Apocalypse Now?

Right now I'm feeling like a character in a 50's sci-fi/horror flick when the aliens have landed and I must save the ones I love, but kinda like (in essence...) Sophie in Sophie's Choice I'm torn between the ones I love and some greater good.

Peak oil.

Economic breakdown.

Global warming (note first mention of greenhouse effect is 1897!).

Collapse of civilization (as we know it).

Now I'm hep to the jive of worrying too much over things you can't control and just taking a chill pill, but let's face it some things hang in the balance right now and I don't think we're all much too concerned save a few brave, prescient souls who are spearheading the downsizing revolution (well the talking and planning parts, I imagine some actual hard work is being done by some who want to head off well in advance any discomfort by already getting used to discomfort...).

And of course many will scoff, and granted I admit I'm a bit credulous at times and led astray, but I think the reality lies somewhere between heaven and hell and I think John Michael Greer has found that spot. He presents his case in a reasonable manner without too great an alarm and in a lucid and readable form. All I can say is that I hope he is more right than wrong then some of the other gloom and doomers.

Something that does bother me is the amount of plastic(s) we as a society consume/require/put in use etc. Everything has some bit of plastic in it and most if not all of it comes from petroleum. And my god at the plastic crap we bestow upon our children in the form of playtoys, bullshit and otherwise and for what exactly? So they can play and have fun, can't they do this with metal, wood, paper or their minds? Oh no, plastics offer so much more in terms of longevity and stability, so let's just have a polymer orgy shant we?

It's all like sex, how long can this last until you're spent and have nothing left in you? And yes it was fun while it lasted.