We become acclimated to a certain state of life, and we expect that it won't change. Likewise with our civilization, we grow complacent to the reality that it too can crumble, as others have throughout history. Too many are experiencing this myopia now, to the detriment of all.
Great insights and perfectly true. I would only add that we need to get on our knees. Societies fall apart because they are not bolstered by the preserving force of faith. America has lost its Christian identity and is about spent before its 250th birthday. The faith-filled Middle Ages preserved an entire multi-cultural civilization for a thousand years. It was really the Black Death that transformed it into a lesser age of faith. Prayer is needed so that we don't die spiritually and every other way.
Reminds me of what I call "The Church of Bad Shit Happens to Other People". It virtually never crosses the minds of the faithful that fate might step up at any minute and turn their lives inside out. Only people on the news die in plane crashes and house fires, have surgeons remove the wrong kidney, get mauled by their neighbor's pit bull, have their daughter disappear without a trace, and you name it.
Pains me to say I strongly suspect these types make up a majority, at least in the western world. What could possibly go wrong as we ride the endless wave of technical progress and zombie prosperity kept alive on equally endless credit?
In the Middle Ages, truly faithful, who believed in the eternal and not the temporal, kept little "memento mori" motifs and objects nearby to remind them of the everpresent reality of Death. Misfortune did not come as a shock to them, I would wager.
I have almost died eight times. I have slept in the mud in a rainy northwest forest, where I lived for a month. I can identify hundreds of wild edible and medicinal plants. I can walk the earth knowing what to do with plants, trees, water and how to make fire from nothing but sticks. I have been assaulted by an illegal alien, left for dead in the middle of nowhere by criminals and I have been robbed, ruined and lost everything several times in life already. At a certain point I realized that living without society can be done, but what happens when that society that sucks gets really ugly? Society it seems, has been collapsing for decades now.
I was told by people during the fake pandemic, "F your freedom." I expected to be shot by a firing squad by now, from 2021. Now in 2024, I think back, will this kind of nonsense come again? A natural disaster I can probably handle, but these ruinous events en masse by sinister forces are the worst. Kids now grow up probably wondering why they were yelled at just two years ago that they should wear masks or they'll die, now probably look to the government as a bunch of liars.
What I do know is that 'civilization' is not outside you, it is within you. You either carry it with you or you have nothing. There are people who already live in a Mad Max world right here in the United States. Not every place in every state is the same. Some will be fine no matter what disasters come, some will be anarchic hellscapes where all you can do is run. "Civilization" is either something you carry with you wherever you go, or you already live 'every man for himself.' In the wilderness there is no civilization, unless there are people, and out there you'd much rather not run into people, as often they did not bring anything civilized with them. Lawlessness exists in America in some places and even the people who live in those places have no idea that a drive to another state is a completely different world. 150 years ago it was the same. America still had savage lands. Mad Max was a man with a gun and a horse.
The wild west was still a raging anarchy in the 1800s. It's still here. People in the Northern States, if you ever go there, are a different people. Living with cold and snow for many months, they've developed a culture of preparedness, and also helpfulness. The more rural you go in the farthest North of the U.S., you'll find many people who will help people on the side of the road without robbing them. But that's their 'civilization' that they learned based on where they live. Colder states have less crime. I have driven through 24 U.S. states and Canada and lived in five of them. From north to south.
Things ARE different everywhere, and there ARE places you absolutely do not want to go, but 'civilized' people do exist here and there, and unless they are all 'deleted' there will be 'civilization.' We should all hope to avoid catastrophes and wars, but our grandparents did live through the uncertainty of World War II and the Cold War. Whatever we do now, live with now, no matter how medieval it gets, everyone has that choice. Wilderness survival is easy, dealing with uncivilized people is not. Ignorance in 'modern society' makes people dependent. Often in history, living in the Citadel (or Babylon) is a worse life than living outside of it. The Citadel can always be corrupted.
Civilizations come and go, tyrannies also come and go. People carry knowledge, wisdom and truth from one to the next. It's what monks did in the middle ages. They can bring civilization with them when the land they are dying in must be escaped. Some people will fight for what they've built, as they did in the Wild West and other places in history. Sometimes they succeed, and sometimes they fail. The life of your soul wherever it is has historically always often been a struggle. Seek peace. Look to the ancestors. Live while you can. Remember the poor soul on your right in the same predicament, and be discerning for those who are uncivilized. Realize how powerless you can be in the face of horrible Nature, and know that bad things happen to good people ALL the time, and Salvation is for your soul.
Those who can be reached will be reached. Those who cannot, cannot. I don't have all the answers, but if you have 'civilization' within you, carry it forth. Whoever one may be. It's how humanity survives, even if all is lost.
I enjoy reading your posts, you have a unique and elegant style of writing! Your worldview and insights gives all to rethink and focus on the what’s happening and maybe reverse the course of our society! Stay Blessed! Godspeed
We certainly wish for a swift return to safety and a functioning society and infrastructure for the affected ppopulations.
I hope that, without compromising these emergency efforts, that those not involved in rescues and re-establishing the necessities and comforts, efforts will be made with urgency to ensure VOTING MECHANISMS are in place. This is very important since we do not want another ill consequence of this storm---a consequnce that could determine the fate of the United States and World.
