41 Comments
Oct 11Liked by Sarah Wilson

Hi Sarah, your interesting updates prompted a few thoughts from me

1. Did you hear Nate's recent podcast - 'global heating 101'? There was a really interesting (and terrifying) clarification made by his expert guest, where he discussed what 3 degrees of heating really means. If I understood correctly, he said that the rate of heating is always discussed as a global average, but because the earth is 71% ocean, and the ocean heats more slowly than land, the heating on land would be much higher (more like 5 or 6 degrees on land if the global average is 3 degrees)! I don't think many people realise that.

2. That stat about 45% of America women being single and child free by 2030, is interesting... Aside from decreasing fertility, what strikes me is that it seems to be a trend towards individualised culture with less and less interconnectedness and reliance on family and community (the opposite of what we humans need).

3. That incredibly confronting scenario about the boy of the future described by Tim Winton, left me thinking how can we accept the irreparable damage current humans are knowingly doing and also embody the idea that no-one is to blame? I understand your argument that blame and anger will not help us now, but it's so difficult to let go of! Xx

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Hi Alaina,

I love your additional points.

1. I didn't know this. Also, if the world is 3C, Australia will likely be 3.5-4C.

2. Yes, the swing away from connection and community is palpable ...i can feel it in myself. Relating takes a concerted effort now

3. Stay tuned for my upcoming ep with Joel Pearson on free will...it takes this to another level

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There's something so ironic about the ulitmate outcome of neoliberalism being a decline in birthrates that means continuous economic growth will no longer be possible.... who'd have thought that making people believe that 'society doesn't exist' would lead to this?!!!?

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Thanks Sarah, I will look forward that episode with Joel x

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Oct 11Liked by Sarah Wilson

What Alan Jones did to Julia Gillard was a low point for men in this country. Apart from the obvious abuse, but because very few men actually called him out for his behaviour due to his influence and power in the media.

I do love how happy Julia looks and the karma now though.

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Few women called it , too. Australians didn't pay attention to it until it went viral OS. It was seeing ourselves from the outside that woke us up

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I have her speech on a teatowel in a frame on my wall ;)

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Oct 11Liked by Sarah Wilson

Sar, I love that you caught up with Julia. What a chat you 2 would have had! And lovely the pic/vid ... beautiful picture of respect, honour and love. 🫶

Winton's words are haunting ... I brought 'Juice' this week and this gives me even grater incentive to start it now.

And very excited that some pubs are following this stream ... I've been wondering when this episodic community-based style of art creation would begin to be a thing. As always you lead the way.

Big love xx

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She was highly dignified, curious and fun company!

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What a beautiful way to describe someone; to be described! 💜

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Oct 11Liked by Sarah Wilson

Hi Sarah,

I had an interesting conversation with my son today and it evolved moral education. Who in society do we trust to educate us on morally right and wrong?

Thankfully my son calls me because he can trust that I’ve done the research, viewed all sides of the argument and have an educated guess on where the moral compass lays.

Where does the broader society go when they can’t trust the government, churches have a bias agenda, social media distorts the truth and celebrities lie to get attention?

Also thank you for providing so much evidence and discussion on this topic. It truly helps to navigate my own doubts, fears, insecurity and what feels like personal failings, in leaving my children to live with the hedonistic lifestyle I lead and has resulted in this collapse.

Sincerely

Rochelle

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A profound question.

I ask the same.

I think moral education needs to be a thing. In Finland they teach kids how to spot misinformation, which is not quite the same things. I will cover this in an upcoming chapter....

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Oct 12Liked by Sarah Wilson

We need to go inward first I think. We need to know who we really are, and what we really want our life to be, then go from there to connect with others.

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My thoughts are moving in the same direction, in the sense that we need to face the fears and places of hate inside and also name our places of innate gifting.

