(2009-06-20) Orlov New Emergency

Dmitry Orlov's presentation on the coming Collapse. We all have to prepare for life without much money, where imported goods are scarce, and where people have to provide for their own needs, and those of their immediate neighbors.

Things he's against

• supporting the AutoMobile industry - we already have enough cars, soon we won't be able to drive/maintain them.

• attempts at pseudo-SustainAble alternatives - Alternative Energy systems that depend on an Industrial Economy to support them will not be viable. Buying Green is pointless if you're still buying crap.

• Transition Town model - will inevitably result in policies attempting to sustain/stretch out the Status Quo.

• LETS, DigiCash, etc - it's still Money, which we won't need

He prefers

• use current Money wealth to lock down land that can revert to wilderness (hmm, post-Collapse, is land-title going to mean anything?)

• hoard items with use-value (tools, etc.)

• Barter, Gift Economy, CoOp. One option is to organise as communities to produce certain goods that the entire community wants: food, clothing, shelter, security and entertainment. Everyone makes their contribution, in exchange for the end product, which everyone gets to share. It is also possible to organise to produce goods that can be used in trade with other communities: trade goods. Trade goods are a much better way to store wealth than money, which is, let's face it, an essentially useless substance.

So what are we to do in the meantime, while we wait for collapse, followed by good things? It's no use wasting your energy, running yourself ragged and ageing prematurely, so get plenty of rest, and try to live a slow and measured life. One of the ways industrial society dominates us is through the use of the factory whistle: few of us work in factories, but we are still expected to work a shift. If you can avoid doing that, you will be ahead. Maintain your freedom to decide what to do at each moment, so that you can do each thing at the most opportune time. Specifically try to give yourself as many options as you can, so that if any one thing doesn't seem to be working out, you can switch to another. The future is unpredictable, so try to plan so as to be able to change your plans at any time. Learn to ignore all the people who earn their money by telling you lies. Thanks to them, the world is full of very bad ideas that are accepted as conventional wisdom, so watch out for them and come to your own conclusions. Lastly, people who lack a sense of humour are going to be in for a very hard time, and can drag down those around them. Plus, they are just not that funny. So avoid people who aren't funny, and look for those who can laugh at the world no matter what happens.