Great insights and perfectly true. I would only add that we need to get on our knees. Societies fall apart because they are not bolstered by the preserving force of faith. America has lost its Christian identity and is about spent before its 250th birthday. The faith-filled Middle Ages preserved an entire multi-cultural civilization for a thousand years. It was really the Black Death that transformed it into a lesser age of faith. Prayer is needed so that we don't die spiritually and every other way.
Reminds me of what I call "The Church of Bad Shit Happens to Other People". It virtually never crosses the minds of the faithful that fate might step up at any minute and turn their lives inside out. Only people on the news die in plane crashes and house fires, have surgeons remove the wrong kidney, get mauled by their neighbor's pit bull, have their daughter disappear without a trace, and you name it.
Pains me to say I strongly suspect these types make up a majority, at least in the western world. What could possibly go wrong as we ride the endless wave of technical progress and zombie prosperity kept alive on equally endless credit?
In the Middle Ages, truly faithful, who believed in the eternal and not the temporal, kept little "memento mori" motifs and objects nearby to remind them of the everpresent reality of Death. Misfortune did not come as a shock to them, I would wager.
Sarah, you are constantly an inspiration. Your content is always well thought out and well spoken! I am so proud of you!
I was so thankful that you were not affected by the storm. Praise God!!
We love you Sarah!!
I have almost died eight times. I have slept in the mud in a rainy northwest forest, where I lived for a month. I can identify hundreds of wild edible and medicinal plants. I can walk the earth knowing what to do with plants, trees, water and how to make fire from nothing but sticks. I have been assaulted by an illegal alien, left for dead in the middle of nowhere by criminals and I have been robbed, ruined and lost everything several times in life already. At a certain point I realized that living without society can be done, but what happens when that society that sucks gets really ugly? Society it seems, has been collapsing for decades now.
I was told by people during the fake pandemic, "F your freedom." I expected to be shot by a firing squad by now, from 2021. Now in 2024, I think back, will this kind of nonsense come again? A natural disaster I can probably handle, but these ruinous events en masse by sinister forces are the worst. Kids now grow up probably wondering why they were yelled at just two years ago that they should wear masks or they'll die, now probably look to the government as a bunch of liars.
What I do know is that 'civilization' is not outside you, it is within you. You either carry it with you or you have nothing. There are people who already live in a Mad Max world right here in the United States. Not every place in every state is the same. Some will be fine no matter what disasters come, some will be anarchic hellscapes where all you can do is run. "Civilization" is either something you carry with you wherever you go, or you already live 'every man for himself.' In the wilderness there is no civilization, unless there are people, and out there you'd much rather not run into people, as often they did not bring anything civilized with them. Lawlessness exists in America in some places and even the people who live in those places have no idea that a drive to another state is a completely different world. 150 years ago it was the same. America still had savage lands. Mad Max was a man with a gun and a horse.
The wild west was still a raging anarchy in the 1800s. It's still here. People in the Northern States, if you ever go there, are a different people. Living with cold and snow for many months, they've developed a culture of preparedness, and also helpfulness. The more rural you go in the farthest North of the U.S., you'll find many people who will help people on the side of the road without robbing them. But that's their 'civilization' that they learned based on where they live. Colder states have less crime. I have driven through 24 U.S. states and Canada and lived in five of them. From north to south.
Things ARE different everywhere, and there ARE places you absolutely do not want to go, but 'civilized' people do exist here and there, and unless they are all 'deleted' there will be 'civilization.' We should all hope to avoid catastrophes and wars, but our grandparents did live through the uncertainty of World War II and the Cold War. Whatever we do now, live with now, no matter how medieval it gets, everyone has that choice. Wilderness survival is easy, dealing with uncivilized people is not. Ignorance in 'modern society' makes people dependent. Often in history, living in the Citadel (or Babylon) is a worse life than living outside of it. The Citadel can always be corrupted.
Civilizations come and go, tyrannies also come and go. People carry knowledge, wisdom and truth from one to the next. It's what monks did in the middle ages. They can bring civilization with them when the land they are dying in must be escaped. Some people will fight for what they've built, as they did in the Wild West and other places in history. Sometimes they succeed, and sometimes they fail. The life of your soul wherever it is has historically always often been a struggle. Seek peace. Look to the ancestors. Live while you can. Remember the poor soul on your right in the same predicament, and be discerning for those who are uncivilized. Realize how powerless you can be in the face of horrible Nature, and know that bad things happen to good people ALL the time, and Salvation is for your soul.
Those who can be reached will be reached. Those who cannot, cannot. I don't have all the answers, but if you have 'civilization' within you, carry it forth. Whoever one may be. It's how humanity survives, even if all is lost.
The Overton Window homeostasis?
The typical crowd blaming the hurricane on "climate change" in 3, 2, 1....
SOOOOO well said.
I enjoy reading your posts, you have a unique and elegant style of writing! Your worldview and insights gives all to rethink and focus on the what’s happening and maybe reverse the course of our society! Stay Blessed! Godspeed
We certainly wish for a swift return to safety and a functioning society and infrastructure for the affected ppopulations.
I hope that, without compromising these emergency efforts, that those not involved in rescues and re-establishing the necessities and comforts, efforts will be made with urgency to ensure VOTING MECHANISMS are in place. This is very important since we do not want another ill consequence of this storm---a consequnce that could determine the fate of the United States and World.
You are right to bring up this subject as I think the events in Iraq / Palestine are going to change the world in a new direction .
Good or bad depends which way the war goes.