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Oct 14Liked by Sarah Wilson

Hi Sarah, i just listened to your chat with Elizabeth Oldfield and found myself being an invisible third person in the conversation as I exclaim or 'mmm hmm' etc and for what it's worth, the most poignant part for me was towards the end about faith and religion. I can appreciate that at their essence religions are excellent guidelines on how to live a generous and (I guess?) almost selfless life but once humans and their different thoughts and power ideas get involved religions just never seem to go well, historically. What resonated with me was the Nature part of it - I guess going back to humans of long ago who lived fully in it and saw the daily bounty and gave thanks because the tenuous nature of human existence was in their face every single day. Nature as a religion works as all humans are a part of it, wherever we are, and whilst many of us have forgotten this fact (I would hazard not Wildlings but that's why we are all here isn't it?) it is inescapable once she whacks us around the head with some extreme weather event that reminds us. So for me, worshipping Nature (it doesn't have to be in a woo woo kind of a way, although singing and such is therapeutic, i've just come home from a seasonal singing group!) but really noticing seasons, plants and 'caring for Country' (i hope it's okay to use that term) are vital in finding what matters to us and really feeling peace and direction.

How to make that happen is the harder part - but i do remember in the book 'The Ministry for the Future' that Nature worshipping had become a new religion. It sounded really kind of nice.

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Ministry for the Future is an astounding book...you listened to the podcast I did with the Kim?

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i have not! that will be my next one thanks :)

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Oct 14Liked by Sarah Wilson

The best part of this is the quote from Ted Gioia:

“The actual winners will be holistic thinkers and empathetic individuals with human skills. The important things in life can’t be quantified and run on a computer, I’m talking about love, care, trust, friendship, compassion, responsibility, family ties, kindness, dedication, faith, hope, courage, humility, respect and human decency. AI can’t deliver those. It merely pretends…”

One thing I have observed of myself when absorbing this information and engaging in this particular space is the sense of calm and safety that exudes.

Which is a paradox as the content is pure chaos.

Kudos on achieving what is seemingly an impossible feat, establishing a port in the eye of the storm. It’s what keeps me coming back here although I am inherently fearful of the events described.

I’m drawn back in time and time again because of the complex and interwoven connection and sense of community. Powerful.

I think you may just have achieved what you (purposely or unintentionally?) set out to accomplish Sarah.

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Oh Caroline, that's very generous of you. Even if only a handful feel they've found a port in the storm...from which to be able to breathe into the beauty of being human again...then it will have all been worth it.

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Suleika Jaouad, a cancer survivor, writes "I’ve been shifting from a mindset of living each day as if it’s my last—to living each day as if it’s my first. Especially when the temptation is to be jaded and world weary, I’m trying to look at everything around me with fresh eyes, to seek out and hold onto wonder." This resonates so beautifully with the prospect of curiosity and humility being some of our highest values and dispositions in how to be "in" this emerging place of greater breakdown and collapse and thus reorientation -- to move with things, to inhabit the granular bits of our own lives and to pay attention to how love lives there. How love and belonging are the birthrights of every living thing that has come into existence as the universe expands and contracts and breathes.

My question becomes: what does it look like to develop the maturity to sit in discomfort and own the moral injury that Winston describes, while also locating in ourselves the authentic place of which to truly be curious and unafraid? Is it even helpful to think of these things as polarities?

The gravity of this work being spiritual is really hitting me. I haven't been able to stop shaking in the evenings since reading Winston's article. I am close to tears all of the time. In the midst of shaking and tears, I have wondered that if Yuval's observation about sacrificing meaning for power is how things have played out, would previous cultures and iterations of humanity look at us and think that we are living in a dystopian hellscape now because of the communal, relational ways of being together that we have sacrificed?

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Yes “to sit in the discomfort and own the moral injury “ - do the hard things.

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Oct 11·edited Oct 11Liked by Sarah Wilson

Sarah, to add to all that. The misinformation and just bizarre conspiracy theories peddled by really powerful, influential people is at a feverish pitch right now. And what a sign that is. Some of it popped up in my feed while watching coverage of the US hurricanes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Just wait until we get to November. Summed up really well here: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/10/hurricane-milton-conspiracies-misinformation/680221/

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Oct 11Liked by Sarah Wilson

I'd love to read the entire article T but I'm reticent to provide my personal details to feed whatever algorithm/s The Atlantic operates with. If you could provide us with a brief summary of the article instead that would be fabulous!

