I could hear you getting choked. Many of us weep with grief for what's happening, but you truly are a beacon of light in these dark times with your compassion and wisdom. Thank you 🙏
I am glad that Trump won. I am glad that you weep. Had Harris won you might feel triumphal. You probably would have felt that you have done enough. Harris was never going to save us from ourselves. That is something we have to do. A year ago I started a journey and a commitment to become a steward of a forest. We spent everything we had and it is hard. A year on we cannot imagine the idea of going back. We rarely leave the forest. We are still working on being able to sustain ourselves. We are trying. What are you trying? Do not ask a politician to save the world for you. They will not. Ask of yourself; if this is what I believe then why do I continue to live this way? Then Google Bill Mollison, the global gardener. There is hope within his rage. Access your rage and get to work.
I am glad that Trump won. If Harris had won you might feel triumphal. A politician was never going to save the planet for you. That is your job and mine. A year ago my partner and I began our journey to become stewards of the forest and learn how to be self-sustainable while doing it. Neither of us can imagine going back. What are you doing? If these are your beliefs why do you continue to live the way that you do? The beautiful thing about taking personal accountability and letting go of false hope for modern civilization is that it is really quite freeing. You must walk away from the dystopia in order to escape it. The longer that you cling to hope within it the more likely you are to be caught up in its wrath. Access your own rage and let it guide you to action. Walk away from it. If I can do it then so can you.
"Stay parasympathetic" is my new email sign-off :) Thanks for this Nate. I feel your heart in it. The truth of the world is hard, but somehow it helps me to hear it laid out like this. Somehow, some of us need to keep the big truths in our minds, and not fall unconscious, not numb ourselves with consumption, but also not be suffocated by panic and grief.
King, you dropped this. 👑 For real though that was incredible. You, and you alone, have built an entire school of thought. An axiom by which all other decisions can be evaluated. And you've done it out in the open for all of us to join you. And for that I thank you. You may never know how much your ideas have changed the lives of others, but i truly think you can lay your head down at night knowing that you've already changed the course of the human enterprise. It's just too soon yet to know how.
Natural introvert and screen addict here. My favourite day of 2024 so far was helping a lost dog find its owner. It pushed me to interact with people in my local community that I'd never met before. We all bonded over a common cause based on values and moral duty. It was a wholly uncharacteristic way for me to spend the day, but it has stuck with me ever since as probably the most meaningful thing I've done all year. There absolutely are bad faith actors lured by power, but I'd like to think that the majority of the populace are just listless and apathetic. They need an inciting incident like this to be shaken out of their complacency and reminded that the most rewarding aspect of life is not that of wealth accumulation or intoxicating entertainment, but of being in service to and in presence with others. Sounds like cheesy, softy leftist nonsense, but rather miraculously, it's true.
What about getting a homeless dog from the animal shelter? Lots of bonding ... and you would be out in nature more often 😀A friend of mine did this and has now more interactions with people in the local community than ever. Not only is the dog happy, there is also a neighbor's child with developmental difficulties who is reassured and enjoys petting the dog and sometimes taking care of him. Win-win-win situation 😀
Nate, seriously, bless you. There are those that care but don't have the intelligence. There are those who are intelligent to a specific focus but they don't have the care. You have the care, the intelligence and the articulation, but beyond that, you have true humanity. Your grounded, calm, curious and always humble delivery within these intensities is stoic and it feels like sitting next to a warm fire. I get guidance from spending time with ancient redwoods, or full body nature immersion. In this distorted human world. you are among only a few which I feel are having the courage and conviction to speak the unspoken. You are very very strong Nate. Thank you for continuing the highest relevance zoom-out conversations. I appreciate the Effectivism word. YES to THAT as we move consciously forward.
Oh, God Nate, I love you, and you're work, but I really do have to force myself to focus, tune in, and digest some of the more esoteric side of the great struggle discussions. Whereas It is conversely very easy for me to devour 1 5 hr + PCs with energy and geopol experts or permaculture practices. Sometimes, I just can't. Sometimes, personal problems win, and other times, I must physically move or flounder. One thing that has happened without fail since I began listening a couple of years ago is that when I listen, I come away not only feeling better and more calm, but actually knowing that I've learned something useful about myself and others. I'm reminded every time that what I personally do in my life is more important than any amount of worry or struggle over the larger picture. Thank you, Nate!
@thegreatsimplification I commented early on in the vid, before you mentioned elitism. I didn't want to use that word and seem offensive, but I love that you brought it up and how you explained it. I always hope to see your viewership rise, but dread what I've seen happen with the community and comment section when viewership numbers take off. So extra happy on that! Thanks again. Peace✌️
You take good care too! I’m in tears as well. Nate, you and DJ feel as father and grandfather figures for the world. This is true care, true Love - the message you both have studied, created, and shared. It provides guidance and space to grieve and then to brainstorm how to act effectively. I’m gathering the tools and incubating to become one of those border collie humans. Know you both continue to fulfill your goal of raising and nurturing children/young adults who are not your own. I’m one of them.
@@ricos1497 DJ White (see EarthTrust). They wrote “Reality Blind” together. They are long-time collaborators, and I take a lot of inspiration from them.
Thank you, Nate. These are powerful messages at a time when it’s tempting to succumb to apathy, despondency, or, at the other end of the spectrum, hatred and violence. Your content is a beacon of light and inspiration (both intellectual and spiritual) in this era of growing insecurity and upheavals. Wishing you many breaths of calming peace as well 🌍🌏🌎
Thank You Nate…I did not want this horror in the country to happen in my time as an elder but it has…and your video of opposites clarified my direction that aligns with your conclusion and has brought me some parasympathetic peace. I have let go of the hope of influencing the populist power agenda after this election and I making my way to my small rural community to create the collective to weather this coming decade in a supportive community of “sheepdogs” renewable energy and my Aladdin oil lamps…much aloha my friend and to all my like minded fellow peeps
I needed to hear this. I haven't been my higher self the last few days. I left my city life behind. I now live happily with less, I and surrounded by nature. I feel so fortunate. Understanding the science history and knowing that most do not does help me be more compassionate. It's been a challenge this month. Your calm and thoughtful presentation is a good example of how to communicate and continue to grow. Thank you for everything you do.
I keep thinking I need to quit my gardening jobs and run away to a rural area...many are considering leaving the country. I would be more brave with like minded people nearby to work with
I love your work, your contributions Nate. I have been following you since your OilDrum days (we've exchanged emails too!). You are probably the most influential thinker in my life, and not just in an abstract and intellectual sense, but in the way I live my life. Thank you.
Many things to ponder with those lists Nate gave us. After projecting lines on the list to family members and how they might navigate future life, I do a self analysis of my own. Remarkable times indeed with great changes ahead and with change comes uncertainty...
