by lasseter » Mon 19 May 2014, 17:20:55
Feudalism, or a pharaonic model of governance is far more likely than a Greek or early Roman democracy, since the latter can only grow out of a conglomerate of healthy well fed village and town populations that have a fair degree of autonomy and personal freedoms. Like the United States back before the revolutionary war with England. But either way, or any other way, is irrelevant to us because of the massive stumbling block set in the way of reaching any of those societal models.
I am of course talking about the billions of people living in the major cities across the globe. They have to be removed from the equation before any transition can be achieved. Removed because they do not fit into any model you can dream of. Tens of millions of well fed people with an entitlement mindset are not going to move happily into the countryside around them and start building log cabins and growing organic vegetables. There is probably not enough arable land to support them anyway.
First the Dark Age of death, destruction and mass starvation must come. It is a time of anarchy that can not be regulated. You cannot set a timeframe on it, nor control it's progress. It has to run it's natural course. The reason I think this is true is because every other complex civilization in history has followed the pattern, I cannot think of a single exception. What makes it even more likely in our case is the level of dependence these billions of city dwellers have on our current complex systems. Cut the electricity and you cut the food and water supplies. Cut the gasoline supply and you cut the food. Cut the electronic internet banking system and there goes the credit cards, the food stamp cards, the food again.
The hungry hoards will be a reality and although they will dwindle in size after some months the ones that survive will morph into a new culture that I cannot even begin to imagine. Remember, this is probably the first time in history where the ratio of people living on the land and farming is vastly smaller than those living pointless super-dependant lives in cities and towns. These people are not going to go down with a fight and they will be joined by many farmers as well, farmers who themselves have become dependent on the modern systems.
I have followed james howard kunstler's podcasts and writings for over a decade now, and I regularly wade through the ArchDruid's posts for the gold hidden there too, but kunstler has found a happy ending that suits his desires and so have many others. I don't see little communities of self sufficientcy in the future at all, at least not aside from on some remote island sanctuaries and hidden valleys way off the beaten track in Alaska. Neither does the government, which is why they are stockpiling ammo like a crazed suvivalist in an underground bunker.
Their is a way to prevent this of course. The government takes control and orderly drives the people into the countyside to farm collectively. Stalin tried it, Pol Pot tried it, it certainly has been tried before.
Friends, good long lasting friends, these are worth more than gold
