"Preparing for change"

     The more I watch the world news and connect the 'economic dots' the more I think our economies are slowly washing away. This is going to have a far greater impact in the next ten years than many of you believe.  I do not relate my opinion to the "Tumble of 2008" alone, for I've watched the industrial world with increasing interest since Opec was formed in 72'. During this time frame, the way our economies were structured became increasingly subject to population growth and fluctuating economic phases of result. As resource bases were compromised from the marketing offshore of technologies and eventually opposing technologies competed for resource it became more and more obvious, to some, that N America was headed for a fall.....more than a 'top placement' in world power. In the circular way history shows the rise and fall of civilizations.....those which cannot maintain the health of their members eventually corrode. That corrosive aspect of industrial N America has grown exponentially alongside its division of classes. What once was enabled through exploitation of raw resource has moved beyond its place of dominion and is retreating in accordance with natural law. The exodus of workers from the crash of 29' was addressed through government work projects while industrialists found European despots to market our fascination with mobility . The increase in oil production during and after WWII created even more population movement as farming became less and less profitable for family farms and more people began moving to urban areas seeking employment. my family moved in such a way during the late 50s to take part in opportunities from the Texas oil production boom. These facts helped us re-build an over-free economy into the post WWII global power we thought would never change.
     Alas...how we are so blind in our institutions. As Eisenhower warned in his retirement speech, armies have become big business......the world over.....and this has done nothing for longevity of humanity for it has produced several generations of 'spoiled' children who think only of themselves....both here and abroad. The tenacity of this thinking has maintained the industrial complexity of modern civilization to the point of massive over abundance and equally massive under abundance to massive over population....which still thinks in basic selfish ways. All this tracking of mine is part of the reason I live where I do....surrounded by a lot of wilderness. I seemed to see, a long time ago, we are all headed into a far more basic way of living. I think if I'd had a partner who loved the wildness as much as I, when I was younger, I'd have been living out in the wilds somewhere long before now. You can't drag them off by the hair any more....at least that's what I was taught.

    So..... I think its going to be a year of preparing for change and activating such, as the year unfolds. Since I'm in a transitional phase of my life again....relevant to age, health, job, etc.....I may as well be bold enough to consider a physical move as well. We've looked at the idea of selling our home and entering into a co-operative with folks of like mind. Insofar as basic live and let live ethics portray, our particular prerogatives lean more toward organization of...and willful intent to follow through with a small co-operative than some idealistic based nonsense. Proven long-standing  shared land co-ops do exist across this continent and the protocols for starting such are already in place, so I don't see the difficulty in the legal matters to start. Committment as well as mature comprehension, may prove more problematic to locate but I'm willing to listen to all comers. My interest in "hippie-trippy-dippy" nonsense is absolutely nil as we are projecting something long-term which will require maturity and a broad scope of intelligence as well. Where the problems begin is finding others who either have on hand or can, in a reasonable amount of time, raise the necessary funds to pursue such. That is just the basic criteria. Our aim of like-mind would include willingness to participate in all areas of governance and, as well, strong interest in land conservancy, ecological sustainability, organic farming, alternate energy sources, home schooling, alternative medicines, communal transportation, and anything of parallel value to these parameters.