Let's Talk About Another Uncomfortable Topic

 

Hyde Hall at Glimmerglass State Park

Recently, I was asked a question that I assumed was somewhat rhetorical in nature, but it eventually led to this article. I will divulge the question further into this article so as not to overtake the initial content and hijack the article.

One of the primary goals I have here with regards to the predicaments we face is to provide a more holistic visualization of what we face - like a bird's eye view of the situation. So, I got busy before my spring trip with the last several articles, even starting this one (almost two months ago now). I will finish it when I return. I have covered so much in this blog that parts here and there come to mind at various points when similar articles or discussions take place, reminding me of those parts. Sometimes I get inspired by something and it propels me to write about it. 

A friend of mine wrote the following and I adapted it to this medium (thank you Joe Breskin):

"We have all seen time and again someone who has chosen to construct a fake syllogism using logic that is flawed, based on premises that do not actually intersect. This is the way that a lot of really bad ideas get sold, and if you read the comments from followers, you will see that the hunger for easy answers is far greater than the hunger for truth in any form, especially the hard-to-swallow truths."

BINGO! So many folks are busy reducing the predicament we face into small pieces which, while they may be easier to deal with in this manner, attempting to do anything to scale which might be beneficial is removed by doing so. 

I see reductionism constantly from well-meaning people (including scientists) who want to "fix" one of the symptom predicaments of overshoot such as climate change or pollution loading or biodiversity decline. The trouble is that reductionism doesn't work holistically, so attempts to "fix" climate change by reducing emissions through technology use or to cool the planet using geoengineering (solar radiation management) won't actually work. Sure, we may be able to artificially cool some areas temporarily by doing this, but we'll also cause even more harm overall over time by attempting ill-fated ideas like this because they only treat symptoms rather than the overall root predicament itself. Once again, without reducing overshoot, ANY attempt at reducing symptoms will ultimately fail to accomplish much of anything other than more harm than good. 

From Meditations Chapter Two:

"14. Even if you’re going to live three thousand more years, or ten times that, remember: you cannot lose another life than the one you’re living now, or live another one than the one you’re losing. The longest amounts to the same as the shortest. The present is the same for everyone; its loss is the same for everyone; and it should be clear that a brief instant is all that is lost. For you can’t lose either the past or the future; how could you lose what you don’t have? Remember two things:

i. that everything has always been the same, and keeps recurring, and it makes no difference whether you see the same things recur in a hundred years or two hundred, or in an infinite period;

ii. that the longest-lived and those who will die soonest lose the same thing. The present is all that they can give up, since that is all you have, and what you do not have, you cannot lose."

This means that the only life we can lose is the one we're living in the moment, since neither the past nor the future is ours. The longest-lived and the shortest-lived lose the same thing.

These are difficult ideas to master, for sure. However, they are very important concepts to learn. Another difficult topic I have refrained from discussing for a very long time is actually the topic of today's article. I've actually had people ask me that if my assessments are so bad, why I don't just kill myself. I actually had to chuckle to myself at the time these comments were delivered. Just because the future isn't so bright doesn't mean that everyone will want to commit suicide. I certainly am not interested in any such activity at this point (and possibly not in my lifetime), although I do admit that I do see a possibility that there will come a time where folks actually envy the dead. We're not there yet, however.

I am well aware of various movements such as the VHEMT (Voluntary Human Extinction Movement) and other antinatalist movements, but these are distinctly different ideas from the act of terminating one's own life. Part of today's article was inspired by the political actions being taken by the current administration here in the U.S.; specifically the cutting off of funding for many different hotlines and places and organizations which deal with offering help or just someone to talk to for those who need it, including those considering suicide. 

It is currently mid-May as I write this and I just returned from a nice 2.5-week trip to the mountains which was actually rather wet quite a few days. I narrowly avoided the flooding in Maryland along the Georges Creek communities where I traveled along SR 36 from Westernport, Maryland to I-68 to Cumberland and to US 220 to head into Pennsylvania. I traveled this route less than 24 hours before much of those areas were under water. I consider myself pretty lucky.

I also got the chance to meet and chat with four friends while on this trip, another blessing I hold dear. All four deeply comprehend the predicaments we face and for this I feel honored to sit with them and talk about all the various topics I frequently bring into this space. 

