Weary

 

I am feeling weary.  

I am tired.

I am concerned about what is going on in this world.

When I look around for someone who sees what I see, I find a few others and it's a relief.  I'm not batshit crazy like some who deny what is happening accuse me of being.

Yesterday I read an article about the imminent 'collapse' of our civilization, our 'world'.  The author suggests that we begin developing communities, groups of people who will help each other.  Beau of the Fifth Column has been saying the same thing for years.

It is a suggestion that I can identify with, given I have spent much of my life teaching others what is, essentially, a survival skill.

A few weeks ago I was standing in line at the post office, knowing that covid was at an all time high in my province and me the only person in there wearing a mask.  Until one other person came in and stood in line behind me, also wearing a mask.

Somehow, I don't remember how, we started chatting.  Turns out she is a gardener and we talked about climate change and all the things that appear to be crumbling, yearly.  She said that when it all fell apart she could at least feed herself and some others from her garden.

I smiled (behind my mask) and said I'm a weaver.  I can weave you cloth for clothing and you can feed me.

Her eyes got wide and she said "I never thought about that!  Yes!  We can trade!"

And last month the level of carbon in the air jumped up another X points bringing us so very close to the tipping point of no return.

The author of the article I read didn't say it would be a quick collapse, more of a 'crumbling'.  

I watch the news, see the gigantic issue with wildfire all around the globe, spewing yet more carbon into the airshed, the destruction of yet more forests, farmland, the animals in the path of the flames fanned by ever higher temperatures.  I see the sea levels rising and the weather events becoming ever more severe.  So much so that entire new categories have had to be created for hurricanes and now tornadoes.  "Once in a lifetime event!" the announcers cry - as if every climate scientist everywhere hasn't been ringing alarm bells for literally decades.

This morning someone posted a quote from Kurt Vonnegut - I paraphrase - Dear future generations, I'm sorry.  We were drunk on petroleum."

And again, yesterday, I read an article about the very specific circumstances that allowed oil and gas to develop and how there will never be more because those specific circumstances no longer exist on this planet.

Also yesterday, I saw a video clip by Dolly Parton singing about climate change - "Liar liar, the world's of fire!" she sings.

Indeed.  

Maybe people who need to hear this will listen to Dolly.  They didn't listen to Midnight Oil (the beds are burning) or Joni Mitchell (pave paradise, put up a parking lot) or any of the other singer/songwriters who have tried to tell us.

In the meantime, I guess I keep trying to teach people how to weave.  Because when civilization goes this time, all those survival skills are in danger of being out of reach of far too many so having at least some people know how to weave (and spin) means we can at least clothe ourselves, maybe trade with gardeners for food?