Additional Features incl. the invocation of a 'common destiny' due to potentially months-long energy deprivation: now, when and where did I hear that phrase before…?
Last time Germany and Austria rationed energy for civilians in favour energy must have been during the indiscriminate air war perpetrated by the US and Britain?
City people would rather stand in line for their free portion of bug soup than to actually do anything concerning taking care of themselves, so I don't know this angle of not relying on government. What about government employees? They have to stop relying on government too?
There is a potential for governments and industry to hog all the fuel energy, what's left of it anyways.
Future thinking Europeans will go back to coppiced trees (tree knowledge back in vogue) and kachelofens, super efficient small houses (think shire), and, of course, families with gardens!
Not gonna happen anytime soo though, so get ready for maximum pain!
There really isn't all that much that us city people can do to "take care of ourselves." If you have no land (in most cases, not even a balcony that will hold a potted tomato), then what exactly are you supposed to do? And having land (which most of us don't) will only do a tiny bit for you (in the absence of fossil fuels, subsistence farming is incredibly hard work that tends to lead to early death). Basically, the state (or "the market," but only for as long as it functions, and if it doesn't then the state takes over) provides the bulk of calories (in the form of grains) for its population. The cities get fed first because hungry cities are incredibly dangerous for the ruling class. The danger for people in the cities is that empty calories are all they get. Country folk are better prepared to self-provide nice little extras such as tomatoes, but the danger for them is that the central government may forget about them as it scrambles to feed the cities, and tomatoes (while full of vitamins and very tasty) will not take care of your caloric needs for very long.
As for hunting deer and the rest of it: that works great if you're the only one who's thought of doing so. As soon as more than a handful of people get the same idea, you run out of deer.
I haven't counted but I might be growing 50 different types of food all fed by soil life with no chemical inputs. All are quite tasty and more important highly nutritious. Humans aren't suppose to eat calories as presented, but I won't go there with this comment.
Its hard to answer in a comment, but there is a lot one can do to take care of oneself within a like minded community, and with a few modern additions (starting at a free tenant peasant lifestyle) the living can be heads and tails above the paradigm that exists now, being more interesting, fulfilling, and healthy long lived than that of a city person who owns nothing. It is complicated, there is a lot to learn.
I participated in a Permaculture Design Course in 2013 and have been building my holdings along those lines and will attest, at least as far as the growing fertility and diversity goes, its working. I have videos published to YouTube documenting the experiences.
Look, the choice is to live in the city and be happy with declining resources, or get out and begin building up soil fertility that underpins separation.
But that's ok, you can choose to stay where you are an adapt to continually changing government policies (or whatever).
Deer hunting is a skill, most people will give up in a half a day of dealing with the wild things. Even most deer hunters don't know much about it all. Humans are now too weak habituated to the easy life.
"I haven't counted but I might be growing 50 different types of food all fed by soil life with no chemical inputs. All are quite tasty and more important highly nutritious."
This is probably true. And yet, the number of people living truly self-sufficient lives is puny. How come? Probably because it's very hard to make do, regardless of the 50 types of food in theory. The other issue is that, if you think the government will just leave you alone as the system crumbles, then I don't know what to tell you (just see how much trouble it managed to cause over a not-particularly-dangerous respiratory virus). Plus, even in the event of your somehow managing to feed yourself, with your farm providing everything you need, and your being so far from the center that the state just leaves you alone: guess what, one medical emergency (a burst appendix, say), and you're dead. On that note, the same goes for your children if you have any. After all, if you're so far from the center that the state actually leaves you alone as the system crumbles, then you can be pretty darn sure no ambulance (or even undertaker) will come for you, even if it continues coming for the city folk, at least some of the time.
I am growing these foods in my city backyard. The government could send goons to take me out, but I am not really worth their time since there is nothing extra beyond a few people. Government needs large corporations growing large amounts of calories to keep the city people in line. Lets not forget the bugs! You will eat bugs and be happy!
I can't do everything I need, it will take a small community for that, even though, the system won't allow it right now. When the system cracks then I will be able to do it. I don't need an ambulance or undertaker that is for the weak people. I used to eat that food and I know the difference.
I will defend my holdings, and I suspect a lot of other people (who don't want to eat bugs) will want to know the details soon.
What I am really typing, is a threat to your politics.
Excellent! By all means continue to do so. Most of us don't have a city backyard (or even a balcony), though, as such a thing would be well beyond our (financial) reach.
Anyway, the government is not terribly likely to send goons to "take you out." The real problem is that you might not be able to continue paying property taxes, and so they evict you. In my case, I have to continue paying rent. A couple of months of no rent payments, and I'm sleeping in the street.
"the government is not terribly likely to send goons to "take you out." - That's what I typed. I have read a blip the Nazis took out a gardener, maybe because the gardener knew what they were doing, taking small holders out for the large corporate farms, voicing hi opposition. So it could happen, but this was in the age of global increasing energy supplies.
You are in a no win position. I have no advice for you. People who plan will have a better time of it though.
The government will collapse they can not take everything from everybody, that means there is nothing for them to take any longer. Its ridiculous in my mind the government will destroy the society that provides for it, but who knows. Plenty of historical examples they did just that in the age of declining resources any such condition won't last long as the force of government will simply disappear. Plenty of historical examples of the hopelessness of collapse doesn't last long.
As someone who has never been to Austria, Germany or Norway I now seem to know more of these countries politics than the country I now live in, which is England. Thank you for your informative and enjoyable posts.