Everything should be in favor of life, more diverse life, more connections of life, more cycles of life for more and more time. Take a moment to digest the turn of events, listen to the calling of life then work for life. The wind blows stiff away from life- face into the wind
I listen quite regularly and just want to say your ideas and thoughts provoking discussions reach farther than you know. I am an ecologically minded, permaculture oriented homesteader. Community and connection is key but so much of what I want to do for the Great Simplification is illegal. Fewer regulations will go a long way toward opening small scale ventures. I am tremendously excited about Trump's win as it will give leeway for new ways of being.
I cannot give gratitude enough for your channel in this present moment. Equanimity with ALL THAT IS, is the only way forward. The shaman lives outside the village. ♾️☠️
This was brilliant Nate,as are you, so glad you’re using it for good, downloaded, will watch again, wow! You definitely got me following, love you brother 🇨🇦
I think you could also add: the battle of our times is realising who we are. Another great frankly Nate, thank you. I like the way you explain the range from micro to macro and I suspect that can’t be easy. Please look after your brain, a lot of us are agreeing with you and learning from you and your guests. No doubt, if the tree falls new ones will grow and hopefully they get to hear your podcasts as they do. I reckon in time our orphan species will learn its place, let’s just hope we don’t destroy too much more in the process.
Thanks, Nate. I really appreciated your comparison of activism v. effectivism -- it helped me to better understand where you're coming from in some of the remarks you make. At first I wasn't feeling too pleased with your linking the idea of activism to backwards-looking thinking, but I have to acknowledge that under any definition of what one would call success in terms of being effective, activism as we've defined it increasingly just hasn't cut it, especially these last 30 years -- which has brought me no end of frustration. Big clue! Your suggestion that we fully acknowledge who we really are in relation to this new phase we're entering is well taken. Woof! Kiss the pups for me.
Wow. Weeping quietly in collective grief and our commitment to do the right thing. Thank you Nate. I really needed to hear this particular Frankly today.
Of course, one might ask: has the collective ever known or done the"right thing"? If memory serves, from the mini-series "Confession" there is this observation from one of the principle characters between a duality of plotlines. "It's not hard to DO the right thing. It's hard to know what the right thing is." Another question is "college educated" for what purpose and to what end? Also, using the term "elite" without qualification is pointless. Which elite and what is the source of the "eliteness"? The game of life has not changed... and "everyone gets it"...which is why things are the way they are...so the fear here for Nate is that the majority won't get whatever this "collective" is, vs the rest. Just curious, but what other form of life has been concerned or directed at the "collective we" imagined here?
@@dermotmeuchner2416 Not necessarily...and Dunbar's number applies to pre-agricultural tribes. Conflict would be dependent on the required resources, the scarcity involved, territories, etc...largely circumstantial. The number does not exclude internal conflict, also circumstantial. Tribal affiliation is not restricted to this number, so while tribal members might be without a population center exceeding this number, thereby forced to live in separate villages, they would still be members of the same tribe...and this can be seen throughout the world, throughout history.
Thank you Nate. You are making a difference. With your help I am aspiring to be an effective Border Collie who mentors and collaborates with other Border Collies. Keep going!
Great insights Nate. Speaking from Wales here, a little closer to the action in Europe, however I prefer to look at the bright side of what's coming in January. To change things, we must break them, and there is no better change agent than the "great" orange one. The status quo has not served us or the planet well. He knows not what he does, and that chaos will lead to change. Sometimes things need to get worse before they can get better.
Tolkien was fascinated with Welsh Myth and language, it was the coal wagons rumbling past his house on the railway when he was a kid that encouraged that interest. But we have stopped mining coal (although the narrow guage steam railways do not like the foreign coal) and I saw a Red Kite over Wrexham, and that lifted my heart as they make a comeback from near extinction.
Thank you for this seed in my own sense making - it’s so rough here in the states right now. And yet the organizing and learning to resist authoritarianism are the same that are needed for the great simplification… so perhaps this is how we go to school en masse.
I follow your work closely Nate and have much gratitude for it, but I find the "battle" language here moving from tricky (as you agree) to simply incoherent as a frame for the many dynamics at play between 'activism' and 'effectivism'. To generalise the former as you do feels to me about as observant as individual activists' dismissing (as many do, of course) brushing off complexity-analysis (etc.) as mere complacency. Of the 25+ nonviolent activists currently sitting in UK jails for bearing witness as they have, I wonder if there is even one who would fit your description, or who really imagines activism alone is going to solve any of this, now or later. To me their ethical resolve is as deeply coherent as what any of us are doing, and separated from effective critique and bridge-building, is about as helpless. The crucial binary here for me is something like 'battleism' versus 'integralism' - though I'm sure you could say that better. Thanks for what you do.
I was born just before the midpoint of the 20th century. At the start of the industrial age circa 1750 until the time I was born, a period of 200 years, concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere rose from 260ppm to 340ppm, a rise of 80ppm. In the time since I was born, it has risen a further 80ppm to 420ppm, a concentration not seen in the previous 800,000 years. If anything is of a concern, this is it.
Yesterday I had a medical appointment where they usually do a depression screening. The nurse asked me a new question. "Are you able to tell me what concerns you most in this world?" At first I was taken by the way the question was formed then I thought about this podcast.
I have been thinking... that maybe we have "the guardians" just take their role in society. It is like we need a ecological circulatory system of our own..... to build up this group of guardians..... money and politics seems to suck us down in the dark hole. We need a way of transferring and holding regenerative wealth, power and wisdom that stays outside the patriarchal systems. Is a new language? a new currency? new models? new texts?... it seems like we have to stay underground.... like the roots of a tree and spread across the planet.... unassailable by weapons and fear.... We need to imagine almost a different human culture. But we can not fight them.... somehow..... Like aikido.... Maybe they don't even need to know we are here. By how.... how.... dream my dreamers.
I argue that humans and the technology we create is part of nature. Because humans are not separate from nature, we have evolved our tools out of nature. I subscribe to a wholeness perspective. Humans are not separate from nature nor our innovative tool making. What is occurring today is out of the multitude of quantium possibilities for our future.
Nate, the geology of commodities particularly fossil fuels is well understood. They are far more limited than understood by most. The laws of physics and chemistry can not be changed. Without the leadership of well educated, high integrity leaders the hope of addressing humanities' problems is zero. That US voter just voted for a criminal oligarchy destroys any possibility of human society as we know it lasting more than a decade or so. And the hope of humanity itself lasting into next century.
Everyone is quite aware of how bad everything always is: your battle is with spiritual motivation, the ideas that win the future will inspire with a better picture of what could be
Immaculate Constellation Document "The official disclosure of the existence of Non-Human Intelligences (NHIs) and their presence on Earth is a pivotal moment in human history."
