"Thinking The Unthinkable" article

[ianryder]

Snow Hope, what made you pick that name then?

I have to admit I pretty much agree but I think the answer is to try and be blinkered on a day to day level. I'm working hard to set everything up so we can best live our lives should it all go pear-shaped. I'm lucky though as I've got some money now so I might be able to set us up with some land, maybe an orchard (apples will be in high demand when you can't get them from NZ!).

The best bit is that if we're a complete bunch of fruit-loops who have been sucked in by some giant fraud, I still can't lose as it's made me go and do the things I've always wanted to do anyway - ie, stop running around like a twit and stop to enjoy now a bit more (soon maybe anyway).

If the world goes up in smoke around me, what can I do beyond try and do the best now for my family and people around me and maybe spread teh word as I go.

[GD]

I don't believe you were having a go specifically. The point I was trying to make is that saying people are more bad now compared to whenever really is a case of pots/kettles/black.

A few years ago, I had a surprise when reading the Martial Arts classic "Book of 5 rings"; it seems that even in feudal Japan, people were the same - and why shouldn't they be? It seems that today's media would have you believe we were on a one-way downward spiral.

I'm a martial art enthusiast and take quite a bit of interest in the topic of crime and safety. In simple terms, incidents that occur that may threaten your survival persist in your memory, (one of our evolutionary endowments. Security expert Gavin de Becker says that once you learn something relevant in this regard, you will never forget it).

more people => more crime => more perception of crime.

the other hand:

more people => more good => no more perception of good

the fact there's also more good goes unnoticed as it's less relevant to survival.

Is the perception of crime disproportional to the incidences? That's a topic for another day/thread.

Are people (in general) different now to any other time? I doubt it.

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The entitlement mentality is nothing new (I like Robert Kiyosaki's (aka Rich Dad) take on it in his columns). There will surely be a rude awakening in that regard.

[snow hope]

I see your point GD.

I really do take a strange degree of pleasure from being involved in this forum as so many folks have so many sensible and intelligent points and views they express. It really helps me to expand my knowledge and understanding of the world - no doubt us all. It also helps me to cope with my doomish views of the future. It is hard to change the way you are - but great to see and hear the more positive views from you good people.

Ian - thanks for your comments - you have made a brilliant move! Snow Hope comes from my username on another Forum I am involved with that has become pretty successful - currently nearly 5,000 members with regularly 100 or more online at any point in time during most of the waking day - www.ukweatherworld.co.uk - Weather, Climate, Meteorology and Earth Sciences. The username is just a play on words that came to me as I signed up as about the 30th user on the site, 3 or 4 years back.

By coincidence it is very apt for this site and my views!

[ianryder]

www.ukweatherworld.co.uk - Weather, Climate, Meteorology and Earth Sciences. The username is just a play on words that came to me as I signed up as about the 30th user on the site, 3 or 4 years back.

Ah, makes sense - definitely very apt for here!

I know I'm now on the wrong forum but I saw the best storm ever (just flipped over and was reading about storms ) - I was is Sydney in 99 when they had the Aus$1billion hale storm - the supercells (sorry if that's not quite the right terminology) must have been 10 miles high and didn't move for hours - was like watching a disco.

Anyway, enough non-PO talk...