Wow Justin. This is great. And so true. I was married to a recovering alcoholic so am very familiar with the program. And I’ve just spent the past 5 + months living with horrible vertigo and came to the same conclusion. I’m mostly powerless over the outcome. Just appreciate the moment. Find joy in family and friends. Surrender.
That's stuff to make a religion (in the noble sense). At step 3, this is getting at the core, as so many of us are nearly an integral part of the system, our jobs, what somehow pays the basic necessities (rent, food, ...). That's where we need the others, the group(s), the collective.
The comparison to alcohol/drug addicts somehow stop working there, because in our case, we can't stop being part of the unsustainable/life-destroying system over night. It is more like smoking 10s of cigarettes per day and reducing few cigarettes less every month or year. Some 10s are the hardest (your job)...
Yeah, has similar vibes as Earthseed, the fictional religion of the Parable series by Octavia Butler. My only gripe with that religion was the it taught that humanity is destined for the stars, which is nonsense.
I totally agree with that! Butler was so prescient in so many things (her authoritarian ruler, the racism run rampant, etc). But the Musk-like focus on space travel is way off base. I'm so glad someone else sees that!
Apt comparison, and good advice. Unfortunately, the success rates for AA while varying in claims are quite low. And rather than being surrounded by support, we're surrounded by pushers 24/7. Hell, not consuming makes you weird. Still, I like this piece, much good advice here.
Most recovery centers still use the 12 step approach. Still, recovery is very difficult. Addiction is difficult. Collapse will be too. I imagine the success rates there may be pretty low as well.
Absolutely feeling weird lately. I’ve only taken small steps to reducing my impact. One of the steps I’ve taken is to reduce the amount of clothing I have and use. As a result, my clothing is very practical and has to be applicable in as many social and work situations as possible. I don’t know what that experience is like for a man, but as a woman it’s looked down on by certain groups. I have actually had people comment on how often I wear the same clothes (an elderly man by the way). I have had to observe and try to release my feelings of being less than and seen as poor and weird. Much self talk about not caring what others think. I just try to remember Earth care is before my ego or fitting in.
Not consuming makes me feel good. Stick with it, you'll get there, too. Most of what I own is second hand or antique, the oldest piece a mid 1800s cupboard. My couch is probably 35 years old and still looks good enough. I restore stuff. I have a penchant for stereo gear, but every piece I own goes back to the 60s or 70s. Fortunately, I never needed much of a wardrobe, working for ad agencies (ick) or as a solo freelancer. Now, devoted to researching and writing from home I can wear clothing most would have ditched long ago (to put it mildly). I spend maybe $200 a year on clothes, and the older I get, the less I care what people think.
It's definitely harder on a woman with so many societal double standards, but take heart one of my best female friends wears the most basic of clothes, but I love WHO she is, that's what counts. While I'm focused on climate change, she's focused on Gaza. What's in our hearts is what's important. Wear your beliefs with pride, and forget the shallow people. Teach them about the crisis overconsumption of clothes is causing where they're dumped in mountain sized quantities on poor nations. Chin up!
Wow ... breathless. This is a powerful piece. You've tapped a well so deep. The parallels between substance addition industrial civilisation are profound. The 12 steps applied to the world we're in are brilliant, and I think give an excellent, and relatable path for people to work on.
So my weigh-in is how quotable this is up to the 12 steps. Such perceptive observations. I like your analogy with addiction, but the steps seem stretched, having so many. All okay, but the power of this, that's very powerful, comes before them and after them. Such good perceptions and good writing!
What a coincidence to read this, just some minutes after I let my thought flow in my notebook about the idea of villages build without extraction. Cities are build by extraction. We are not aware about this anymore. Could it be an idea, when a new building is constructed, to show which materials are extracted, from which place, with photo’s of the destructed place and the carboncost?
That would be awesome. Someone could make a website dedicated to showing how much resources went into various things we use and our infrastructure. Show pictures of the ecological damage done.
I don't quite have that data, but I do have a quote of what we use in just one day, as of late 2022. Unfortunately it is a jpg picture file, so can't post it here.