De-urbanization...towns & villages of ~130, as we evolved. Rural folx are most satisfied, cuz earned in self-sufficiency...also weaves community, e.g., barn raisings, cabin building, etc. The sweet spot🤌
The romanticism of it is overblown. It's nonstop backbreaking work, and the community is like any other -- mostly people you don't like with a handful of good'uns. I don't feel angry every day like I did living in a city years ago, but I'm still plagued by the question: "what is the point of all this?" If I am content, it is only because I am too exhausted to be discontent.
Dear Nate, your Franklys keep getting better. I'm italian but we feel the Eye of Sauron looming from the states with Musk asking to remove our judges like an emperor to a distant province, judges whose fault was only to protect some poor souls from deportation in a lager in Albania. It's really an heavy time to be alive and I begin to feel the pain of It all because of our impotence. Your work helps to cope. Of course Power Is the problem not the solution and being impotent Is a precondition for change. Have a nice day.
I'd like to send you all the chorus from a song by Tom Gala called "Witch Hazel" "I am looking at a witch hazel, blooming in a garden Bright yellow flowers in the middle of winter time And I tell my heart be strong, like the witch hazel flower And you will not be injured in this dark and troubled time" These are indeed dark and troubled times. I'm getting older now and don't have the energy to be a border collie, but I content myself with being kind to those around me and helping where I can.
Thank you for this beautiful response. I’ve been thinking of the lovely surprise witch hazel blossoms just lately .. I’ll search for this song. Btw - the way you have chosen to live your life? You sound like a very wise border collie to me ♥️
Greetings Nate, Though we have never met, you have been very effective in training me as a "border collie" . In this Frankly you list modulation of autonomic nervous system as a polarity of sympathetic/parasympathetic, which is only roughly true; there is a potent refinement of our understanding of how the autonomic system evolved in mammals called polyvagal theory, developed by Stephen Porges. ( Once your look into this, I highly recommend that you have Stephen on the podcast. These insights are crucial to the wholesome training of border collies.). Briefly, in mammals we have the evolution of a "social engagement system" modulated by a ventral branch of the vagus nerve (the dorsal branch of the vagus nerve being associated with "shutdown" in the face of severe threat). This allows humans to be activated around one another and at the same time feel safe... this is a system that allows humans to co-regulate and cooperate. A great deal more could be said about this but I just wanted to give you enough to whet your curiosity. You will find this extremely important to incorporate into your mission...
Regarding social media and recommendation algorithms. There is one option where people are the algorithm.. that’s called the fediverse. In order to connect to people and create a timeline that you like you generally have to mix it up like you would add a cocktail party or dinner party. You listen and follow topics and groups and talk about things that you want to hear about. It is more effort initially because there’s not an algorithm to spoon feed content to you, but there are existing repositories list or topic areas. Once you follow around 300 groups, your timeline takes the shape that will appeal to you.
With 8 to 10 million voters having sat out the election, it’s very hard to say just precisely what the shift in political outlook is. Pollsters won’t really know that cohort’s outlooks for sometime. That said, the central role commercial recommendation algorithm based platforms played as a conveyor of audiences to extremist silos is not fully appreciated. Individuals who research social media have been very clear about the direction this is going. Media and political consultants largely participate and are captured by those very recommendation algorithms. The algorithms are shaping what they think and in normal human contact they start sharing those ideas, from that a consensus is built. Not an organic one derive from peoples direct experience, but one that has been seeded and shaped by algorithms.
I often think of your ending quote from lord of the rings. I am not sure if i should feel comfort from the parallels between now and Token's time or depressed by it. His writings are shaped by his experiences in the great war to end all wars. Unfortunately over a century later the situation hasn't improved for our society.
Would like to hear more about activism v effectivism. Because I have come to the conclusion that marches, letters and calls to representatives, talking to neighbors, knocking on doors (especially!), etc are a waste of time. We have been fighting the good fight for issues of humanity for as long as I can remember (the sixties) and yet where are we now?
Effectivism goes unnoticed, when noticed it gets capitalized on. To avoid capture, human beings use ingenuity to witness collapse, yet maintain sobriety while avoiding or gluing the wheels of the machine. History is only written of victors and semantics, journalism is a threat to the dismantling of sovereignty. (Free market oppression)
Twentyish years ago, in the OIL Drum days, I recall discussions about how countries would turn to demigods, bullies and strong men who promised to fix everything; trading freedoms for false security. Pretty sure it was Randy Udall and Greenish who convinced me that this was likely in the US over time. How right they turned out to be. Randy is gone, pretty sure Greenish is as well, but both also shared an optimism that I'm not sure I can maintain, but so it goes.
@@thegreatsimplification Gosh, Nate, wonderful to know. So many of my mentors have left Middle Earth. Thanks! And I've missed Randy as well. He sent me an email shortly before his hike into eternity. Was quite a shock.
On the subject of dopamine - I am very conscious thanks to Nate of dopamine and consumer consumption. When I learned from Gary Brecka that a cold plunge could increase my dopamine levels by 350% (three hundred and fifty percent) in exchange for only a 3 minute soak I had to try it. It works, it's easy (and not easy) but it works. What if we all found natural ways like short cold plunging to increase our dopamine?
Thanks for thinking deeply with the concepts of the duality of our predicament, of this vs that, Mankind seems forever wrapped in these battles of duality. So much wrong programming in people when they were young, and difficult to undo. Where is the undo when you need it. I guess it would be nice if we were all autonomous, but yes maybe the sheep dog concept.
Interesting prospectives for the young at heart. If society continues to accept and abide to 20% interest on their credit card debt, then a whole lot of convincing and teaching is to be done for the people. But I doubt it will be coming from a current political party. Not having done the proper work on its own will lead society to suffer from greed and uselessness. Society without manual work and shared knowledge is bound to hit the rocks. And the ship will just stop moving. A World Made by Hand from James Howard Kunstler is a must read for this special moment in history. He pinned it down years ago.
Thanks for this. I like that I misinterpreted one of the graphics in that the garbage pile in the bottom left corner looks like a Christmas tree. Really has me thinking.
My wife and I have moved to a self sustainable homestead lifestyle. But we differ in opinion on how to proceed from here. She wants to limit all use excess energy in any form. Basically separate from the super organism as much as possible. I am more thinking along the lines of using the super organism and everything it can offer very mindfully to try and set up things to soften the landing after a simplification. (I'm talking about setting up a way to generate power at home and some of the help we can get from it) Maybe that's just my engineering side talking. These times are confusing and paradoxical.
H.L. Mencken wrote about the “ common man” and he’s more prescient today than when he was writing over 100 years ago. Class is the driver, if only Eugene Debs would have been elected president.