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The Atlantic is worth subscribing too, I feel. Best writers and great content.

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Or try putting it through 12ft.com

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Winton's essay was a harrowing first read for me, and I feel his book will be too - something about Winton's writing that drives deep and I'm almost hesitant on reading it agh .. I loved your interview with Elizabeth and on a lighter note I will share that as I was listening to you two and the bit about collapse and the world, I drew three tarot cards and I got the 4 of Swords for the immediate past, Queen of Cups for the now and the future The World. I wasn't going to share here but I then saw Elizabeth's previous interview on her podcast was on the Tarot; so of course it's a sign for me to share and I like that draw - haha. As always lots of gems here, thank you.

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What do those "draws" mean?

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Cards from the Rider Waite deck and I'll use the words from the booklet - 1. Immediate past/Issue - 4 of Swords "A bad card. vigilance, retreat, solitude, hermit's repose, exile, tomb and coffin. 2. Queen of Cups "Good, fair woman, honest devoted woman, who will do service to the Querent, loving intelligence and hence the gift of vision. Success, happiness, pleasure, also wisdom, virtue. Sometimes denotes a woman of equivocal character. 3.The World. " Assured success, voyage, route, emigration, flight, change of place."

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It is reassuring, while also scary, when we consider the impacts of the butterfly effects of things. The web of connections and intricacies of life.

The opulence brings less children, but brings crisis which will bring more children. (Ie Baby boomers, ie the effects of war trauma on our need to connect sexually).

I think old mate, the Negotiating Rabbi in Jerusalem is correct.

World War Three started when Russia went in to Ukraine. From there, it has been a steady decline of moral decency and rules based behaviour.

Israel does not give a fuck and will do as they wish. And Peter Thiel doubly does not care. He wants to live for ever , though he will be surprised by the horror that will bring.

I suspect that the immortal billionaire will decay into the very worst form of human. Once they have experienced all of the good things in life, all that is left to experience is the horror.

And as you discussed earlier, the human mind requires variety and challenges. And has a tendency to require more and more stimulation when chasing pleasure and highs. Think the love child of P Diddy, Elon Musk and Epstein.

America has been the big dog , and the hyenas have been waltzing around him for years. Now the dog is lame and blind, so the hyenas are going for the balls and the throat.

Xi has his own Xi app , which communist employees and good citizens have to engage with daily. Goebbels would be soooo jealous.

And who knows, maybe WW3 will save us all. No shipping , no flying, no instagram holidays, just lots of dying and surviving.

On the food front

The lucky ones of us have back yards , the potential of all of this fertile city soil (many built on river deltas) is immense.

So maybe blow them up , which helps break the concrete and then we can rebuild cities with farms built in?

A bit dark I know 😝

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Just a bit (dark)!

Sadly blowing up concrete is a carbon emissions disaster

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Dark

But we get veges 😂

Relentlessly looking for the silver lining

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Oct 12·edited Oct 12

“The proposition that we can live forever is obvious. It doesn’t violate the laws of physics, so we will achieve it.” How many mushrooms is this guy taking!!!

Speaking of mushrooms - I have visions of these expensive underground tunnels that are wrecking our quality of life in big cities will make fantastic places to grow mushrooms soon ;) Seriously though, thank you for highlighting the food issue. There's a lot of talk out there about food systems but not a lot of money going into the people and places that are putting solutions on the ground - by solutions I don't mean agtech (over it!!) - I mean the place-based, community-owned, regionally resilient food systems solutions that are emerging from the grassroots. CSIRO have only just woken up that there is a social dimension to food and ag, but only after the economists started scratching their heads about production/productivity hitting its limits. We are way, way, way behind the rest of the world in this space - it fills me with fear because every week we have 70 farmers giving up the game. Who's going to grow food for the masses?