Incidentally, you're not the first to come up with this 12 steps concept. Here's one from a few years ago:
I love this. As a recovering alcoholic, I intuitively knew there was an answer to collapse in the steps, but I hadn't taken the time to think through it. I've been wanting to reread the book "When Society Becomes an Addict" by Anne Wilson Schaef, but haven't gotten around to it. Thank you for sharing.
I’m a new subscriber. This is brilliant. I attended NarAnon mtgs for years (12 step mtgs for family members of addicts).
Your ‘collapse’ steps are very thoughtful, as is your serenity prayer for earth. I let the addict go with love and now attend collapse club mtgs which frown on cross talk and have other similarities to 12 step mtgs.
Beautifully expressed. And it really resonated with me on so many levels.
Been a member of Al Anon for several years and working the steps has helped me grow into a much more balanced human being. Your lyrical writing makes these efforts sound easy but we know they require a willingness to surrender, which is contrary to our grasping natures…
And yet the steps can totally can take us to new ways of being in the world.
Speaking as an elder and an old hippy, we had so much hope that the extraction economy could be tamed. Pure illusion. It has grown huge and on steroids.
So we can see it’s unsustainable and that means a collapse is coming.
The analogy to addiction is perfect. We think we are in control but it’s a mirage.
My higher power has been a sense of community, connection, and loving compassion. So I really appreciate your words.
Wow Justin. This is great. And so true. I was married to a recovering alcoholic so am very familiar with the program. And I’ve just spent the past 5 + months living with horrible vertigo and came to the same conclusion. I’m mostly powerless over the outcome. Just appreciate the moment. Find joy in family and friends. Surrender.
That's stuff to make a religion (in the noble sense). At step 3, this is getting at the core, as so many of us are nearly an integral part of the system, our jobs, what somehow pays the basic necessities (rent, food, ...). That's where we need the others, the group(s), the collective.
The comparison to alcohol/drug addicts somehow stop working there, because in our case, we can't stop being part of the unsustainable/life-destroying system over night. It is more like smoking 10s of cigarettes per day and reducing few cigarettes less every month or year. Some 10s are the hardest (your job)...
Every 12 step program is a bit different, and have commonalities. This one is sort of individual/collective both.
Yeah, has similar vibes as Earthseed, the fictional religion of the Parable series by Octavia Butler. My only gripe with that religion was the it taught that humanity is destined for the stars, which is nonsense.
I totally agree with that! Butler was so prescient in so many things (her authoritarian ruler, the racism run rampant, etc). But the Musk-like focus on space travel is way off base. I'm so glad someone else sees that!
Apt comparison, and good advice. Unfortunately, the success rates for AA while varying in claims are quite low. And rather than being surrounded by support, we're surrounded by pushers 24/7. Hell, not consuming makes you weird. Still, I like this piece, much good advice here.
Most recovery centers still use the 12 step approach. Still, recovery is very difficult. Addiction is difficult. Collapse will be too. I imagine the success rates there may be pretty low as well.
We're in triage mode at best now and governed by psychos who are working to accelerate our demise.
Hell, not consuming makes you weird.
Absolutely feeling weird lately. I’ve only taken small steps to reducing my impact. One of the steps I’ve taken is to reduce the amount of clothing I have and use. As a result, my clothing is very practical and has to be applicable in as many social and work situations as possible. I don’t know what that experience is like for a man, but as a woman it’s looked down on by certain groups. I have actually had people comment on how often I wear the same clothes (an elderly man by the way). I have had to observe and try to release my feelings of being less than and seen as poor and weird. Much self talk about not caring what others think. I just try to remember Earth care is before my ego or fitting in.
Not consuming makes me feel good. Stick with it, you'll get there, too. Most of what I own is second hand or antique, the oldest piece a mid 1800s cupboard. My couch is probably 35 years old and still looks good enough. I restore stuff. I have a penchant for stereo gear, but every piece I own goes back to the 60s or 70s. Fortunately, I never needed much of a wardrobe, working for ad agencies (ick) or as a solo freelancer. Now, devoted to researching and writing from home I can wear clothing most would have ditched long ago (to put it mildly). I spend maybe $200 a year on clothes, and the older I get, the less I care what people think.
It's definitely harder on a woman with so many societal double standards, but take heart one of my best female friends wears the most basic of clothes, but I love WHO she is, that's what counts. While I'm focused on climate change, she's focused on Gaza. What's in our hearts is what's important. Wear your beliefs with pride, and forget the shallow people. Teach them about the crisis overconsumption of clothes is causing where they're dumped in mountain sized quantities on poor nations. Chin up!
