About the wisdom of major preparation.

On Sysman's Y2K mission thread, GA Russell makes the excellent point that the real problem with folks is that they don't want to prepare, not that they have no understanding of Y2K's risks.

I find the same thing to be true but I wonder whether I am pausing long enough in all the flurry about Y2K to gauge its significance.

It used to be considered wise stewardship and simple citizen responsibility to prepare for a rainy day, whether by saving money, food, clothing or ??? Now, this is viewed as a positive sign of distrust in ???

The primary way that Y2K has changed my life for the better is with a fresh appreciation for preparation as life-enhancing (ie, not due to fear). For instance, we have always gardened but never saved seeds. Sure, we're doing it as Y2K preparation, but it's a lot of fun AND good stewardship AND (this is the real point of my thread, I 'spose) apparently revolutionary and radical. Gee, the last time I was a radical was back in the sixties when I had a 'fro and smoked the wrong kind of vegetation.

Rob Michaels had a thread a while ago on TBOTWAWKI (The Beginning of the World as We Know It, if I have it right). Seems to me that, without going down the chewy granola route (apologies to all my California friends from our seven years there), there is a new convergence developing between different types of people that could yield a more humane lifestyle for many Americans, whether Y2K is a bump or TEOTWAWKI.

I sincerely seek your insights on this (hey, Ed Yourdon, how has solar changed your view of technology or a livable post-Y2K future?)

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), March 14, 1999

Answers

Seems like it has been some time since the American people have been asked to do anything patriotic. WWII recycling and victory gardens come to mind. What passes for y2k leadership, K-man, Bennett, or Enemy-Of-The-People deJager, wants to quelch any such instincts, so it becomes *unpatriotic* to prepare for this. Here's hoping the elders in our society remember where our responsibility lies and help teach the young 'uns.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), March 14, 1999.

Big Dog ,

I for one like your spin on this. Basically theres two ways to plan, Life enhancing and Life degrading. A reevaluation of the our own self sufficiency and the way we live can never be a bad thing. "stewardship" of our own lives may be one of the big benfits to Y2k , regardless of its severity level. After all how often is it that someone considers living with out the corner McDonalds or the plugs in the wall?

In my short time here I havent seen too much of people being flamed for taking basic survival steps. And coming a bit more from the DGI side than the GI side, I have found many of the survival comments stated here, excellent ideas for day to day preparation for any emergency, not just Y2k.

nyc

nyc

-- nyc (nycnyc@hotmail.com), March 14, 1999.

Brooksbie,

Don't know if you've noticed but "patriot" is now an appellation likely to get you some attention from the FBI, or at least the Southern Poverty Law Center. No one in officialdom seems to care for that sort of person any more. I don't know whether it's because old- fashioned nationalism runs counter to the new wave of globalism or what. But there it is.

And BigDog,

A lot of the political fallout from Y2K will likely come (IMHO of course) from those who see a rebirth of independence and interdependence on a local scale as a good thing and try to further these notions. Of course this runs counter to the dumb-'em-down make-'em dependent-on-government school of thought. I am amazed and amused on an a weekly basis watching YouDoneItes rail at the shortsightedness/mendacity/stupidity of local/state/federal officials they deal with or listen to as they work to analyze the situation or promote community awareness and preparation. I guarantee you that this sort of thing has significant repercussions which will last beyond rollover. I think having more people involved in nuts and bolts civic awareness and action is a Good Thing. It helps keep John Q. Public awake and aware, and that is a status sorely needed right now, Y2K or no.

-- (li'ldog@ontheporch.com), March 14, 1999.

Big Dog,

You have articulated something that I have been trying to say for some time now and just could not put together in a cogent statement.

You are exactly right.

We have been trying to live a (hate over worked terms) "lifestyle" for some time now and that is the difference between the typical survivalist-wacko prototype and what we think is just good sensible living.

One way I've heard it said is "You can't help your neighbor if you can't first take care of yourself".

I am confident that what ever the future holds, we as a culture are better suited for it (how ever much) due to the efforts of those on this bord and the many others out there who have never seen not only this board but even a computer.

--Greybear

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), March 14, 1999.

I've said this before but the phrase "intentional technology" keeps coming back to my mind over these months. There is no avoiding technology pre- or post-Y2K, nor should we: man is homo technic (not just that, of course). Even Wendell Berry has always been quite self-aware about his/our dependencies on the technological web.

But what if we began thinking/choosing our technologies more intentionally than in the past? For the most part, man seems to "suffer" (endure) technology as a passive receptacle and/or victim. Of course, the why of that leads into heavy and disputed philosophical waters way beyond the scope of this thread.

In a sense, though, what I'm arguing, and all of you are picking up on this, is that Ed was quite right to focus this forum on preparation. NOT that we should (or could, ha!) stop speculating about Y2K and its impacts. That ain't exactly separate from preparation anyway.

Nonetheless, what we're all saying is that this matter of "preparation", "stewardship", "civic courage", "patriotism" (rightly understood), "independence" (rightly understood) are profound truths that need to be recovered across our entire culture. Let's keep dialoguing quite intentionally about this as the months go by. It is totally OT (for instance, Greybear, your thread about the Alamo comes to mind.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), March 14, 1999.

Hi BigDog. GA made this one remark that I think hits the target dead center: "They feel every dollar should be spent on pleasure and obligations they can't get out of. Since they can get out of preparing for a disaster and since they get no pleasure out of being prepared, they refuse to get it."

This is human nature. They'll go on their merry way until somebody hits them in the back of the head with a big stick and says OPEN YOUR EYES! As a result of the answers I got from the regulars here that I trust, I've deceided to stop being the one carrying the stick. Diane said it so well, it's their job to get it, not mine to make them. I'll still try to plant those seeds of information though. <:)=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), March 14, 1999.