I think it's interesting how the language one uses to describe a situation says a lot about one's culture's worldview. Battles is a good example, indicative of a violent culture. I also hear a lot of terminology from economics for describing natural processes, which I think is kind of absurd. But one can't escape one's culture and its language. Which is a shame, because it limits our way of seeing the world to some degree.
The difference between the border collie and the sheep metaphor and our current situation is that the border collie lives amongst and respects the sheep. Our current leadership class live projected lifestyles that are the very thing they speak out against. It’s a cliche point, but they want everyone to drive a Prius while they travel in private jets. It’s not even about the image portrayed, purely a function of carbon emissions. What if our leadership class simply practiced servant leadership and set the example to be emulated instead of saying one thing and doing another. If they think the “sheep” can’t handle making decisions for themselves then at least just provide a leadership class we can imitate so we don’t have to take the “risk” of thinking for ourselves.
It's funny, maybe serendipitous, I am reading Lord of the Rings to my 9 year old son currently. Just tonight, during his bedtime, story time segment, I read at least one of the passages you quoted.
Hi Nate. I would like to transcend to efficiency. We need efficiency. I love efficiency as in Buddhist monks are more efficient than billionaires. We are efficient when we don't do something, transcending. Opposites must battle for world dominion. Transcending meets on the middle path, being efficient. Can we have less waste, smaller, cheaper, better. This has zero politics and zero war. Buddhist monks are the role model, not the billionaires. Simplicity is so beneficial and cheap. I love efficiency in food and fuel, keeping life simple. Thanks.
Nate, you're one of the few people I hear speaking about Superorganism theory, or "The" superorganism. I'd be interested if you could make any of your research sources available so that I could have some more reading. I've started my own little yt channel and I intend to talk about superorganism theory as well. I've found tons and tons of material over the years, but I'm not a professional researcher so i always try to ask others for their sources also so I can improve my knowledge. e: suddenly nervous that this will have been covered somewhere blindingly obvious e2: yep. show notes. e3: I'm reading your paper now, Nate
Extinction is normal and natural. 99.99% of all species are extinct. I am not in favor of extinction. I am only saying extinction is natural, normal, to be expected. Change is the only thing we can count on as being a constant. Extinction happened before humans. We should be more efficient to reduce the pressure on the planet. How to do that? How to get people to be more efficient? Carbon pulse is giving us unbelievable choices.
The rate of mass extinction of nearly all other species except humans & those industrial farmed by humans, is far from normal. It is data most ppl don't want to understand bc it will force us to make hard choices. No one likes that.
Yeah man, and that's why it's called a 'predicament.' One single animal species, being solely responsible for the sixth mass extinction, along with the daily risk for massive planetary destruction, with nuclear weapons. It doesn't get any worse than that. We are at the pinnacle of failure, with cries of "drill baby drill." Here we are, and we don't have the slightest idea of how to break through to the unified, collective response needed.....many yesterdays ago.
So many excellent points in this frankly. i feel like i learn something every time i watch these. one minor correction: if you look it up (at least in chatGPT and google), I don't think endocrine disruptors are the actual cause for the lower birth rates at least in humans. I'm sure those endocrine disruptors and changes in hormones do exist but they're not the cause. if you look at the actual causes of decreased birth rates, it's mostly economic, mostly due to decreasing material standard of living. i mean, just as an example look how poor the EU has become over the last couple of decades.
thank you yes we have 2 episodes coming up on this - it is true that SO FAR its been mostly economic - but new data suggests EDCs are increasingly the culprit. Jeremy Grantham and Shanna Swan on deck in next 2 months
The battle between the elite and the common man may also be defined by values. "The common man" seems to value family and tradition pretty highly while "the elite" seem to value power and money and "progress". Maybe I'm too cynical.
I deeply appreciate your work, but I think that the frame of thinking that will prevail will be imposed by China and Brics countries and not by an evolved democratic-liberal-humanistic-occidental point of view. One valuable question would be, what the chinese think about this or that. Thanks for your work!
Of course, one might ask: has the collective ever known or done the"right thing"? If memory serves, from the mini-series "Confession," there is this observation from one of the principle characters between a duality of plotlines. "It's not hard to DO the right thing. It's hard to know what the right thing is." Another question is "college educated" for what purpose and to what end? Also, using the term "elite" without qualification is pointless. Which elite and what is the source of the "eliteness"? The game of life has not changed... and "everyone gets it"...which is why things are the way they are...so the fear here for Nate is that the majority won't get whatever this "collective" is vs. the rest. Just curious, but what other form of life has been concerned or directed at the "collective we" imagined here?
tbh I found this frankly rather boring having agreed with everything you said ;) It's nice to have my beliefs validated and reinforced but I prefer to be challenged and have awareness expanded... so glad I stumbled upon this podcast and your work :)
I could hear you getting choked. Many of us weep with grief for what's happening, but you truly are a beacon of light in these dark times with your compassion and wisdom. Thank you 🙏
Need these kind of thinkers
❤
I am glad that Trump won. I am glad that you weep. Had Harris won you might feel triumphal. You probably would have felt that you have done enough. Harris was never going to save us from ourselves. That is something we have to do. A year ago I started a journey and a commitment to become a steward of a forest. We spent everything we had and it is hard. A year on we cannot imagine the idea of going back. We rarely leave the forest. We are still working on being able to sustain ourselves. We are trying. What are you trying? Do not ask a politician to save the world for you. They will not. Ask of yourself; if this is what I believe then why do I continue to live this way? Then Google Bill Mollison, the global gardener. There is hope within his rage. Access your rage and get to work.
th-cam.com/video/6RD1GW-vOHg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=cUJk_B4MENiQq7ct
I am glad that Trump won. If Harris had won you might feel triumphal. A politician was never going to save the planet for you. That is your job and mine. A year ago my partner and I began our journey to become stewards of the forest and learn how to be self-sustainable while doing it. Neither of us can imagine going back. What are you doing? If these are your beliefs why do you continue to live the way that you do? The beautiful thing about taking personal accountability and letting go of false hope for modern civilization is that it is really quite freeing. You must walk away from the dystopia in order to escape it. The longer that you cling to hope within it the more likely you are to be caught up in its wrath. Access your own rage and let it guide you to action. Walk away from it. If I can do it then so can you.
"Stay parasympathetic" is my new email sign-off :) Thanks for this Nate. I feel your heart in it. The truth of the world is hard, but somehow it helps me to hear it laid out like this. Somehow, some of us need to keep the big truths in our minds, and not fall unconscious, not numb ourselves with consumption, but also not be suffocated by panic and grief.
King, you dropped this. 👑 For real though that was incredible. You, and you alone, have built an entire school of thought. An axiom by which all other decisions can be evaluated. And you've done it out in the open for all of us to join you. And for that I thank you. You may never know how much your ideas have changed the lives of others, but i truly think you can lay your head down at night knowing that you've already changed the course of the human enterprise. It's just too soon yet to know how.