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Oh and watch layer cake 🍰 with Daniel Craig , a bit bleak , but also a good illustration of dog eat dog

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nice linkage Steve

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I really relate to this comment. I also feel conflicted about sharing/discussing this, I feel like people think 'here she goes again' or simply ignore it. But I want to shout 'Wake up! Stop everyone! Why are we still talking about economic growth?!!' (and then feel guilty about BAU)

This is one of the bits that stuck with me in Tim's essay:

"It haunts me to know that we have the capacity to ease the worst of their suffering and are simply choosing not to".

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I propose this question, on the human front, at any level

" what stops you from helping another..."

What are you so afraid of?

We carry on about helping one another, and with no expectation of return...

When does that TRULY happen??

Also, those who have said this...i see bring it up again...i did this this and this for you...

As for governments...nope

I always felt, if women ran the world or we had more morally responsible women in charge THERE WOULD Be NO WARS....

Yes, not all women, not all men, yada yada yada, yet somehow...if you look at violence, nearly always a man...

Ive evn stopped saying be kind.

Its like the default mode is protect protect protect self only...

Like kasey chambers father said " just dont be a dickhead "

Wise. Simple words. I grew up w kasey and her family. Grassroots no b.s fishermen family types...

She was caught in the whirlwind for a while, yet somehow, somehow, found her soul and feet

The fact that you and julua gillard reside o.s speaks volumes for australias tall poppy syndrome...

Also how about gina chic now sarah her book is out..

And charles e is now out of politics...

The world is a wonderful place. Now is the time we need Mary Olivers poetry morw than ever..

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Love your insights Anna 💕

I read the (very interesting) article by Tim Winton (linked by Sarah) and he says: "Adding insult to obscenity, the only beneficiaries of armed conflict today are the profiteers in arms and dirty fuel, all of whom go about their business with the blessing of our governments."

Yet another insidious symptom of our greedy consumerist culture.

I ventured down a (cosmic science) rabbit hole recently and was surprised and intrigued to find this quote:

"The universe is synergetic. It is a cooperative venture, not a competitive one. A universe of order presupposes the principle of cooperation, not competition. Cooperation breeds order. Order breeds life."

Like you said it's actually pretty simple!!

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I have yet to read Winton’s latest novel… I confess to feeling reluctant. I already feel the shame, angst, fear, distress of living the majority of my life in blissful, destructive, collusion and ignorance. And now the grief of grand parenting my 18 month old grand son into the devastated world I paid so little attention to in the 80s and 90s… Not sure if I can weather (sorry!) the narrative so exquisitely written by one of my favourite authors… but perhaps I will get there…

My question though: I want to share your quote broadly bc I think about exactly this, the betrayal, negligence, wilful blindness so often, and it is soooo uncomfortable and true. But what response should I expect? Will people (think multi generational - family, friends, strangers) pay attention? Do something (what?) Feel worse and despairing/angry? Numb out? Dismiss it?

Probably I want to share it bc I want others to wake up! Stop! Feel uncomfortable enough to pay attention… bc of my own desire to not feel so alone with my own feelings and impotence… but I hesitate…

Of course Winton has probably already had feedback, backlash, ?.. and I have yet to read his whole book…. But really interested in your thoughts.

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“Modernity can be summarised in a single phrase: humans agree to give up meaning in exchange for power.”

When I connect the dots between with the present day and our future issuing a clarion call for us to learn calmness amidst discomfort and Yuval’s quote, I’m reminded of the temptation in the wilderness. Of love over self.

There’s got to be something on the atomic level connecting meaning and love. As in love being in the dna of the universe, as if it’s the helix to which everything else is attached. And as in we live for one another, because one needs to encounter love to even conceive of the concept of meaning. I wish I could convey that better.

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Interesting insights Madeleine and I too pondered on Yuval's quote - and the 'power' I feel in this case is fear - separation, greed etc. I was then thinking of when was the heart first connected with love ... I love your "love being in the dna of the universe, as if its the helix to which everything else is attached" - and my take from that is the unconditional love over fear is where miracles and synchronicities happen ...

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I love this insight. Thank you for it.

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