The most lethal of attitudes, which a friend recently stated when we were talking about peak oil, climate change and economic or environmental collapse. It is shocking that people who think of themselves as educated and informed can feel so disempowered, or use powerlessness as a shield to justify not attempting to change anything. I wonder how many people would prefer a different world, but constantly chant the mantra of ‘I can’t change it all on my own, so why bother trying to change anything’, instead of actually making changes in their own lives and starting to join with others to make bigger changes.
You do not have to shop at supermarkets, and in fact in most cases you do not have to shop. We can make a difference and in fact, it is the actions of individuals, people who just do what they feel is right without looking to see if anyone else is following, that have made all the positive changes in history.
The credit crisis is permeating its way through the economies of the world. Farmers who normally borrow money for seed and fertilisers, retailers who borrow money to stock their shelves, lorry drivers who borrow to fill their tanks – all are finding it hard to get that credit, and all are part of the chain that brings food to the consumers. We may well see famine in the west next year, due to the finance crisis, and yet most people do not see this catastrophe coming, while many that are aware are unable or unwilling to change their lifestyles in any meaningful way, that could ensure food in their homes next year.
The era of consumerism is coming to an end. The worst scenario could be widespread empty shelves overnight, and all the social upheavals that could cause. Although I think this is unlikely, it is very possible in small areas, and the best we can expect is ever increasing prices, pushing many staple foods out of the financial reach of poorer sections of society.
We need to be aware that this is on the horizon, and to start asking ‘what can I do’ in a realistic way, seriously trying to find answers. Even people in apartments could be growing foods in tubs and guerilla gardening, or cooperating with others who do own land, or approaching local authorities to suggest that council land could be used for growing food.
Even if people in authority, or other local landowners aren’t responsive to your ideas, every time these subjects are raised its another time they have been pushed into the spotlight. This is being called a recession now, but we need to keep telling people that this is more than a recession. We need to keep shouting that this is the end of the world as we know it, and in fact climate change dictates that we MUST end the world that we grew up with, as it is killing our planet.
This is not a time to feel powerless. It is a time where we need to think sideways, find local innovative solutions, force friends and neighbours to cooperate, and in cities to start turning every available inch of under-used land to grow organic food.
Some ideas won’t work, while some will, but we dont have time to feel self pity or disempowerment. We all need to become permaculture social activists.