Natural introvert and screen addict here. My favourite day of 2024 so far was helping a lost dog find its owner. It pushed me to interact with people in my local community that I'd never met before. We all bonded over a common cause based on values and moral duty. It was a wholly uncharacteristic way for me to spend the day, but it has stuck with me ever since as probably the most meaningful thing I've done all year.
There absolutely are bad faith actors lured by power, but I'd like to think that the majority of the populace are just listless and apathetic. They need an inciting incident like this to be shaken out of their complacency and reminded that the most rewarding aspect of life is not that of wealth accumulation or intoxicating entertainment, but of being in service to and in presence with others. Sounds like cheesy, softy leftist nonsense, but rather miraculously, it's true.
Love this.
What about getting a homeless dog from the animal shelter? Lots of bonding ... and you would be out in nature more often 😀A friend of mine did this and has now more interactions with people in the local community than ever.
Not only is the dog happy, there is also a neighbor's child with developmental difficulties who is reassured and enjoys petting the dog and sometimes taking care of him. Win-win-win situation 😀
Nate, seriously, bless you. There are those that care but don't have the intelligence. There are those who are intelligent to a specific focus but they don't have the care. You have the care, the intelligence and the articulation, but beyond that, you have true humanity. Your grounded, calm, curious and always humble delivery within these intensities is stoic and it feels like sitting next to a warm fire. I get guidance from spending time with ancient redwoods, or full body nature immersion. In this distorted human world. you are among only a few which I feel are having the courage and conviction to speak the unspoken. You are very very strong Nate. Thank you for continuing the highest relevance zoom-out conversations. I appreciate the Effectivism word. YES to THAT as we move consciously forward.
Oh, God Nate, I love you, and you're work, but I really do have to force myself to focus, tune in, and digest some of the more esoteric side of the great struggle discussions. Whereas It is conversely very easy for me to devour 1 5 hr + PCs with energy and geopol experts or permaculture practices.
Sometimes, I just can't. Sometimes, personal problems win, and other times, I must physically move or flounder.
One thing that has happened without fail since I began listening a couple of years ago is that when I listen, I come away not only feeling better and more calm, but actually knowing that I've learned something useful about myself and others. I'm reminded every time that what I personally do in my life is more important than any amount of worry or struggle over the larger picture.
Thank you, Nate!
thank you - and never fear - there are some energy/money etc analyses coming...!
@thegreatsimplification
I commented early on in the vid, before you mentioned elitism. I didn't want to use that word and seem offensive, but I love that you brought it up and how you explained it. I always hope to see your viewership rise, but dread what I've seen happen with the community and comment section when viewership numbers take off. So extra happy on that! Thanks again. Peace✌️
You take good care too! I’m in tears as well. Nate, you and DJ feel as father and grandfather figures for the world. This is true care, true Love - the message you both have studied, created, and shared. It provides guidance and space to grieve and then to brainstorm how to act effectively. I’m gathering the tools and incubating to become one of those border collie humans. Know you both continue to fulfill your goal of raising and nurturing children/young adults who are not your own. I’m one of them.
Who is DJ?
@@ricos1497 DJ White (see EarthTrust). They wrote “Reality Blind” together. They are long-time collaborators, and I take a lot of inspiration from them.
Let us all begin to plant the many seeds of what we might become. Thank you for that Nate
Thank you, Nate. These are powerful messages at a time when it’s tempting to succumb to apathy, despondency, or, at the other end of the spectrum, hatred and violence. Your content is a beacon of light and inspiration (both intellectual and spiritual) in this era of growing insecurity and upheavals. Wishing you many breaths of calming peace as well 🌍🌏🌎
Thank You Nate…I did not want this horror in the country to happen in my time as an elder but it has…and your video of opposites clarified my direction that aligns with your conclusion and has brought me some parasympathetic peace. I have let go of the hope of influencing the populist power agenda after this election and I making my way to my small rural community to create the collective to weather this coming decade in a supportive community of “sheepdogs” renewable energy and my Aladdin oil lamps…much aloha my friend and to all my like minded fellow peeps
May the peace of the country be upon you 🙏🏻
In our part of the Pacific Maori call it 'aroha'. May all our lives be filled with it in these distressing times! ❤
I needed to hear this. I haven't been my higher self the last few days. I left my city life behind. I now live happily with less, I and surrounded by nature. I feel so fortunate. Understanding the science history and knowing that most do not does help me be more compassionate. It's been a challenge this month. Your calm and thoughtful presentation is a good example of how to communicate and continue to grow. Thank you for everything you do.
I keep thinking I need to quit my gardening jobs and run away to a rural area...many are considering leaving the country. I would be more brave with like minded people nearby to work with
"This story is grammatically correct".. That is a very gentle way of putting that.
Fabulous, awakening, inspiring….your work/passion is much appreciated!
All I can say, over and over, is thank you. And take care of your heart.
Hi Nate
Definitely train the wise sheep dog.
Truly grateful for you.
💜
Thank you for your consistency, common sense and compassion.
This "Frankly" really got me. Thank you, Nate 🙏
Thank you, Nate. Looking forward to hearing your conversation with Dougald Hine when it's ready!
So we keep on singing and joining voices…. And learning new songs sung by life in her endless wisdom
La. La. La????? Let's come together / we are all one. La la???
I hope you don't meant that.
Western countries don't wanna pay
Thank you so very much. I too weep for all that is and all that could be. I am committed to creating a haven, for nature and humans. Namaste Nate ....
Me too.
Thank you Nate for all your dedication. To give us some tools to navigate the complexity of our time. To stay authentic and caring about life!
This was very therapeutic. Thank you.
Always great to hear some sane words of wisdom. Keep up the good work.
I love your work, your contributions Nate. I have been following you since your OilDrum days (we've exchanged emails too!). You are probably the most influential thinker in my life, and not just in an abstract and intellectual sense, but in the way I live my life. Thank you.
Deeply moving talk Nate
Bertolt Brecht had a lot to say about times like this
Many things to ponder with those lists Nate gave us. After projecting lines on the list to family members and how they might navigate future life, I do a self analysis of my own. Remarkable times indeed with great changes ahead and with change comes uncertainty...
Everything should be in favor of life, more diverse life, more connections of life, more cycles of life for more and more time. Take a moment to digest the turn of events, listen to the calling of life then work for life. The wind blows stiff away from life- face into the wind
I listen quite regularly and just want to say your ideas and thoughts provoking discussions reach farther than you know. I am an ecologically minded, permaculture oriented homesteader. Community and connection is key but so much of what I want to do for the Great Simplification is illegal. Fewer regulations will go a long way toward opening small scale ventures. I am tremendously excited about Trump's win as it will give leeway for new ways of being.
