A book, which one very level-headed sensible friend had found so depressing she returned it to the library unfinished, was the very same book, which convinced another person that their children should be educated at home. It was with more than a little intrigue that I picked up The Long Emergency (and to be honest, a huge dose of cynicism rounded out the anticipatory emotions).
At first glance the book reminded me of No Logo. Black and white. Severe.
If it turned out to be half as influential as NL, I would be pleased. It surpassed it a hundred-fold.
Before even discovering what Kunstler thought were the problems I skipped straight to his answers. Chapter Seven, the last one. It held out a degree of hope – he seemed to be suggesting we would, out of necessity, abandon consumer culture, become creators, live in closer community, be more active and our food would remember where it had come from.
It sounded like the kind of life I want to lead. Where was the problem?
It turns out, alongside these possibilities, the equally (more?) likely scenarios of hunger, disease, cultural upheaval and political instability will play a defining role.
I raced through chapters one and two. Interesting, Compelling even. He answered my previous arguments about the Peak Oil Crisis (probably not a hard thing to do as I had only very recently come across the whole concept of Peak Oil and had given it only a cursory running-over in my mind…it went something like this: oh those peak oil extremists are probably in bed with the oil companies who want to scare us that oil is running out so that they can hike prices and I bet they’re best mates with the global warming crowd too….and we all know I haven’t fallen for *that* myth).
Prior to reading this book, I had only had one such defining experience in my thought life. Although I have devoted more than ample time to *just thinking* (no point denying it!), usually my thoughts meander around various ideas and slowly mesh together over the course of time to become *what I think* about xyz. Only once, as I say, have I had a total turn-around within a short space of time.
The first one started with “all animals used to be vegetarian”…..and that could take up a whole post of its own, so we’ll leave it for the moment.
Thought About Turn Number Two relates to the fact that there IS an energy crisis looming.
In some ways I wish I’d never read the book. My life will not be the same again. Never.
On the other hand, I am pleased to have read what I consider to be a prophet of our time….and hopefully in time to make some preparations for the coming doom and gloom. I now possess a new sense of urgency to learn how to grow my food. I am suddenly extra-thankful for the new skills I have learnt over the past few years – learning to knit, right down to our socks; learning to preserve food, both through bottling and lacto-fermentation; learning how to use grains; discovering the power of baking soda; informing myself about earth houses, earth ovens, composting toilets; reading world history. I am especially excited about the library we have been developing.
Which brings me back to the book.
Kunstler writes some deeply disturbing things, but what gives him credibility in my humble opinion is that he is not in the slightest emotive in doing so. He constantly points out that he doesn’t *want* what he is writing to happen; he also goes to great lengths to remind us it is all conjecture. But what he suggests is convincing. His geo-political, economic, religious and cultural analysis of history is spot on (as is his outburst on education, which I wholeheartedly endorse, but would probably be stoned for actually saying myself!) I learnt a great deal about economics in chapter six that I just had not thought about before. He reveals basic assumptions that we live with and accept as normative, without necessarily understanding. I love having my eyes opened to the presuppositions we live by.
I had waded through chapter four…..and was crawling by chapter five. A heaviness had descended on me. It was truly daunting. But altogether possible. Probable, even.
On rereading chapter seven, it seemed less hopeful that the first time through, because now I had a context to put it in! And that context is grim. It takes conscious effort on my part to step out of my hedonistic culture and confront the likely future.
I am glad I am not alone. I am glad I have family, friends, community. I am glad some of them are thinking about these same things. Sharon, my pink-No-Sweat-boots-wearing-soul-sister has spoken eloquently, thoughtfully. I don’t like to tell people what to do, but I would strongly recommend you click here and listen to her for a moment.
Not bad for someone depressed by The Long Emergency, eh?
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