Midnight Gusher

Snapshot of the moment: Oil. Bleeding from the deep. From the dark. Rupturing confidence. Manifesting our deepest woes.

The end of our one-way dead end is visible. But humanity isn't mustering the collective will to break that self imposed one-way law of endless growth, and make a u-turn. Many still don't even see a problem. Or refuse to admit it. Or are afraid of the conformity cops. Or afraid of being called a "Debbie Downer", a nay-sayer, a gad-fly, a psychic energy vampire. Blind faith expressed as bold optimism is required (by polite society) to mutually uphold the delusion that the next 50 years will resemble the last 50 years.

The information, the evidence, the facts - are readily available: severe ecological break down is occurring due to human activities. Life on Earth is dying. Extinction of species is happening 1000 times faster than during normal healthy periods. This is a mass extinction. On the same scale as the extinction which wiped out the dinosaurs -- then probably caused by the impact of an object from outer space. But this time, we are causing this death. We are killing the systems of life on this Earth. Everyone of us is made of life. Reminder: human beings are not immune to extinction.

A few other catastrophic conditions: Peak Oil, Peak Coal, Peak Gas, Peak Phosphorus, Peak Soil, Peak Water, Peak Population...

Is there any hope? Can enough species survive to enable the survival of the human species? Perhaps there's still enough time to make a u-turn. Collectively we made the choices that built this road. The end of this road is death. Collectively we signed on to that endless growth law, put up the one-way sign on this lousy dead end... it's high time to change our ways - become desperado outlaws against growth, against obscene consumption... break the law - make a u-turn.

Either we will make chosen sacrifices of our creature comforts of civilization or we will have deep loss seep up from the darkness beyond our control. Maybe we can avoid the cliff; find a softer way off these peaks... a gentler way down the mountain. A stopper for the gusher from hell.

We must get our feet on solid level ground. Not float between the dizzying heights of peak maximum unsustainable consumption and the dreary depths that energize it. We must find rational level ground and live sustainably within the garden of Life. Or we will die.