I cannot give gratitude enough for your channel in this present moment. Equanimity with
ALL THAT IS, is the only way forward.
The shaman lives outside the village. ♾️☠️
This was brilliant Nate,as are you, so glad you’re using it for good, downloaded, will watch again, wow! You definitely got me following, love you brother 🇨🇦
I was waiting for this.
Me too.
The ongoing battle of extraction vs regeneration is set to escalate right away... At the end of January to be exact.
It has been in an escalation spiral for the last year. Just look at satellite photos of the middle east today compared to 2022.
You dropping that Gandalf quote was pretty moving! Thanks for that. Time we get to work.
Well, Nate, you're my better angel. Thanks
I think you could also add: the battle of our times is realising who we are.
Another great frankly Nate, thank you. I like the way you explain the range from micro to macro and I suspect that can’t be easy. Please look after your brain, a lot of us are agreeing with you and learning from you and your guests.
No doubt, if the tree falls new ones will grow and hopefully they get to hear your podcasts as they do. I reckon in time our orphan species will learn its place, let’s just hope we don’t destroy too much more in the process.
Thank you Nate❤
Brilliant. Thank you Nate. I really needed the focus.
My preferred scale for "the collective": 🌏
Thanks, Nate. I really appreciated your comparison of activism v. effectivism -- it helped me to better understand where you're coming from in some of the remarks you make. At first I wasn't feeling too pleased with your linking the idea of activism to backwards-looking thinking, but I have to acknowledge that under any definition of what one would call success in terms of being effective, activism as we've defined it increasingly just hasn't cut it, especially these last 30 years -- which has brought me no end of frustration. Big clue! Your suggestion that we fully acknowledge who we really are in relation to this new phase we're entering is well taken. Woof!
Kiss the pups for me.
Wow. Weeping quietly in collective grief and our commitment to do the right thing. Thank you Nate. I really needed to hear this particular Frankly today.
Of course, one might ask: has the collective ever known or done the"right thing"? If memory serves, from the mini-series "Confession" there is this observation from one of
the principle characters between a duality of plotlines. "It's not hard to DO the right thing. It's hard to know what the right thing is." Another question is "college educated" for what purpose and to what end? Also, using the term "elite" without qualification is pointless. Which elite and what is the source of the "eliteness"? The game of life has not changed...
and "everyone gets it"...which is why things are the way they are...so the fear here for Nate is that the majority won't get whatever this "collective" is, vs the rest. Just curious, but what other form of life has been concerned or directed at the "collective we" imagined here?
Any group over 100-125 people ends up in conflict.
@@dermotmeuchner2416 Not necessarily...and Dunbar's number applies to pre-agricultural tribes. Conflict would be dependent on the required resources, the scarcity involved, territories, etc...largely circumstantial. The number does not exclude internal conflict, also circumstantial. Tribal affiliation is not restricted to this number, so while tribal members might be without a population center exceeding this number, thereby forced to live in separate villages, they would still be members of the same tribe...and this can be seen throughout the world, throughout history.
Thank you Nate. You are making a difference. With your help I am aspiring to be an effective Border Collie who mentors and collaborates with other Border Collies. Keep going!
Great insights Nate. Speaking from Wales here, a little closer to the action in Europe, however I prefer to look at the bright side of what's coming in January. To change things, we must break them, and there is no better change agent than the "great" orange one. The status quo has not served us or the planet well. He knows not what he does, and that chaos will lead to change. Sometimes things need to get worse before they can get better.
I agree with you. Let's choose not to be in fear.
In Wales too!
Tolkien was fascinated with Welsh Myth and language, it was the coal wagons rumbling past his house on the railway when he was a kid that encouraged that interest. But we have stopped mining coal (although the narrow guage steam railways do not like the foreign coal) and I saw a Red Kite over Wrexham, and that lifted my heart as they make a comeback from near extinction.
Thank you for this seed in my own sense making - it’s so rough here in the states right now. And yet the organizing and learning to resist authoritarianism are the same that are needed for the great simplification… so perhaps this is how we go to school en masse.
Completely silly reasoning. Would you let a drunk drive you around just to shake things up?
I'd pick a sober person to drive me 10/10 times.
This was very uplifting - Thank you
Powerful wisdom, this really frames the reality were in. But with some hope and a map you're giving us.
I follow your work closely Nate and have much gratitude for it, but I find the "battle" language here moving from tricky (as you agree) to simply incoherent as a frame for the many dynamics at play between 'activism' and 'effectivism'. To generalise the former as you do feels to me about as observant as individual activists' dismissing (as many do, of course) brushing off complexity-analysis (etc.) as mere complacency. Of the 25+ nonviolent activists currently sitting in UK jails for bearing witness as they have, I wonder if there is even one who would fit your description, or who really imagines activism alone is going to solve any of this, now or later. To me their ethical resolve is as deeply coherent as what any of us are doing, and separated from effective critique and bridge-building, is about as helpless. The crucial binary here for me is something like 'battleism' versus 'integralism' - though I'm sure you could say that better. Thanks for what you do.
So well thought out! Thank you.
❤❤❤it's a fuk up....on many levels.
What a fabulous podcast.
Remember to hug your local trees.
Well done! Very powerful.
I was born just before the midpoint of the 20th century. At the start of the industrial age circa 1750 until the time I was born, a period of 200 years, concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere rose from 260ppm to 340ppm, a rise of 80ppm. In the time since I was born, it has risen a further 80ppm to 420ppm, a concentration not seen in the previous 800,000 years. If anything is of a concern, this is it.
Yesterday I had a medical appointment where they usually do a depression screening. The nurse asked me a new question.
"Are you able to tell me what concerns you most in this world?"
At first I was taken by the way the question was formed then I thought about this podcast.
Sending love and hugs
I have been thinking... that maybe we have "the guardians" just take their role in society. It is like we need a ecological circulatory system of our own..... to build up this group of guardians..... money and politics seems to suck us down in the dark hole. We need a way of transferring and holding regenerative wealth, power and wisdom that stays outside the patriarchal systems. Is a new language? a new currency? new models? new texts?... it seems like we have to stay underground.... like the roots of a tree and spread across the planet.... unassailable by weapons and fear.... We need to imagine almost a different human culture. But we can not fight them.... somehow..... Like aikido.... Maybe they don't even need to know we are here. By how.... how.... dream my dreamers.
I argue that humans and the technology we create is part of nature. Because humans are not separate from nature, we have evolved our tools out of nature. I subscribe to a wholeness perspective. Humans are not separate from nature nor our innovative tool making. What is occurring today is out of the multitude of quantium possibilities for our future.
