We are on pause as a race now. The wheels of society have come to a grinding stop and normal life seems really different from the normal that was just a few months ago. Human history is full of these, just not on this scale or scope. Great empires have fallen and in their wake was chaos and no governing power holding society together. The Roman Empire fell twice, the aftermath was called the Dark Ages, but only in Europe and it’s geographic neighbors. These periods were full of death, disease, and mass slaughter. Each time, people have found a way to organize and lift themselves from the darkness into a new type of government and order.
Today that possibility is becoming more likely. Should we fear that? In the end, the Russian Monarchy was bloated and corrupt, and the country was ripe for a big change. Now the home of the communist ideal, Russia is now is set to change again. No longer a power to compete with the massive military of the West, the Russians spend their time and money creating chaos in other nations. But this strategy will backfire in the end, the people under this system can only take so much before complete societal shut down. And then what? Anarchy and war, the eventual aftermath of totalitarianism and brutal dictatorships. So can we guide society post-American world order?
The answer is surprising. Technology in the last 50 years has improved much in some areas and most things are smaller and more efficient. The human dwelling can now do much to endure world crisis. With an Earthship strategy, the home can be made into a net positive producer. A home that can generate it’s own power, mitigate water usage and utilize gray water, deal with waste, grow food, and a variety of other needs that most individuals must leave the home to find. The idea of your homestead would replace the disposable dwelling idea and communities will need to work together for mutual safety and well-being. Basically, life on the small scale wouldn’t change much.
The “One World” economy would disappear. Getting a package from India or China in a few days will be gone, and the idea of producing goods overseas will be replaced with micro-manufacturing and high-speed recycling. The need to utilize local resources will be the new normal and the idea of getting cheap goods from the 3rd world will be history. World travel will change and safety concerns will encourage people to find solutions locally. The idea of cheap goods will be replaced by a barter economy based on value and the ability to reuse objects. The idea of burying our waste somewhere else will end and individual communities will need to figure out what to do with its refuse and waste. The idea of another pandemic will affect our economy and change how we live our daily lives.
The military will change, too. Without constant demand, the endless spending on a war we will never fight will end. The new threat is biological and most industrialized nations will need to convert their fighting force into a medical corps, scientific units ready to do battle with viruses, bacteria, and evil pathogens. Giant war engines will be liabilities that are vulnerable to biological attack. In it’s place will be environmental armor, a suit designed to fight and win against microscopic enemies. The silliness of enormous air craft carriers will be over and nations will no longer be able to spend billions on killing machines. Smaller, more efficient, and affordable will have to be the norm. In the end, maybe there will be a war and nobody will show? Without nations fighting, will individuals learn to get along? Civilization has never been guaranteed against war, and it might be the nature of the human animal to fight?
No government can control reality, and in the end, things will change. The climate, the solar system, the universe all are beyond our control and we must journey in the world that we exist in. I believe that we are at the end of something - what will replace that, I’m excited to see. Whatever the outcome, I will continue my life and my journey with passion and energy. Tomorrow is not here yet and we have this beautiful sunny day to enjoy and be alive in. Time is the way but not the rule. So rejoice the moment that is here, don’t wait, time is moving fast. This moment is perfect and the universe has gifted you with the present, live it!