Advice for a teen?

Seksi · Coal Joined: Jul 11, 2006 Posts: 6

I'll make this as short as possible.

First to introduce myself- I'm 16, I live in a suburb around Boston and am becoming a senior in high school. I accidently stumbled upon this place about a year ago (wish I never did really.) I visited every now and then, my opinion always changing from this is all B.S. to we're all doomed. I completly understand the possible political/economic ramifications of this situation I'm just trying to figure what to do with my future.

Being at this point in high school it's all about finding and applying for college. I would have taken the normal route until finding out modern society could very well collapse. I always wanted to get into some type of business, but now I'm not that sure. Anyone know something helpful I could do in college to deal with what is to come? Agricultural course, perhaps?

I'm also concerned about location. I realize that big cities are probably the worst to be in and I'm not really in one. I am in your average suburb thoguh in a town of around 40,000 people (almost a city I suppose.) Is it going to be that much better to be living in a less populated area with more land?

I'm in no way prepared for anything because well I'm lazy and 16. It's always on my mind though. So few people knowing about the possible tragedy is very shocking. I currently work at a large grocery store and it becomes obvious to me why a depression is so possible. Five out of the seven days a week a trailer comes in from Maine with 1000+ cases to go up in the store. What I'm getting at is obvious though.

Food not readily being availabe is a scary though. If/when the sh-t hits the fan my parents will probably be in need of care and retired. They took care of me so I guess I'm obliged, but I'm worried about them becoming a burden of sorts.

All in all I don't think I'm ready for some sort of hunting/gathering/farm life. Thanks to anyone who read my rambling. Any advice on what direction I should take will be appreciated.

azreal60 · Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 9:51 am Post subject: Re: Advice for a teen?

I think more and more people your age are going to be posting in this area, because they will get it just as fast as any other.

At your age, let's see, advice for how to proceed...

You can't put a premium on knowledge. I would advise a college that's not in a huge city, but has world class stats. I like UW madison in wisconsin. Similar climate to Boston, and in the midwest, with not nearly the population density and hence much less chance for riots. World class U in every way.

Just because our Culture might collapse doesn't mean that the knowledge it accumulated will stop having value. As for your major, you have alot of time to decide that. For now, I'd pick up as many skills as you can as a volunteer. Candystripe or what ever they call it now at a hospital. Learning medical skills will never be devalued much. Learn construction skills and get paid for it. We'll always need to build things.

I could go on, but my future teenage daughter is needing my attention. Good luck, and may the force be with you... LOL
_________________
Azreal60

Ladyluck · Coal Joined: Jul 16, 2006 Posts: 2

I can relate to your worries about the future. I just learned about peak oil a month or so ago. I still alternate between not wanting to think about it and wondering what to do about it.
I think you should go to school while you can. However you might consider going first to a community college because you could get you general requirements done plus get training in a useable trade at the same time.
I have children to care for so I can understand your worry for your parents. Good Luck

uNkNowN ElEmEnt · Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:28 am Post subject: Re: Advice for a teen?

You will find in life that it is one crisis after another. If you worry too much about them, you will go nuts, throw your body chemistry off and get a mental illness.

YOu have a very long way to go, you can see what is coming and are therefore more prepared than 90% already. (Most will go down kicking and screaming). Let go and live your life. Use your best judgement to weight out all the options for the things you do in life and try to make good choices with Peak Oil in mind. (career, cars, lifestyle habits) This will put you even futher ahead.

Keep your head up, don't accept what everyone says at face value about what is going on in the world and your neighbourhood. But don't forget, even in the darkest hours, make sure you have one or two hobbies or ways to healthily work out your fears and frustrations.

Make sure you have a way to have fun, or something you enjoy. even doom and gloom must have a balance.

Fergus · Heavy Crude Joined: Jun 13, 2006 Posts: 409

nth · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Feb 24, 2005 Posts: 1973

get into the energy field like renewables or petro engineer.

otherwise, you can do whatever you want.
US society if going to collapse will only be as bad as the Great Depression. It is bad, but I think some PO advocates are calling for stone age society, which will not happen.

WildRose · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Jun 21, 2006 Posts: 1021

Hello! You have a good grasp of many of the issues already, Seksi, and that will work in your favor. I have a son your age, one a bit younger and a daughter a bit older, and I know it can be tough to consider the ramifications of PO and other converging problems when you're just starting out.