Nate, the geology of commodities particularly fossil fuels is well understood. They are far more limited than understood by most. The laws of physics and chemistry can not be changed. Without the leadership of well educated, high integrity leaders the hope of addressing humanities' problems is zero. That US voter just voted for a criminal oligarchy destroys any possibility of human society as we know it lasting more than a decade or so. And the hope of humanity itself lasting into next century.
Big love nate. Big love. ❤❤
14:40 As an (occasional) activist, thats a brilliant insight and is definitely making me rethink a lot of things. Thank you Nate. 🙏🌍🌱
Everyone is quite aware of how bad everything always is: your battle is with spiritual motivation, the ideas that win the future will inspire with a better picture of what could be
Immaculate Constellation Document
"The official disclosure of the existence of Non-Human Intelligences (NHIs) and their presence on Earth is a pivotal moment in human history."
"Hopium"!
@Stupidityindex I am so spiritually motivated by that
@treefrog3349 thank you Schopenhauer.. very constructive
the people i talk to have no idea how things are. i wish people knew.
and i can not tell them.....
De-urbanization...towns & villages of ~130, as we evolved. Rural folx are most satisfied, cuz earned in self-sufficiency...also weaves community, e.g., barn raisings, cabin building, etc.
The sweet spot🤌
The romanticism of it is overblown. It's nonstop backbreaking work, and the community is like any other -- mostly people you don't like with a handful of good'uns. I don't feel angry every day like I did living in a city years ago, but I'm still plagued by the question: "what is the point of all this?" If I am content, it is only because I am too exhausted to be discontent.
Dear Nate, your Franklys keep getting better. I'm italian but we feel the Eye of Sauron looming from the states with Musk asking to remove our judges like an emperor to a distant province, judges whose fault was only to protect some poor souls from deportation in a lager in Albania. It's really an heavy time to be alive and I begin to feel the pain of It all because of our impotence. Your work helps to cope. Of course Power Is the problem not the solution and being impotent Is a precondition for change. Have a nice day.
I'd like to send you all the chorus from a song by Tom Gala called "Witch Hazel"
"I am looking at a witch hazel, blooming in a garden
Bright yellow flowers in the middle of winter time
And I tell my heart be strong, like the witch hazel flower
And you will not be injured in this dark and troubled time"
These are indeed dark and troubled times. I'm getting older now and don't have the energy to be a border collie, but I content myself with being kind to those around me and helping where I can.
Thank you for this beautiful response. I’ve been thinking of the lovely surprise witch hazel blossoms just lately .. I’ll search for this song.
Btw - the way you have chosen to live your life? You sound like a very wise border collie to me ♥️
thanks, Nate
Thank you for all you do. This helped today.
Stuff,also known as future trash. Let’s take our surplus and make future trash.I’m scared to die but not that scared.
Love you Nate!
Greetings Nate, Though we have never met, you have been very effective in training me as a "border collie" . In this Frankly you list modulation of autonomic nervous system as a polarity of sympathetic/parasympathetic, which is only roughly true; there is a potent refinement of our understanding of how the autonomic system evolved in mammals called polyvagal theory, developed by Stephen Porges. ( Once your look into this, I highly recommend that you have Stephen on the podcast. These insights are crucial to the wholesome training of border collies.). Briefly, in mammals we have the evolution of a "social engagement system" modulated by a ventral branch of the vagus nerve (the dorsal branch of the vagus nerve being associated with "shutdown" in the face of severe threat). This allows humans to be activated around one another and at the same time feel safe... this is a system that allows humans to co-regulate and cooperate. A great deal more could be said about this but I just wanted to give you enough to whet your curiosity. You will find this extremely important to incorporate into your mission...
Thank you. Will prioritize looking into this!
thanks for what you do, Nate. helps us mid-wits make sense of the world.
Beautiful, thank you.
This is therapy ❤ thank you
Thank you Nate
Like so good, man. Thank you for this. Very powerful.
Regarding social media and recommendation algorithms. There is one option where people are the algorithm.. that’s called the fediverse. In order to connect to people and create a timeline that you like you generally have to mix it up like you would add a cocktail party or dinner party. You listen and follow topics and groups and talk about things that you want to hear about. It is more effort initially because there’s not an algorithm to spoon feed content to you, but there are existing repositories list or topic areas. Once you follow around 300 groups, your timeline takes the shape that will appeal to you.
With 8 to 10 million voters having sat out the election, it’s very hard to say just precisely what the shift in political outlook is. Pollsters won’t really know that cohort’s outlooks for sometime. That said, the central role commercial recommendation algorithm based platforms played as a conveyor of audiences to extremist silos is not fully appreciated. Individuals who research social media have been very clear about the direction this is going. Media and political consultants largely participate and are captured by those very recommendation algorithms. The algorithms are shaping what they think and in normal human contact they start sharing those ideas, from that a consensus is built. Not an organic one derive from peoples direct experience, but one that has been seeded and shaped by algorithms.
I often think of your ending quote from lord of the rings. I am not sure if i should feel comfort from the parallels between now and Token's time or depressed by it. His writings are shaped by his experiences in the great war to end all wars. Unfortunately over a century later the situation hasn't improved for our society.
Would like to hear more about activism v effectivism. Because I have come to the conclusion that marches, letters and calls to representatives, talking to neighbors, knocking on doors (especially!), etc are a waste of time. We have been fighting the good fight for issues of humanity for as long as I can remember (the sixties) and yet where are we now?
Effectivism goes unnoticed, when noticed it gets capitalized on.
To avoid capture, human beings use ingenuity to witness collapse, yet maintain sobriety while avoiding or gluing the wheels of the machine.
History is only written of victors and semantics, journalism is a threat to the dismantling of sovereignty. (Free market oppression)
🙏Thank 🌎 you 🙏
that is exactly what i was thinking this week. organisations againts humans
Twentyish years ago, in the OIL Drum days, I recall discussions about how countries would turn to demigods, bullies and strong men who promised to fix everything; trading freedoms for false security. Pretty sure it was Randy Udall and Greenish who convinced me that this was likely in the US over time. How right they turned out to be. Randy is gone, pretty sure Greenish is as well, but both also shared an optimism that I'm not sure I can maintain, but so it goes.
Greenish is alive and well! (And I miss Randy 🙏)
@@thegreatsimplification Gosh, Nate, wonderful to know. So many of my mentors have left Middle Earth. Thanks!
And I've missed Randy as well. He sent me an email shortly before his hike into eternity. Was quite a shock.
On the subject of dopamine - I am very conscious thanks to Nate of dopamine and consumer consumption. When I learned from Gary Brecka that a cold plunge could increase my dopamine levels by 350% (three hundred and fifty percent) in exchange for only a 3 minute soak I had to try it. It works, it's easy (and not easy) but it works. What if we all found natural ways like short cold plunging to increase our dopamine?