Last time Germany and Austria rationed energy for civilians in favour energy must have been during the indiscriminate air war perpetrated by the US and Britain?
Talk about inescapable destiny.
City people would rather stand in line for their free portion of bug soup than to actually do anything concerning taking care of themselves, so I don't know this angle of not relying on government. What about government employees? They have to stop relying on government too?
There is a potential for governments and industry to hog all the fuel energy, what's left of it anyways.
Future thinking Europeans will go back to coppiced trees (tree knowledge back in vogue) and kachelofens, super efficient small houses (think shire), and, of course, families with gardens!
Not gonna happen anytime soo though, so get ready for maximum pain!
There really isn't all that much that us city people can do to "take care of ourselves." If you have no land (in most cases, not even a balcony that will hold a potted tomato), then what exactly are you supposed to do? And having land (which most of us don't) will only do a tiny bit for you (in the absence of fossil fuels, subsistence farming is incredibly hard work that tends to lead to early death). Basically, the state (or "the market," but only for as long as it functions, and if it doesn't then the state takes over) provides the bulk of calories (in the form of grains) for its population. The cities get fed first because hungry cities are incredibly dangerous for the ruling class. The danger for people in the cities is that empty calories are all they get. Country folk are better prepared to self-provide nice little extras such as tomatoes, but the danger for them is that the central government may forget about them as it scrambles to feed the cities, and tomatoes (while full of vitamins and very tasty) will not take care of your caloric needs for very long.
As for hunting deer and the rest of it: that works great if you're the only one who's thought of doing so. As soon as more than a handful of people get the same idea, you run out of deer.
I haven't counted but I might be growing 50 different types of food all fed by soil life with no chemical inputs. All are quite tasty and more important highly nutritious. Humans aren't suppose to eat calories as presented, but I won't go there with this comment.
Its hard to answer in a comment, but there is a lot one can do to take care of oneself within a like minded community, and with a few modern additions (starting at a free tenant peasant lifestyle) the living can be heads and tails above the paradigm that exists now, being more interesting, fulfilling, and healthy long lived than that of a city person who owns nothing. It is complicated, there is a lot to learn.
I participated in a Permaculture Design Course in 2013 and have been building my holdings along those lines and will attest, at least as far as the growing fertility and diversity goes, its working. I have videos published to YouTube documenting the experiences.
Look, the choice is to live in the city and be happy with declining resources, or get out and begin building up soil fertility that underpins separation.
But that's ok, you can choose to stay where you are an adapt to continually changing government policies (or whatever).
Deer hunting is a skill, most people will give up in a half a day of dealing with the wild things. Even most deer hunters don't know much about it all. Humans are now too weak habituated to the easy life.
"I haven't counted but I might be growing 50 different types of food all fed by soil life with no chemical inputs. All are quite tasty and more important highly nutritious."
This is probably true. And yet, the number of people living truly self-sufficient lives is puny. How come? Probably because it's very hard to make do, regardless of the 50 types of food in theory. The other issue is that, if you think the government will just leave you alone as the system crumbles, then I don't know what to tell you (just see how much trouble it managed to cause over a not-particularly-dangerous respiratory virus). Plus, even in the event of your somehow managing to feed yourself, with your farm providing everything you need, and your being so far from the center that the state just leaves you alone: guess what, one medical emergency (a burst appendix, say), and you're dead. On that note, the same goes for your children if you have any. After all, if you're so far from the center that the state actually leaves you alone as the system crumbles, then you can be pretty darn sure no ambulance (or even undertaker) will come for you, even if it continues coming for the city folk, at least some of the time.
I am growing these foods in my city backyard. The government could send goons to take me out, but I am not really worth their time since there is nothing extra beyond a few people. Government needs large corporations growing large amounts of calories to keep the city people in line. Lets not forget the bugs! You will eat bugs and be happy!
I can't do everything I need, it will take a small community for that, even though, the system won't allow it right now. When the system cracks then I will be able to do it. I don't need an ambulance or undertaker that is for the weak people. I used to eat that food and I know the difference.
I will defend my holdings, and I suspect a lot of other people (who don't want to eat bugs) will want to know the details soon.
What I am really typing, is a threat to your politics.
"I am growing these foods in my city backyard."
Excellent! By all means continue to do so. Most of us don't have a city backyard (or even a balcony), though, as such a thing would be well beyond our (financial) reach.
Anyway, the government is not terribly likely to send goons to "take you out." The real problem is that you might not be able to continue paying property taxes, and so they evict you. In my case, I have to continue paying rent. A couple of months of no rent payments, and I'm sleeping in the street.
"the government is not terribly likely to send goons to "take you out." - That's what I typed. I have read a blip the Nazis took out a gardener, maybe because the gardener knew what they were doing, taking small holders out for the large corporate farms, voicing hi opposition. So it could happen, but this was in the age of global increasing energy supplies.
You are in a no win position. I have no advice for you. People who plan will have a better time of it though.
The government will collapse they can not take everything from everybody, that means there is nothing for them to take any longer. Its ridiculous in my mind the government will destroy the society that provides for it, but who knows. Plenty of historical examples they did just that in the age of declining resources any such condition won't last long as the force of government will simply disappear. Plenty of historical examples of the hopelessness of collapse doesn't last long.
As someone who has never been to Austria, Germany or Norway I now seem to know more of these countries politics than the country I now live in, which is England. Thank you for your informative and enjoyable posts.