality for its own, personal needs.
When Ego is gone, we discover the id, with its instincts and impulses, is reflecting the "knowing" of nature-itself. Animal instincts don't arise from anything like human consciousness, but something very different which psychology doesn't even have a name for. Similarly, when Ego is gone, the super-ego is discovered not to be a societal impulse, but, again, reflects what psychology doesn't have a word for. We see cosmology, science, and theology in radically different ways when Ego is gone.
By postulating the existence of id, ego, and super-ego, Freud created an Egoic model that allows a human being NOT to take responsibility for his own behavior; a model that puts Ego at the center of human nature justifying its solipsist needs and overwhelming power. While Ego helps children grow into unique adults, we mature as we become increasingly selfless, which starts with losing Ego.
But don't we need a strong Ego to survive the world? Ego would like us to believe this, but the fact is we are far healthier as individuals and as a species when we have strong Selves without Ego.
I ask out of curiosity because I relate very much to the Oneness you describe. Maybe I draw from different ... inspirations? In my case it's the philosopher Parmenides for instance, some Christian mystics, and non-dual approaches of self-inquiry like Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta. Next to the actual practice of meditation, of course. I wonder what led you to this ... revelation?
Sounds like being part of an ant computer, which is their aim.
I believe there's a very large subset of group 1 (focused on the present) who do have an established view of the future. The huge problem with that group is that they didn't come up with it by thinking for themselves. Their active thinking is, indeed, "how to put food on the table". Then, after a hard day's work, they plop down in front of the TV or internet and passively absorb the future being designed for them by the masters of propaganda; i.e., by the psychopathic billionaire oligarchs who have captured mass media and want to drive us into a master/slave totalitarian future. "You will be safe and life will be comfortable with all of our wonderful, advanced technology in place. Trust us. You will own nothing, but you will be happy."
thats a good point.
Are we any different? It could be said we are part of that subset. Really, everybody is part of society and those who muse on substack are a subset of the whole.
If the reality is that we are being conned and herded by a group of transnational elites, they are probably delighted that we are talking amongst ourselves and splitting ourselves into groups, whilst doing nothing about those behind the scenes.
They seem to want to use psychology and technology to keep control, so stop playing their game and using their technology. Just an idea!