Your Frankly theme tune makes me want to ride a horse hard through an American desert. So it’s not all bad in the world x
Fantastic.
Speaking from the home of Hobbiton, thanks ❤
Thanks for thinking deeply with the concepts of the duality of our predicament, of this vs that, Mankind seems forever wrapped in these battles of duality. So much wrong programming in people when they were young, and difficult to undo. Where is the undo when you need it. I guess it would be nice if we were all autonomous, but yes maybe the sheep dog concept.
Interesting prospectives for the young at heart. If society continues to accept and abide to 20% interest on their credit card debt, then a whole lot of convincing and teaching is to be done for the people. But I doubt it will be coming from a current political party. Not having done the proper work on its own will lead society to suffer from greed and uselessness. Society without manual work and shared knowledge is bound to hit the rocks. And the ship will just stop moving. A World Made by Hand from James Howard Kunstler is a must read for this special moment in history. He pinned it down years ago.
Thanks for this. I like that I misinterpreted one of the graphics in that the garbage pile in the bottom left corner looks like a Christmas tree. Really has me thinking.
My wife and I have moved to a self sustainable homestead lifestyle. But we differ in opinion on how to proceed from here.
She wants to limit all use excess energy in any form. Basically separate from the super organism as much as possible.
I am more thinking along the lines of using the super organism and everything it can offer very mindfully to try and set up things to soften the landing after a simplification. (I'm talking about setting up a way to generate power at home and some of the help we can get from it)
Maybe that's just my engineering side talking.
These times are confusing and paradoxical.
H.L. Mencken wrote about the “ common man” and he’s more prescient today than when he was writing over 100 years ago. Class is the driver, if only Eugene Debs would have been elected president.
I think it's interesting how the language one uses to describe a situation says a lot about one's culture's worldview. Battles is a good example, indicative of a violent culture. I also hear a lot of terminology from economics for describing natural processes, which I think is kind of absurd. But one can't escape one's culture and its language. Which is a shame, because it limits our way of seeing the world to some degree.
Some trends in history are predictable. Most are not. The science of history is underdeveloped. The Seshat project is interesting.
The difference between the border collie and the sheep metaphor and our current situation is that the border collie lives amongst and respects the sheep. Our current leadership class live projected lifestyles that are the very thing they speak out against. It’s a cliche point, but they want everyone to drive a Prius while they travel in private jets. It’s not even about the image portrayed, purely a function of carbon emissions.
What if our leadership class simply practiced servant leadership and set the example to be emulated instead of saying one thing and doing another.
If they think the “sheep” can’t handle making decisions for themselves then at least just provide a leadership class we can imitate so we don’t have to take the “risk” of thinking for ourselves.
It's funny, maybe serendipitous, I am reading Lord of the Rings to my 9 year old son currently. Just tonight, during his bedtime, story time segment, I read at least one of the passages you quoted.
Excellent segment.
Good one. Love you!
see what happens when you take people into the cloud forests of Ecuador. Their entire worldview shifts forever 🙏🐦🌍
Hi Nate. I would like to transcend to efficiency. We need efficiency. I love efficiency as in Buddhist monks are more efficient than billionaires. We are efficient when we don't do something, transcending. Opposites must battle for world dominion. Transcending meets on the middle path, being efficient. Can we have less waste, smaller, cheaper, better. This has zero politics and zero war. Buddhist monks are the role model, not the billionaires. Simplicity is so beneficial and cheap. I love efficiency in food and fuel, keeping life simple. Thanks.
Nate, you're one of the few people I hear speaking about Superorganism theory, or "The" superorganism. I'd be interested if you could make any of your research sources available so that I could have some more reading. I've started my own little yt channel and I intend to talk about superorganism theory as well. I've found tons and tons of material over the years, but I'm not a professional researcher so i always try to ask others for their sources also so I can improve my knowledge.
e: suddenly nervous that this will have been covered somewhere blindingly obvious
e2: yep. show notes.
e3: I'm reading your paper now, Nate
your timestamp reminds me of some of the lectures from terence mckenna!
Extinction is normal and natural. 99.99% of all species are extinct. I am not in favor of extinction. I am only saying extinction is natural, normal, to be expected. Change is the only thing we can count on as being a constant. Extinction happened before humans. We should be more efficient to reduce the pressure on the planet. How to do that? How to get people to be more efficient? Carbon pulse is giving us unbelievable choices.
The rate of mass extinction of nearly all other species except humans & those industrial farmed by humans, is far from normal. It is data most ppl don't want to understand bc it will force us to make hard choices. No one likes that.
Yeah man, and that's why it's called a 'predicament.' One single animal species, being solely responsible for the sixth mass extinction, along with the daily risk for massive planetary destruction, with nuclear weapons. It doesn't get any worse than that. We are at the pinnacle of failure, with cries of "drill baby drill."
Here we are, and we don't have the slightest idea of how to break through to the unified, collective response needed.....many yesterdays ago.
So many excellent points in this frankly. i feel like i learn something every time i watch these.
one minor correction: if you look it up (at least in chatGPT and google), I don't think endocrine disruptors are the actual cause for the lower birth rates at least in humans. I'm sure those endocrine disruptors and changes in hormones do exist but they're not the cause. if you look at the actual causes of decreased birth rates, it's mostly economic, mostly due to decreasing material standard of living. i mean, just as an example look how poor the EU has become over the last couple of decades.
thank you yes we have 2 episodes coming up on this - it is true that SO FAR its been mostly economic - but new data suggests EDCs are increasingly the culprit. Jeremy Grantham and Shanna Swan on deck in next 2 months
The battle between the elite and the common man may also be defined by values. "The common man" seems to value family and tradition pretty highly while "the elite" seem to value power and money and "progress". Maybe I'm too cynical.
I deeply appreciate your work, but I think that the frame of thinking that will prevail will be imposed by China and Brics countries and not by an evolved democratic-liberal-humanistic-occidental point of view. One valuable question would be, what the chinese think about this or that. Thanks for your work!
Of course, one might ask: has the collective ever known or done the"right thing"? If memory serves, from the mini-series "Confession," there is this observation from one of
the principle characters between a duality of plotlines. "It's not hard to DO the right thing. It's hard to know what the right thing is." Another question is "college educated" for what purpose and to what end? Also, using the term "elite" without qualification is pointless. Which elite and what is the source of the "eliteness"? The game of life has not changed...
and "everyone gets it"...which is why things are the way they are...so the fear here for Nate is that the majority won't get whatever this "collective" is vs. the rest. Just curious, but what other form of life has been concerned or directed at the "collective we" imagined here?
tbh I found this frankly rather boring having agreed with everything you said ;) It's nice to have my beliefs validated and reinforced but I prefer to be challenged and have awareness expanded... so glad I stumbled upon this podcast and your work :)