Thursday, January 16, 2020

The Collapse XLII: An Opinion Piece


20 October 20XX

My Dear Lucilius:

Our power has again been spotty of later – although I admire whoever is on the other end of the power lines for continuing to keep what power the do on. They have done yeoman’s service in this regard, although to be completely honest I not sure what the point is, other than to give the window dressing to the concept that everything has not completely collapsed.

Enforced in-house living, due to the snow, has made for the re-inventorying of everything – both because it is a useful exercise and, frankly, keeps the mind occupied. I have gone through every room of the house (all 3 of them!), checking against the list and inventorying against the day that some of the items will have to be traded for something else.

In digging through my inventory of paper – junk mail, the local newspaper, and the like – I came across an opinion piece we had discussed when it came out (as I recall, anyway) about how once again we were literally within years of reaching the point of non-sustainability, that one with immediate and intrusive government action would life be able to be maintained at some level (interesting, how only government action is only, ever, the way to save the day).

I laughed to myself – somewhat bitterly- as I re-read ot/

One wonders where that opinion leader is now, or the hordes behind them that felt that only government action could stave off the end. The end, or at least an end, has come – ironically enough somewhat enabled by government action. The very body that was supposed to save everything has instead just enable the destruction of the same.

If they were in a city, their circumstances are hard right now, if not awful. I can imagine, even though I am not there: some hours of power, no food beyond what may be distributed, and the sinking feeling that nothing good is coming out of this situation. The very “government” that was supposed to save things has become the instrument for ensuring that (almost) everyone suffers equally. Despair, if not death, has taken hold.

Not to say that all of that is not true out here in the non-urban environment either. Almost all of the same items potentially apply, with the exception of the government ensuring we all suffer together. Government out here was only ever able to manage things a little in the best of times; now they have retreated to the core or to their own part of the countryside to make their way.

I pulled that paper aside to save to read again, perhaps in another year or so to amuse myself again. Or to keep ready when whatever comes after happens and people again believe that government is their only salvation.

Your Obedient Servant, Seneca.



4 comments:

  1. Ha. As you note, that's the problem now.
    Good update, TB.

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  2. Thank you Linda. And yes, that is the problem now. And will continue to be the problem, right up until it is not.

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  3. Good chapter. Expecting the government to fix anything and everything seems to be the default response to all perceived problems. I'm guessing because this puts the responsibility on something else, rather than Self. But it requires turning a blind eye to the consequences, i.e. the price we all pay---our freedom---for letting the government "solve" our problems.

    I hope you're planning to publish The Collapse in some form. It's interesting reading and good food for thought.

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  4. Leigh - This was certainly not what the Founders intended at all. If I were a better student of American History I could tell you when this happened, although I suspect it has been a slow shift since the early 20th Century and only ripened in the 1960's with Johnson's Great Society after that.

    Not that the government is at all disinterested in this, of course: the government Wants to be the solution to all problems, because solutions equal money and power and control. Authoritarian institutions of any kind encourage dependence. They may say they want people to move to independence, but it only the limited sorts of independence that really have no impact.

    Thanks for the kind words on the writing. I know The Martian started this way too - who knows?

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