DENIAL,
DEPLETION, DEFICITS
At
the time of writing it is July/2025 and Europe is once more caught up in a
heatwave. Weather patterns are
increasingly volatile, destructive and unpredictable and all our efforts to
curb global warming appear stuck in an endless round of talks and well-meaning
gestures. We’re great at turning up the
heat and really suck at turning it down.
Our weather is starting to resemble the global political landscape; a
lot of negative energy bundling in intensity, heading for an explosive release. Yet another example of energy and momentum and
how it showcases how out of control we are and that we appear helpless in our
efforts to curb the worst of what humanity and human activities are bringing to
bear on the planet and the life it sustains.
On
June 21st, 2025, we were stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on
highway 401 in Toronto. More than 35
kilometers of stop and go traffic, crawling at a snail’s pace on twelve lanes
of traffic going in either direction.
Tens of thousands of cars. Barely
moving. Building more lanes is not the
answer. Neither is a proposed
tunnel. The ultimate solution is fewer
people, doing with less and wasting less.
Growth is a nightmare and it is obvious that we can’t afford the price
tag.
My
entire life, as a writer, I have consciously and subconsciously, observed how
we interact with each other and the planet all lifeforms depend upon for
survival. These past few days, while
editing one of my novels, I came across the following paragraphs that tie in
quite nicely to the article you are reading.
It is part of a conversation between two characters in the book. Although part fiction and fantasy, I always
incorporate elements that most people are familiar with. Real life situations and elements that move
us forward. Without giving away the plot
and the characters, what the two of them are discussing are matters true to
life and human nature. You be the judge.
From
the Book of Odd.
“Intelligence,
Tuck, is both a curse and a blessing. An
intelligence that is not tempered by wisdom and humility soon becomes
self-serving, arrogant and destructive.
I wish I could take you back to the part of the universe where I came
from. We were blobs of intelligent energy,
floating around in this sea of plasma.
We could merge, divide, share and interact. One big, floating mass of plasma, drawing all
our energy needs from the space that surrounded us, never bothered by a need to
eat, rest or sleep. Imagine the possibilities,
the time we could afford to spend on science, developing new concepts and
ideas. Many of us realized that we
needed to curtail that intelligence to make sure that we did serve the greater
good. You have a saying on your planet
that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and unfortunately we
followed that road. As we absorbed more
and more energy to sustain ourselves, we also absorbed more and more plasma so
as to grow in numbers and size. You
would think that a superior intelligence such as ours would be aware of the
impact of diminishing resources. Yes, we
were. But did we stop? No, we didn’t. Various factions developed, each one claiming
a greater right to what was left. These
factions clashed in destructive ways. It is amazing how inventive intelligence
can be when searching for ways to annihilate an opponent.”
DENIAL
I
have explained over and over again how energy and momentum are the two dominant
primordial forces that control everything in the universe. Energy created life and life is energy. Every
living species is reliant on energy to sustain itself and amongst an
intelligent species such as ours it has led to an intense competition. The more aggressive a species the greater the
odds that it will come out on top. A
certain level of aggression is needed to motivate a species, without it nothing
would get accomplished. However, in a
world where we have added a staggering 6 billion more people in just over one
hundred years, the impact of our numbers has led to a disparity and inequality
that can’t be bridged with good intentions and Band-Aid solutions. We’re in denial, about our impact and the
consequences of our activities in regards to energy security. Our primary instincts center on survival and
it is greedy.
