Force feed a pile of magic mushrooms to the worlds leaders and elite classes. The problems will resolve. — DingoJones
What will it take to solve these problems? What will it take to eradicate nuclear weapons and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero? — Xtrix
Back in the hippie sixties, the prophecy of a new awakening was called the Age of Aquarius : a new astrological cycle of peace & love. Thus began a long slow process of Consciousness Raising. And in the eighties, physicist Fritjof Capra wrote a book entitled The Turning Point. He called on scientists to make it happen : "to round the great turn from hard, mechanistic, reductionist science to soft, organic, systems-view science". Then in 2000, Malcom Gladwell wrote The Tipping Point, which described the viral spread of memes, hopefully, as a "social epidemic" of new thinking. Now, after years of promoting the meme of Global Warming -- which at first was misunderstood as only a matter of temperature -- the "problem" of Ecological Climate Change is widespread in the western world. But still, we look around and think : "why haven't we yet reached the promised peak of the tipping point, that heralds a New Awakening".At this point, I think what's needed is an awakening -- similar to a religious conversion in the sense of a complete change in perspective, and one that has to be reached on a global scale. — Xtrix
Will it happen? Is it happening already? I — Xtrix
At this point, I think what's needed is an awakening -- similar to a religious conversion in the sense of a complete change in perspective, and one that has to be reached on a global scale. — Xtrix
I just think people generally lack perspective, and get locked into one way of thinking , a little understanding goes a long way and psychedelics or a nig bag of weed can help with that. — DingoJones
What will it take to solve these problems? What will it take to eradicate nuclear weapons and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero?
— Xtrix
Good question.
I think what can be said for sure is that communism can't be the answer. Environmental pollution was appalling in the Soviet Union and continues to be a huge problem in China which is ruled by the Communist Party.
Capitalism also seems to create some problems. — Apollodorus
I suspect that the very real problem of social alienation is the biggest culprit here, preventing people from seeing how masses can change laws to attain a more just future. — Manuel
The only thing that seems to me plausible is to have people focus on one concrete project related to these issues, say, closing one pipeline or reducing the budget of the military a little in a certain project. — Manuel
Now, after years of promoting the meme of Global Warming -- which at first was misunderstood as only a matter of temperature -- the "problem" of Ecological Climate Change is widespread in the western world. But still, we look around and think : "why haven't we yet reached the promised peak of the tipping point, that heralds a New Awakening". — Gnomon
If it happens, it will absorb all existing frameworks into itself, as Christianity did. — frank
But the countervailing forces are also extremely powerful. The so-called conservative movement in the USA is deeply rooted in unawareness and psychopathology. But Western culture is also fundamentally resistant to the kinds of changes that are needed. It's a very complex problem, but one of the things that Western consumer culture is really good at, is making life comfortable for those who are lucky enough to be part of it. That also tends to mitigate against change. — Wayfarer
I often feel as though there will be either a catastrophic change, or a huge shakeup, in the near future, due to our colliding with resource shortages and environmental change. But then, my father, in the 1970's, thought that by year 2000 the world was bound to be gripped by Malthusian problems and there would be global famine, and he was wrong about that. So I don't know. But I think the kind of awakening that is needed, is a realignment of culture so that material acquisition is not the only aim of existence. And that will take an enormous change. — Wayfarer
But I think the kind of awakening that is needed, is a realignment of culture so that material acquisition is not the only aim of existence. And that will take an enormous change. — Wayfarer
what if your father was RIGHT? — Xtrix
I'm sure you take my point, but I felt it worth pointing out. — Xtrix
Such an enormous shift of consciousness that one can only compare it to religion. — Xtrix
I think the kind of awakening that is needed, is a realignment of culture so that material acquisition is not the only aim of existence. — Wayfarer
If you will read the post slowly, you might catch the point of putting "problem" in quotes. Here's a hint : every generation has faced the same general "problem". The attempt to raise consciousness of the dangers of Climate Change is just one more of society's challenges that requires a "change in perspective". But, don't worry, the worldview problem of previous generations tends be forgotten by the current generation, as we face the same viewpoint "problem" under a new name. :smile:Why is "problem" in quotation marks? And what do you mean by "promised peak of the tipping point" in this context? Because it seems to me you're confusing climate tipping points with what I'm talking, which is a change in perspective. — Xtrix
Maybe. I think what is really needed is to simply recognize what's really happening. That's easier said than done, although it's not complicated stuff once it's pointed out to you. We're heading for suicide, — Xtrix
The energy we need is there, beneath our feet - a huge ball of molten rock, 4000 miles deep and 26,000 miles around; a virtually limitless source of clean energy, we could harness to meet and exceed our current energy demand, capture carbon, desalinate, irrigate, produce hydrogen fuel, recycle. With magma energy, we could transcend the limits to resources equation - and make the deserts bloom if we so chose. — counterpunch
I've actually wondered about the role of drugs. Look at the movements of the 1960s and look at what drugs were being used there versus say the 1980s. I personally think there's a lot to gain from psychedelic substances. — Xtrix
In his autobiography he recounted the story of trying to turn on Jack Kerouac and Arthur Koestler, only to be disappointed by their underwhelming reaction to the lsd experience. — Joshs
Well that actually drove some of the 60's counter-culture. You may not recall the Whole Earth Catalog, but it was very much about that. Another set of books that deeply influenced me back then were Theodore Roszak's books, Making of a Counter Culture and Where the Wasteland Ends. Many of the sixties idealists were deeply into those ideas, but they were always very niche in their appeal. Maybe their time will come, too. It should! (Actually, have a look at some of the essays on David Loy's site, https://www.davidloy.org/articles.html - his writings on ecological economics are really good. ) — Wayfarer
Maybe Heidegger was right: "Only a god can save us."
— Xtrix
Or Kurtzweil + Brin: Only a "singularity" can "uplift" us. — 180 Proof
I should resist. I'm done. There's no hope. I've explained - from philosophical justification through to the specific technologies that need to be applied, how we might agree to do what's necessary to a prosperous and sustainable future, and been ignored. — counterpunch
Back in the day we used to call this class consciousness. Now I guess it's got to be translated into some ephemeral existential stuff to gain traction. — StreetlightX
I think the kind of awakening that is needed, is a realignment of culture so that material acquisition is not the only aim of existence.
— Wayfarer
I've explained why this is wrong. It leads to authoritarian government imposing poverty forever after for the sake of sustainability. — counterpunch
If you will read the post slowly, you might catch the point of putting "problem" in quotes. Here's a hint : every generation has faced the same general "problem". — Gnomon
There's pretty widespread recognition of the problem. China is building nuclear power plants, which is what we all should be doing. — frank
so I'm wondering if it does have the transformative potential you claim it does. — Wayfarer
He found , however, that chemicals alone do not determine imagination. In his autobiography he recounted the story of trying to turn on Jack Kerouac and Arthur Koestler, only to be disappointed by their underwhelming reaction to the lsd experience. — Joshs
I can think of nothing more hopeful than a viable plan to overcome climate change. — counterpunch
But they've also been shown to be very beneficial in therapeutic settings -- MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, etc -- and so can be a helpful tool to break people out of their usual mental and behavioral patterns. — Xtrix
I just think people generally lack perspective, and get locked into one way of thinking , a little understanding goes a long way and psychedelics or a nig bag of weed can help with that.
— DingoJones
I think so too. But short of legalizing it all and then putting it in everyone's water, I don't know how long it'd take for enough people to do it, and what the results will be. — Xtrix
But then we're in a Mad Max territory. — Manuel
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