We Will Go On

It is not a bad thing to live smaller, to let the world be a bigger
place and to more fully inhabit our little piece of it. It is, in fact, a good
thing, a thing to be embraced, celebrated even. Contrary Goddess

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Hopelessness is just not useful, though. And pointless. You dead, yet? Well,
then.



"Something to keep firmly in mind - your ancestors survived
bad times- yes, as bad as any coming. Keep your wits about you- and your chances
are fine." Greenpa

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I have had something rattling around in my barefoot little brain the last couple of months, and these two have summed it up perfectly.

See, I have known for a long time that the lifestyle we enjoy here in the good ol' U.S. of A. couldn't go on forever. I don't remember a time when I didn't know it on some level. The laws of physics make sure that our pattern of taking from the environment and not putting back, of growing without ever having a season of rest, just can not continue indefinitely. Any child who has witnessed the turning of the seasons can see it.

It seems that the economic and environmental issues facing our world have come to a head just as I am finally reaching the stage of adulthood when I am able to look past my own little corner of life and see what is happening around me.

I was frightened when I looked up from the grind of getting through each day to find that things were happening faster than I had thought. It was scary to look into the future and see such huge changes coming.

I admit it, I panicked a little.

And then I talked to my mom. I told her my fears of hyper-inflation. I spoke about food, and security, and whatarewegoingtodomomthewholeworldisfallingapart-andIdon'tknowhowtomakesurethateverythingwillbeokay

And then my mom said the wisest thing I think I have ever heard. She said simply "We will go on".

We will go on.

How simple it is, and yet how profound. And all my fears were eased. You see, my mom is right. We cannot predict where all this will take us. Will we be plunged into a pre-industrial world with no electricity, cars, refrigeration, etc? Maybe. Will the banks all fail, leaving many with no retirement? Maybe. Will homelessness and joblessness rise to never before seen heights in this country? Maybe. Will the US dollar become essentially worthless? Maybe.

But then, the earth might get hit by a gamma-ray burst, too. Or it might explode into 7 atomic fireballs. Or the SuperVolcano in Yellowstone might blow and make the economy the least of our worries. Or I might get hit by a bus tomorrow, in which case all of the above could happen without affecting me at all.

The thing is....we really can't predict how the future will turn out. We can make some educated guesses, we can try to do our best to make sure that our families are taken care of. But the bottom line is that we cannot provide for every possible outcome. No matter what measures we take to make sure that we will be prepared for the future, there is always the chance that something will happen that we didn't count on or plan for.

We can't waste the joy of today worrying about the borrowed sorrows of tomorrow.

We, as humans, are kind of like rats and cockroaches (HAH, I knew that would get your attention). We are survivors. Life and the world can change drastically, and yet life continues. We just deal with the changes and keep on living.

So I have noticed that stores are carrying fewer "luxury" type items, and I am continuing to do my best to ensure that my family will be able to endure hardships together. I ponder what life will be like in 5 years, or 10 years, and what changes will take place. But I am no longer afraid.

Because we will go on.