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BAU is driving us to collapse. Over the past 40 years, nothing has been done to derail us from behavior that is causing rapid increases in atmospheric CO2. This approaching collapse will be total; environmental, institutional, societal; an end to human civilization as we know it.
We need to engineer a collapse in the growth system that is driving us to the brink. This is simultaneously our only hope and terrifying. 2008 demonstrated just how fragile the worldwide financial system is. The engine that drives the system is consumers. Industry supplies what we demand. A fairly significant percentage of consumers need to decide to no longer participate in this dance with death, alter their consumption patterns to such an extent as to bring down the entire financial edifice, disaster capitalism if you will with the sole purpose of reinventing how we live.
I completely agree SH. This is what I've been thinking for some time.
De-growth is essential. It means stopping the growth. Doing away with the GDP 'metric'. Stopping profit. Stopping return-on-investment. Stopping the addiction to more more more.
As we are currently losing more and more of our political systems to commerce and rich people, and human rights are lost in the process. So using politics to bring about change in the growth system is a vanishing option.
Even China and Russia, having more powerful political systems, cannot go back. It is a race to the end (like the final moments after untying an inflated party-balloon).
What SH wrote is correct imo. Apart from the approaching uncontrolled collapse, the growth system stops only if enough of the consumerists stop. Enough of them to start influencing the rest through grouppressure and being a good example. Critical mass etc.
I am setting a good example; living amongst consumerists and having a very decent living. For everyone to see. Right in your face. But if it's only 1 person it won't work.
First step: break MSM and marketing. That is what's keeping consumerists in 'The Dream', otherwise known as 'The Apocalypse'.
How to wean people from the almighty TV and from constantly being inside (heated/airco'd home and car and office and shops).
Inside is the destructive dream. Outside is reality.
Question: How many hours/minutes per day on average are you outside, unprotected by enclosure and without smartphonescreen (=inside)?
edit: added shops