One of the phenomena that I tend to feel that I can't adequately describe is part of the Live Now ethos that I described above, but here is an alternate description which points out the inability to "go back to who we were" before discovering the aspects of overshoot and its consequences and outcomes. The video points out how masks and false beliefs are removed and the true self can begin to emerge due to the enlightenment. No differently than the stages of grief, this transition can be difficult and some people mistake this transition for a permanent feeling of meaninglessness. Do not get discouraged! I felt that way for a time as well. But when you come out of this stage, what emerges is an absence of the need to do in order to be you. There's no longer the necessity to prove who you are, only the necessity to be you and live right here right now, not for some future goal, real or imagined.

I wrote a bit about this here and here based on the realization that we lack agency for most everything that people frequently talk about as ways to "solve" the predicaments we face (which in reality, have outcomes, not solutions). I also spent quite a bit of time over the past several years discussing how important acceptance is. 

Now, I'm not a psychologist or psychiatrist, so I'm just an average guy writing about this topic that I have held off writing about since I first started writing about these predicaments. Suicide is a deeply personal issue but also affects everyone around a person who chooses such a route. Three names ring out in my mind and I am certain that many others will also know these names: Jeffrey Antonson, Joey Casey, and Deb Ozarko. Two friends, Sandra Schoelles and Jennifer Hynes, did a wonderful tribute to Deb and originally the link to the video queued up to that point appeared here. Unfortunately, Sandra's channel, Environmental Coffeehouse, has been terminated for an alleged violation of terms. She has appealed, so hopefully it gets reinstated. Even though I never met any of these people in person, I miss them very much.

The question I wrote about initially (above in first paragraph) is this, which in part instigated this article, quote:

"I mean this as respectfully and honestly as possible, but what is the argument for not committing suicide? (In respect to overshoot)"

Personally, I don't think that suicide is necessarily wrong. That being said, it certainly can be cruel to those caught unaware. For this reason alone I find it something that should be an absolute last resort and not a way to escape a temporary issue. This is where things begin to get cloudy, as many of the tipping points we are now crossing don't have solutions (predicaments only have outcomes) and unlike what some people yap on about, there is no "reversal" switch to trigger to go backwards with regards to these predicaments. People who make those claims simply cannot accept the reality that predicaments (dilemmas; conundrums) only have outcomes - they are not problems with solutions. They suffer from denial of reality based on false beliefs. I recently added this article from Jan Andrew Bloxham to my article about denial of reality (based on Ajit Varki's Mind Over Reality Theory) because of the thorough nature of his article. It adds context and supplies more reasoning as to why so many people deny the truth about what we face. I don't like this truth any more than the next person, but the evidence is absolutely overwhelming. Fools who continue to deny that evidence instantly lose credibility with me, as there is no reason for me to argue with morons. Their reasoning isn't based on evidence, it's based on a deep-seated need to believe - so no amount of evidence will change their mind. One might as well argue with a brick. I have had many people who I originally admired for their knowledge of climate change but who don't truly understand overshoot, and without that knowledge, their prescription for everything only takes us further in the wrong direction. 

Unfortunately, most of them are unknowingly trying to preserve something that cannot be preserved - civilization. While I have been pointing this out for a considerably long time and have provided countless references for all of it, I continue to come into contact with many people who have bought into the common narratives constantly spread around but which don't hold up under scrutiny. Recently, I tackled those who think that regenerative agriculture, permaculture, food forests, and/or soil restoration are some sort of answer to the predicament we face. Does anyone really see any ability to reverse the predicament of pollution loading? Given this new study, one can clearly see how the trajectory shows no sign of reversing or even plateauing. Soil restoration cannot solve the microplastics, nanoplastics, PFAS, and PFOS pollution loading issue, nor can it solve the wildfire, flooding, drought, and heatwave issues. Soil restoration is really nothing more than dust in the wind - yet another false narrative in the long list of ideas that get thrown in the fantasy, myth, and fairy tale category.  

The reason I said that, "I think my work here is done," last month is due to the fact that my articles aren't going to change the trajectory of any of the predicaments we face. I've pointed out how most people aren't interested in these topics to begin with (so they would never open my articles in the first place), and even the ones who are (including many scientists and educators) don't thoroughly comprehend ecological overshoot and as a result don't truly understand the implications thereof. For those who do comprehend overshoot, many don't realize that civilization is unsustainable and therefore cannot be preserved as stated in the above paragraph. Ultimately, my articles will only help the people reading them and because my articles don't provide the typical happy ending, most people won't read them. So many authors are now writing great articles about overshoot, collapse, and discussing the symptom predicaments of overshoot which is why I find posting them important, and I will continue highlighting their articles. Also, as I've posted before, many authors publish collections of articles and other media highlighting the latest developments, and here is a recent offering from Steve Bull, who is publishing a new collection called The Bulletin. Here is last week's edition.