If you can see yourself through college accumulating the least amount of debt possible, by working part-time (or maybe you have some funds set aside?) that would be best. Pursuing a degree that will enable you to do something practical, for example, something in the medical field or a sought-after trade or craftsmanship is probably good advice, but I understand that following your heart is important, too. You can always learn a variety of practical skills after school hours. Learning to fix things, build things, cook and bake with simple ingredients, do first aid, etc. are all valuable skills.

As other posters suggested, do have fun! I think it helps to find beauty in natural things, enjoy your surroundings. Maybe get friends together for a hike and a picnic, or sing and dance the night away if that's what you like. Enjoy this life, in spite of its uncertainties.

Blaster · Coal Joined: Nov 20, 2004 Posts: 7

First thing to do is RELAX. Dont buy into anything. Think for yourself. The world is not coming to an end. Hope for the best and PLAN for the worst. The best thing for a young guy to do is get an education. Go out and bs with a bunch of older guys and see what they say. I work in a skilled trade and make good money but I know now that I could have done a hell of a lot better. You only get to do this life ONE time so I will give you a list of things to do and not do. I know Im boring but down the road you will know Im right.

Get an education-work for it, borrow, people(parents) will help when they see you put your heart into it, no BullShit. People will help the person that is trying to help themself. I call it the I CAN F_CK UP MY OWN MONEY SYNDROME I dont need anyone else to smoke it, drink it or piss it away for me.

DONT do drugs. PERIOD

Dont drink or drink socially (dont bullshit yourself about this)

Keep your dick in your pants or go beat off in the corner. Dont laugh its better then 18 years of child support. When my buddy hears guys complaining about wives or girlfriends he tells them its the f_cking you get for the f_cking you got so shut the hell up.

Dont live beyond your means, frugal not cheap. Learn the difference. (dont drive a car to a job that wont pay for the car) DUUUUUUUHHH

Go on dates, dont go screwing, learn what women are like not just get in their pants. It brings up some old sayings.......be careful what you wish for, you may just get it and be thankful for the wishes not granted (like when your buddys dick is dripping and he said he wished he had never screwed good ole so and so)

Women are just like men........some are good and some are bad.......some are pure gold diggers and will spread those legs for child support. 20% from Tom, 20% from Dick and 20% from Harry not a bad income for sitting on her ass smoking and watching the soaps. Again keep your dick in your pants.

Think with your head not with your heart

Think with your head not with your dick

THINK WITH YOUR HEAD

If your in a normal situation at home realize there are only two people on the whole planet that will do just about anything for you: YOUR PARENTS think about it, who else would take a bullet for you, give you a body part for your survival, work every day to feed you and try to give you a decent life, no its not your buddy or girl friend who you probably wont even remember in 30 years its your PARENTS. Think about it. They would die for you. MAKE THEM PROUD.

Dont fell sorry for yourself. Many very well to do and famous people have risen up from very bad situations and poverty. Compare yourself to some poor person having to walk through the bush to find food and water every day just to stay alive and worry that a damned lion is going to jump out and EAT him. WE HAVE IT MADE.

Ponder things, THINK

Sorry about any spelling and composition errors I didnt apply myself in skool

WildRose · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Jun 21, 2006 Posts: 1021

GREAT advice from Blaster, very life-smart. I'm going to have my teens read his post.

mikeh433 · Heavy Crude Joined: Jan 25, 2006 Posts: 201

I would NOT worry about peak oil. Too many other things going to get you first.

Why within last couple months Norway has recorded the 2 largest meteor impacts on record (for Norway). Also 2 near misses of meteors in last couple months (1 about the distance of the moon and other closer by 1/2).

Just watch out for them 4/5-th's of a mile high tsunami waves... Can't really predict a general safe place, except away from ocean by 100's of miles.

Sonny · Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 5:28 pm Post subject: Re: Advice for a teen?

Hi,
Other replies seem to have dealt with your worries pretty well, but I thought that as I'm just a bit older than you (I'm 20 at the moment, found out about Peak Oil about a year and a half ago) maybe I could say something relevant!

First things first - I found it really tough to grasp the thought that our entire future will be limited by this overwhelming event they call Peak Oil, I'm sure you are too. Its quite depressing thinking that the future is sort of 'out of your hands'.

I eventually got over that by thinking if its out of my control, then there's not much point worrying too much about it. You've sort of got have a 'go with the flow' attitude if you know what I mean Smile

.

Also realising all the crap that will be cut out of society in future, the overcrowded and noisy roads, the 'image-first' culture we live in, the soulless supermarkets and corporations that litter our cities, all this will change. We have a more human, community based future to look forward to, where people actually look out for eachother.

