Da Nile

For 20 years I held very esoteric spiritual beliefs. I became used to having a certain perspective on the world and knowing that hardly anybody else believes the same things that I do. Specifically I believed that the world was due for some major changes--and would experience them. But then I started noticing that many spiritual paths spoke of some form of "the end times." I began to wonder whether I was just being naive. I began to shed this belief.

Then along comes peak oil. At first I rejected it because it seemed like yet another "doomsday" belief system. I was thoroughly sick of that perspective. I resented anyone trying to convince me or scare me. From my perspective today, I would say that I went into denial.

Somehow, I came out of it. My best understanding of what happened at that point was that I did some kind of inner processing that enabled me to come out of my shell enough to confront the information that was being presented to me. I was able to actually absorb it and this has lead me to change my thinking and my behavior. I have clearly been impacted by this information.

I occasionally second guessed myself--after all, aren't I susceptible to doomsday prophesies? Aren't I somewhat preoccupied now? Peak oil is a factor in all of my decisions. I address it in some form or another every day. But I always come away thinking "I wish this was just another crazy idea." Mostly it seems to me that mine is a rational response to some very alarming input.

Now I find myself, once again, in a minority position. Before I didn't need to persuade anyone to see it my way. (My belief system did not include prostelyzation.) But now I am wondering if this is a healthy response. Maybe I should be pressing the issue more. Maybe blogging isn't enough.

So I am trying to network. I'm trying to revive the local Meetup Peak Oil group (I guess I will plunk down that $20.00 bucks). I hope to co-host a showing of The End of Suburbia in a nearby small town. There are some people on the PeakOil.com boards that live nearby. Thank goodness that my husband and two close friends share the same concerns. I am lucky on that count.

And I suppose that carrying on with our preparations is another way to send the message. People are usually freaked out when I talk about food storage or buying a gun. But I need to let them go through their own process of coming to terms with the information. I cannot protect them from the pain of it, much as I want to. Wouldn't that be a form of codependence?

Its one thing to say focus on impressing the "early adaptors." They are the ones likely to be receptive to your message. Don't worry about the rest of humanity. But its another thing when "the rest of humanity" is one's friends and family. Is the people who hold the reins of power in this country.

The Oil Drum is running a series on the role of Denial as a response to peak oil. I think this is a very important topic. And we need to take it further. If it is true that "suppression will dominate" then we need to think seriously about what is next? What will we do in the face of this? We can't afford to go into denial about going into denial.