So, the soul-crushing grief that many of us feel from discovering and knowing this information can be difficult to deal with. For a long time, I have simply promoted the ethos of "Living Now" as I mentioned above and left the topic of suicide completely out. This has been primarily because I find discussing it online wholly unsatisfactory due to a lack of being able to effectively communicate back and forth - a person's body movements and facial expressions can give contextual clues as to what they really mean when discussing topics. Their voice inflection and intonation also give necessary clues and this is missing in most online discussions. Video discussions can help, but not completely. So, I decided the best policy was to avoid discussing the topic altogether. Now I find this topic something that needs to be put into the spotlight, as younger people are finding suicide as a "solution" to the predicaments we face (possibly due to this). This can be utterly devastating to the survivors and doesn't solve anything (while at the same time missing the whole point of acceptance).

More and more people are going this route because they want control over their own lives. This makes sense for someone who is terminally ill and is going to die shortly anyway. But many people are making the decision to commit suicide for reasons I don't necessarily agree with. Conditions are not yet to the point where other options aren't a much better choice. Choosing a permanent solution to a temporary problem just doesn't compute. Understanding that what we have isn't a problem, but a predicament, changes nothing today. I'm advocating instead for more open dialogue. If you cannot find someone you can talk to or share your feelings with and you think you want to harm yourself in some manner, please call the New Canadian National Suicide Hotline (toll-free American version) at 1-877-330-6366 (or any other helpline [988 is the National Suicide Hotline in the U.S.] available in your locality; I am not certain which hotlines here in the US have been shut down due to their funding being cut off). There are many different resources in the Spirituality Resources file as well to help anyone having trouble navigating this complex world we are inhabiting today.

My promotion of acceptance does not mean that life today cannot be good. Are bad things happening? Sure. But there are still currently many ways to mitigate those things; ways to get around the worst conditions and still be able to appreciate and enjoy what life has to offer. It is true that devastating changes are upon us. It is true that discovering overshoot and all of the accompanying symptom predicaments is likewise devastating. However, the grief many feel and suffer from is temporary. Yes, one will continue to experience sadness over time, but one can also experience lots of happiness and joy yet, too. Many people are familiar with Dr. Gabor Maté; if you feel lonely, depressed, and/or lost, please see this.

Having just returned last week from a most satisfying trip to the mountains reinforced these facts - that life is still good despite the factors of symptom predicaments no longer being masked. I noticed a significant reduction of the number of birds in the regions I visited covering 9 states. I witnessed extreme flooding on the trip. I experienced a tornado warning where I was located while on the trip (scary!) and the rain was coming down so fast that I could only see about 10 feet in front of me (if that much, and this was at a campground while the van was at rest). I witnessed a serious lack of insects during the trip and had no need during the entire trip to clean the windshield. This has never before happened on a trip. The ongoing death of thousands of trees is clearly visible throughout almost any landscape. So I am well aware of what is happening around me. But I still think that conditions are good. Yes, I see rumblings on the horizon, but they're not quite here yet for most of us. My plea is not to add to the pain and suffering that already exists; especially to those around you who love and care for you. We all have inherent purpose and our job now is to build community, grow food, preserve food, and save seeds. Share food, teach others to grow food, and build the community in which you live. 

All this is not to say that there are no proper reasons for one to decide that suicide is the correct response for a particular issue such as a terminal diagnosis, as mentioned above. One comment in particular on this topic I saw as golden, quote:

"We also never really address the cultural overtones of oppression which often lead to suicide, or most forms of ‘mental illness.’

Very often, symptoms are a direct response to unsustainable oppressive systems - not an abnormality. It’s a sane response to an insane world very often.

I’m not abdicating for suicide per se, but strongly suggesting we take a deeper longer look and stop vilifying the victims or labeling them as abnormal."

Those are rather poignant words to describe the situation. This familiar quote from Jiddu Krishnamurti also serves as a reminder: 

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."

For those who are qualified and want more information regarding end of life options, please visit Exit International.

Wrapping this up, it should be made clear that suicide is a very personal and often necessarily private situation that should be an option only after all other explorations have turned up not to be possible. Leaving our own personal opinions and judgements out of the discussion should we ever be consulted on such a proposition by a friend or loved one is also important. Many times it is a call for help, so our job is to actively listen and repeat what we hear so that no mistake in understanding can be made. Only when we truly comprehend the situation first can we offer assistance and it is possible that the only assistance needed is our presence. 

Now, for the very last part, we can't forget to enjoy Pretty Place Chapel and Paris Mountain State Park!