Our needs supersede reason or a
balanced approach. Reason is for satisfied bellies when we
consider things like compassion and tolerance, inclusion and fairness. The urge to be first, to stay on top, to be
more powerful, is a primary motivator in all human interactions. Reluctantly we share and procreate. Reality dictates that we always need new
blood, a new generation, to take over and do the heavy lifting, but the old
guard only reluctantly moves aside. We
like to hold on to what we have and that includes life. We cling to it as stubbornly as we cling to
power and status. The world around us is
alive and brimming with these kinds of conflicts and contradictions. When the problems pile up and solutions are
in short supply it only sharpens the knives of conflict. None of the current conflicts in the world,
or for that matter, all those from the past, make any sense. None are based on reason. We excel at creating grievances and perceived
wrongs, even going as far as resurrecting old ones and polishing them to a
shine. That is denial for you. Purposely shuttering our eyes, ears and minds
to uncomfortable truths. We all do
it. We also believe and think that we
can get away with it.
DEPLETION
AND DEFICITS
As
we persist in promoting the illusions of progress and the might of science and
the fantastic futuristic worlds it will create, it consistently omits the price
the planet will pay for our schemes.
Nothing will be left standing if we persist with the energy frenzy that
currently fuels all of our plans, ambitions and schemes. Energy wasted. Energy squandered. Poof, most of it gone up in a cloud of smoke
and toxic particles. Ford has
temporarily halted EV production because it can’t get enough rare earth
materials. Rare is the evocative word
here and a lot of the stuff can be found in conflict zones and political
hotspots.
We’re getting desperate in meeting our
energy demands. More than 4 billion people live at or below
poverty levels and lack basis services and needs. All of them want what we have. And even in our nick of the woods, in our
world of “plenty”, the number of people who are falling behind and scraping by
is growing by leaps and bounds.
We
are turning a blind eye to resource depletion and scarcity, to all the
environmental deficits that we’re running up because the only scenario pursued
by business and politicians alike is the full steam ahead and business as usual
approach. Even if we wanted to turn off
or turn down, the momentum of what we have put in motion won’t let us. Reality: Nobody wants to listen. Nobody wants to change. We want to hold on to what we have and we
want more. In my novel “Diary of a
Spoiler” I envisioned a scenario of depletion and how people would react. In this tale the few people that did survive
a near apocalyptic collapse are thrown back into a near caveman-like existence. But even those that did survive, those that
rode it out in remote areas, realize that they need other people. People need to connect. On our own we are lost. Even the strongest male lion needs the
support of his pride to exist.
We are selfish and greedy and we only show compassion when we can afford it, when it is easy. When it comes to denial and deceit we’re all in and it explains the reluctance to introduce much needed positive changes and approaches. To make these change mandatory. None of the proposed global climate change resolutions have produced any results. Nothing is enforced. There are no penalties. No checks and balances or any kind of verification. Apparently we’d rather face the consequences. Driven by energy and momentum we have designed economic and political systems that follow the same unpredictable patterns. An unstoppable perpetual motion device. We simply don’t know how to reign ourselves in. The changes that need to be can’t be made without sacrifice. What is required would go right against the grain of the behavior of energy and momentum. And our numbers aren’t helping.
At
our worst we do the worst. In 2025
America’s democracy has suffered its worst setbacks since the American Civil War. This is not the work of just one man, one of
the most dubious persons to ever hold the highest office in the land. It is the mood across the nation that has
soured and it also shows in the cracks of so many nations around the globe that
are failing and falling behind.
Everything takes a backseat when people and nations are struggling to
keep it together. We’re not pursuing
less with fewer. A date with destiny is
awaiting us. None of the current
conflicts make sense. None have a
purpose. The belligerence and bad
attitudes are headed for a confrontation that nobody wants, that nobody can
afford, yet nothing is done to turn down the heat.
Feel
free to comment or share.
I
have a new book out on Amazon.ca on KDP: Mathew, Broderick, Fred, Roger. A wonderful, humorous tale about my youth,
growing up in an old farmhouse with very few luxuries and with eleven other
siblings. Growing up is something all of
us have to do and I am sure you will connect with the stories. It’s really a novel about all of us and some
of the crazy things we do and believe in.
Check it out. There is also an
expanded Energy & Origin: It explains in greater detail how energy and
momentum affect everything in and around
us.
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