Its things like this you have to try and stay positive for, otherwise you will never be happy.
Oh, and don't panic. I think we'll have food well into the future, don't worry so much about that Smile

. We'll have years to change our current oil-based food system into a more sustainable outfit. Things normally turn out better than the hype makes it out to be.

One thing I would advise is to travel. And travel soon! Its probably the most fun and eye-opening experience you can have, exploring different countries and cultures with just a backpack on your back. We have a few years left of easy travel, so take advantage of it as soon as possible!
In Britain, gap years are a big industry now. When kids finish school at 18, they normally work for 6 months then travel for 6 months on the other side of the world. I missed out on this when I was 18 (I'm hoping to do it at the end of my degree), but everyone I know who did it said it was the best experience they ever had...
So do it!

Definitely try and go to University. Its the most fun you'll have, you've timed it perfectly in that things probably won't get bad until you leave University. Take advantage of that and make the most of it!
As for a degree, Doctors will always be useful, I'm sure Engineers will always have something to do, and Agriculturalists (dunno what you call them sorry!) will probably have a field day. But make sure its something you want to do above all. Don't choose a degree just because you have to, because you'll be stuck with it for the rest of your life!

Don't worry about your parents for now. For the near future at least, times won't be hard enough to warrant you taking care of them 24/7.

None of us are ready for a return to a Hunter/gathering/farm life. What keeps me positive is the knowledge that people WILL find out about Peak Oil eventually, and when that happens, the change in mindsets will happen very quickly. People will work together as a community to get through the problems we face.
If anything, with the amount of challenges we face, the amount of changes that will happen in our lifetimes, you could say we have the most exciting futures to look forward to... ever!

OK to recap, travel as much as possible, go to Uni, don't get too stressed and enjoy yourself!

I hope it all works out for you, I'm sure it will!

Sean
_________________
Just started a blog at www.undecidedfuture.blogspot.com

hunter · Tar Sands Joined: Sep 22, 2005 Posts: 24

I don't post here much .... but I think the younger you are the better you can prepare for the effects of peak oil.

My reasoning is such, you are born without debt and to parents who (hopefully) will take care of you for the first little bit of your life. but as you get older you will desire independance from your parents.

But don't fall into the trap and think of it as independance from your parents, because many things can get you that temporarily, a bicycle when your too young to drive, a car when you are older, but you still end up going back home. you could buy a house with a mortgage, or you could use cash or cedit to take a trip somewhere for a vacation from the family. With most of these you will be tieing yourself down to the dependance on the credit system and thats no good.

instead what I would suggest is lok for independance in other ways, try to become self sufficent from your parents, get them to let you have a large garden in the back yard to grow your own food, run it as a science experiment "how long can I go only eating from my garden?" Or "how long can I go without getting mom and Dad to pay for something?" You could refuse all credit offers and only buy stuff when you have the money for it. There are many ways you can gain independance from your parents, but please look at it as gaining self sufficency for yourself.

frankthetank · Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:44 pm Post subject: Re: Advice for a teen?

Good thing about being young is being able to change easily, often, quickly. Old people aren't to big into change. I'm not old yet, but i'm getting there.
_________________
"Oil is going up because we use too much oil, and the capacity to replace reserves is dwindling"
-President Bush 11/07/07

rexxz · Tar Sands Joined: Jun 27, 2006 Posts: 29

I am in a similar situation. Being 18 years old, almost ready to move out... It's pretty scary. My plans are to move to Houston and persue a degree in audio engineering there. I don't know what else to do, really. People always say hope for the best and plan for the worst... but how can someone like myself "plan for the worst"? I think the answers I'm really looking for is what exactly can I do for myself to ensure the safest future for myself and my family?

Seksi · Coal Joined: Jul 11, 2006 Posts: 6

Thanks to everyone for the replies, I didn't expect all that. I read through everything and considered what everyone said. I realized it's very important fact that we actually don't know how things will turn out, so there's no use in panicking just yet.

I remember reading something on Wikipedia about how even if Peak Oil happened in 2020-2025, we'd still be behind the race against the clock. Things like that are scary. But, once this gets into the general public, who knows what the collective minds of people will be able to come up with.

Sometimes I think Canada would be a nicer place to be in for the disaster. I have some relatives and there and the living style there is much more preferable to where I am now. Also, there's only 30 million people there making sustainablity much more possible. I'm sure a lot of you already know about the tar sands in Alberta and how there are many jobs available in that area.

I've been thinking about a garden. I'm going to start looking into that. It will be good knowledge. Someone else suggested volunteering at the hospital which is a good idea. Community service is required to graduate these days anyway. So I might as well do something where I'll learn at the same time.