Wow ... breathless. This is a powerful piece. You've tapped a well so deep. The parallels between substance addition industrial civilisation are profound. The 12 steps applied to the world we're in are brilliant, and I think give an excellent, and relatable path for people to work on.
Thank you Margi… always .
Thank you. You’ve given me much to chew on.
So my weigh-in is how quotable this is up to the 12 steps. Such perceptive observations. I like your analogy with addiction, but the steps seem stretched, having so many. All okay, but the power of this, that's very powerful, comes before them and after them. Such good perceptions and good writing!
Thank you for your kind words. Yes, the 12 steps are modeled after the ones in AA. I was just going with it. Lol
What a coincidence to read this, just some minutes after I let my thought flow in my notebook about the idea of villages build without extraction. Cities are build by extraction. We are not aware about this anymore. Could it be an idea, when a new building is constructed, to show which materials are extracted, from which place, with photo’s of the destructed place and the carboncost?
That would be awesome. Someone could make a website dedicated to showing how much resources went into various things we use and our infrastructure. Show pictures of the ecological damage done.
I don't quite have that data, but I do have a quote of what we use in just one day, as of late 2022. Unfortunately it is a jpg picture file, so can't post it here.
Incidentally, you're not the first to come up with this 12 steps concept. Here's one from a few years ago:
10 step grief network
https://www.goodgriefnetwork.org/10-steps/#10step
1 Accept the Severity of the Predicament
2 Practice Being With Uncertainty
3 Honor My Mortality & The Mortality of All
4 Do Inner Work
5 Develop Awareness of Biases & Perception
6 Practice Gratitude, Witness Beauty, & Create Connections
7 Take Breaks & Rest
8 Grieve the Harm I Have Caused
9 Show Up
10 Reinvest in Meaningful Efforts
No.3 is important, I personally think no one can get to collapse acceptance without first accepting their own mortality.
Thank you for this
Thank you.
I must say that you have done great work here, especially with your interpretation of the Serenity Prayer.
If you'll permit me to hitchhike on this excellent essay, it does bring to mind my most recent one.
We can't do this alone. For 40 years now I have tried. I've done part of it, driven my donkeys to the grocery store, but - you can't do this alone.
And it is obvious that no group of humans wants to. https://open.substack.com/pub/mcfaddenj/p/wondering?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5w1e7
I love this. As a recovering alcoholic, I intuitively knew there was an answer to collapse in the steps, but I hadn't taken the time to think through it. I've been wanting to reread the book "When Society Becomes an Addict" by Anne Wilson Schaef, but haven't gotten around to it. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for the reference to Anne Wilson Schaef. I will add this to my essay in which I use the metaphor of addiction and in which I 'collect' references, see https://medium.com/@v.a.wegener_32758/our-crisis-immersed-society-is-heading-towards-a-tipping-point-that-likely-leads-to-a-bee387931298
I’m a new subscriber. This is brilliant. I attended NarAnon mtgs for years (12 step mtgs for family members of addicts).
Your ‘collapse’ steps are very thoughtful, as is your serenity prayer for earth. I let the addict go with love and now attend collapse club mtgs which frown on cross talk and have other similarities to 12 step mtgs.
I'm going to check this out! Thanks for sharing 😊
Wow, just Wow!
Your presentation is elegant, eloquent and full of grace.
You must have had some great inspiration to write this lol. Wonderfully written and inspiring my brother.
Beautifully expressed. And it really resonated with me on so many levels.
Been a member of Al Anon for several years and working the steps has helped me grow into a much more balanced human being. Your lyrical writing makes these efforts sound easy but we know they require a willingness to surrender, which is contrary to our grasping natures…
And yet the steps can totally can take us to new ways of being in the world.
Speaking as an elder and an old hippy, we had so much hope that the extraction economy could be tamed. Pure illusion. It has grown huge and on steroids.
So we can see it’s unsustainable and that means a collapse is coming.
The analogy to addiction is perfect. We think we are in control but it’s a mirage.
My higher power has been a sense of community, connection, and loving compassion. So I really appreciate your words.
Many thanks for your reflections Maya