Today’s Contemplation: Collapse Cometh LXIX
Geopolitics: It’s About Wealth Extraction and Generation For the Ruling Class
October 2, 2022 (original posting date)
Geopolitics: It’s About Wealth Extraction and Generation For the Ruling Class
My very short contemplation today is my comment on an article that was posted in a Facebook group (Peak Oil) that I belong to. It is preceded by some additional thoughts as we stumble into our uncertain and unknowable future where I firmly believe ‘collapse’ of some nature is unavoidable.
At this particular juncture in time it is looking increasingly likely that a world war is just around the corner. In fact, there’s good evidence to suggest this has already begun — we’re simply absent the ‘official’ declaration of it.
I would additionally argue that such geopolitical events expedite our decline precipitously with their significant drawdown of resources. In fact, with our population growth and penchant for chasing the infinite growth chalice, global imperialism is one of those relatively recent human tendencies speeding up our decline.
Recognising this, we must keep in mind that our agency in these events is as close to zero as one can get. The sociopolitical system is far too ‘invested’ in status quo structures (i.e., power, wealth) to affect any shift in our trajectory. All that we can do is ‘hope’ sane heads prevail but realise that this is increasingly unlikely; in fact, I would contend the possibility of this is as close to zero as one can get as well.
What to do? Continue to prepare our families/communities for the inevitable decline caused by our ecological overshoot — a predicament that has no ‘solution’. Relocalise as much of the ‘necessities’ of life as is possible. Procurement of potable water. Food production. Regional shelter needs. And do this with the realisation that our complex, energy-dependent technologies will increasingly and eventually be little more than paperweights.
And, finally, be aware of the psychological consequences all of this will have on ourselves and those around us. Uncertainty and chaos will reign and many will struggle greatly with these. Be as understanding and ‘calm’ as you possibly can. Control what you can control and try to let the rest just go.
With the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines dramatically impacting the geopolitical game being played in Europe this past week, an interesting article by Gold, Goats, ‘n Guns’ Tom Luongo laid out his view on who might be responsible for this act of sabotage. It is his contention that a faction of our ruling elite (generally termed ‘globalists’ for their desire to rule over a world void of national borders) are very likely behind this as they have the most to gain from the chaos it helps to exacerbate.
My comment:
I leave nothing out of the realm of possibility when it comes to the world’s ruling elite. They leverage any and every crisis (actually, everything; it doesn’t need to be an actual crisis) to meet their primary motivation: control/expansion of the wealth-generation/-extraction systems that provide their revenue streams and thus their positions of power and prestige. All else is of secondary/tertiary concern and even they are leveraged to meet their first motivation. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Such manipulation has been an evil presence in human complex societies from the get go, once differential access to resource surpluses arose and one could wield power/influence over others because of our tendency to defer/obey authority. There seems to be no ‘safe’ way out of this particular predicament of our own making.
A few relevant articles of interest:
Kissinger Warns Washington Warmongers: "Not Wise To Include Ukraine In NATO"
Love him or hate him, Henry Kissinger has been awkwardly frank amid the neocon-ization of Washington's ruling elite in…www.zerohedge.com
The Narrative That This War Was "Unprovoked" Prevents Peace
❖ Vladimir Putin has approved the annexation of four territories in eastern Ukraine, whose addition to the Russian…caitlinjohnstone.com
The War Has Just Begun
I have been attempting for several days to collect my thoughts on the Russo-Ukrainian War and condense them into…bigserge.substack.com
Who profits from Pipeline Terror?
Secret talks between Russia and Germany to resolve their Nord Stream 1 and 2 issues had to be averted at any costthecradle.co
Report: Russia, Ukraine Tentatively Agreed on Peace Deal in April - News From Antiwar.com
Russian and Ukrainian officials tentatively agreed on a potential peace deal during negotiations back in April 2022…news.antiwar.com
If you’ve made it to the end of this contemplation and have got something out of my writing, please consider ordering the trilogy of my ‘fictional’ novel series, Olduvai (PDF files; only $9.99 Canadian), via my website or the link below — the ‘profits’ of which help me to keep my internet presence alive and first book available in print (and is available via various online retailers).
Attempting a new payment system as I am contemplating shutting down my site in the future (given the ever-increasing costs to keep it running).
If you are interested in purchasing any of the 3 books individually or the trilogy, please try the link below indicating which book(s) you are purchasing.
Costs (Canadian dollars):
Book 1: $2.99
Book 2: $3.89
Book 3: $3.89
Trilogy: $9.99
Feel free to throw in a ‘tip’ on top of the base cost if you wish; perhaps by paying in U.S. dollars instead of Canadian. Every few cents/dollars helps…
https://paypal.me/olduvaitrilogy?country.x=CA&locale.x=en_US
If you do not hear from me within 48 hours or you are having trouble with the system, please email me: olduvaitrilogy@gmail.com.
You can also find a variety of resources, particularly my summary notes for a handful of texts, especially Catton’s Overshoot and Tainter’s Collapse: see here.
It Bears Repeating: Best Of…Volume 1
A compilation of writers focused on the nexus of limits to growth, energy, and ecological overshoot.
With a Foreword and Afterword by Michael Dowd, authors include: Max Wilbert; Tim Watkins; Mike Stasse; Dr. Bill Rees; Dr. Tim Morgan; Rob Mielcarski; Dr. Simon Michaux; Erik Michaels; Just Collapse’s Tristan Sykes & Dr. Kate Booth; Kevin Hester; Alice Friedemann; David Casey; and, Steve Bull.
The document is not a guided narrative towards a singular or overarching message; except, perhaps, that we are in a predicament of our own making with a far more chaotic future ahead of us than most imagine–and most certainly than what mainstream media/politics would have us believe.
Click here to access the document as a PDF file, free to download.