Problems, Predicaments, and Technology

The view from Sunset Rock near Sparta, Tennessee

My dad on the Hiawatha Rail Trail (the old Milwaukee Route) just outside the St. Paul Pass Tunnel (Roland Trailhead). More info:  https://www.ridethehiawatha.com/ Not that I have all that large of a following, but it has been quite a few weeks since my last entry, and I do feel that an explanation is in order. Normally, I wouldn't find many issues in my own personal life something worth sharing on a blog about science and the set of predicaments we find ourselves in as a species. However, in this particular instance, I do think it reflects an issue connected to the wider sense of what this blog is all about - accepting predicaments we have little or no agency over. The picture above was taken in 2012, almost a decade ago. I had suggested that my dad accompany me on a trip out west. I had been telling my parents stories of my trips out west for the previous decade or so at the time, and while my mom had been to the Pacific Coast with a friend of hers, Dad had never been that far wes...

  Scenes from earlier times in Glen Haven, Michigan. From top, D.H. Day Farm, Glen Haven Canning Company, Outside of Glen Haven General Store, and the last two showing the inside of the Glen Haven General Store. When I began this blog last December, my main goal at that particular point in time was to replace the files in the groups I run with an outside source so I could get away from the unreasonable rules that Facebook had instituted regarding the editing of those files; of course once they did away with personal files (the files still exist but the only way one can get to them now is if they saved the address for them), the writing was on the wall that group files would also be going away. The group files are still around for the time being, but FB has discontinued the possibility of creating new documents in groups unless the file is a PDF or other recognized file. I had no idea that I would be writing all these articles, as that certainly wasn't what I originally had in mind....

  What is ecological overshoot and why is it important? Is it a more important predicament than climate change? What about energy and resource decline - more important than it? The answer to the latter two questions is YES  and ecological overshoot is important because it is the predicament which is causing all the other (symptom) predicaments such as climate change, pollution loading, energy and resource decline, and the list of files included in this post . While one can read this peer-reviewed paper from William Rees, I found this video quite instructive and possibly more understandable to most people. Practically every article I've written here is about ecological overshoot in one way or another. Put simply, ecological overshoot is the collection of predicaments that our unsustainable lifestyles have brought forth. Collectively, humans globally use far more energy and resources than the planet can provide in a given unit of time and we produce toxic wastes that the plan...

  The New River Gorge at Grandview, West Virginia Today, I have a new movie titled  Down To Earth   to discuss. One of my primary goals with forming this blog has to do with educating people not just about the predicaments we face as a species, but also how to reduce the collective harm these predicaments are causing and the grief which often comes with the knowledge of these predicaments.   This film is about a family who decides to go on a journey to discover a new perspective on life not based upon many of today's cultural values surrounding consumption, jobs, and economics but more on nature, spirituality, and the true meaning of life. During this five-year journey, they meet many different indigenous tribes who they call "Earth Keepers" across six continents. One of the many bits of wisdom comes with a quote from the father/husband, while they are exploring the rainforest: "The kids love the rainforest. Today they caught me off guard, asking about its destr...

  One of the things most misunderstood is the concept of free will. Most people have the misconception that we all have free will and (more or less) can "do whatever we want." In reality, this is actually false . While we have the ability to make certain choices, those choices are all constrained to certain norms on average, based upon the reward of dopamine. As Dave Pollard writes about a year ago, " Everything we do is dopamine-driven , based on experiences that have, through positive reinforcement or coercion, been dictated by our entirely ‘unconscious’ behavior since we were born. There is no ‘us’ somehow apart from these evolutionarily conditioned animal bodies, to intervene to do things differently." Now, Dave explains why assigning blame is pretty much useless and nothing more than theater here . Nate Hagens adds this to the mix. This article goes into great depth and explains almost every argument out there regarding this topic. In an update (3-24-24) re...

  Spirituality Resources Above: Freezing fog beautifies the Blue Ridge Mountains on Fryingpan Mountain Below: Sculpture at Virginia/Tennessee Border on Interstate 81 Social Media Posts Criticize the 988 Suicide Hotline for Calling Police. Here’s What You Need to Know. Need to talk to someone? National 988 Lifeline Hotline Experience Does Not Equal Wisdom - Stephen Jenkinson Join The Soul Forum Violence and mental health are likely to get worse in a warming world Activities Which Can Help Us Deal With Climate Anxiety Mental health could be the next casualty of global warming Government inaction on climate change linked to psychological distress in young people Waterspirit is a center of ecology and spirituality that informs, inspires, and enables all people to deepen their consciousness of the sacredness and interdependence of all creation with a focus on water as critical in sustaining all life. Resources to Cope With Climate Anxiety and Grief Group Interventions for Climate Change...