Catch 22: Life or Death

There Is a Solution to Global Warming: Renaissance 2.0. - Spread the Word, We Can Save Our World

Challenging Death by Author & DALL-E

Race With the Hail of Rubber

Sometimes, we have to make life-or-death decisions individually or collectively, occasionally without knowing we are doing it.

Drakensberg (Dragon Mountains in Afrikaans) is the mountain range located on the border of South Africa and Lesotho, also known as Mountain Kingdom (It is still a kingdom). Their magnificent sceneries were like magnets, and I often camped there with my family during children's Easter or October holidays when it wasn't too hot or cold.

After my business failed, we started camping as we were forced to swap luxury hotels for more economical holidays and often camped in Monk's Cowl, named after one of the mountain peaks.

It was a welcome swap of the hotel ceiling to sitting around a fire under the dome of brilliant stars.

At the Monk's Cowl campsite, there was a camping spot with a fantastic view of mountains ringed valley with a river and close to the breathtaking waterfall.

We always tried to go the day before the holidays started to get the spot before someone else took it.

One time, we couldn't leave the day before, so we left early the following morning to be there before other campers started getting there. Johannesburg was about four and a half hours away from the camp.

As usual, I was towing the trailer with our camping equipment by my powerful Mercedes 500 Coupe, a leftover from more prosperous days.

I was driving irresponsibly faster than the 120 km/hour speed limit to get to the campsite as early as possible. When rubber started flying past my window and the car started shaking violently, I was driving at about 190 km/hour.

I pulled off the road and got out to see what went wrong. I saw a wisp of smoke coming from the trailer tyre. The entire outside layer of one tyre containing treads was what flew past my car window. The other tyre had missing chunks of the outer layer but was still drivable, although not at 190 km/hour.

It became evident after the event that the trailer's tyre diameter was about half that of Mercedes's and, therefore, had about half that of the circumference. To keep up, it had to turn twice as fast, and the result was that it travelled at 380 km/hour. Not designed for such a speed, it overheated and came apart.

I was thankful to whatever force controls human destiny that we didn't crash, put on the spare and slowly drove to the nearest small town. After a long search, I bought two second-hand tyres for twice the price of new ones.

The good news was that we got our spot, thanked the one who controlled our destiny, and simultaneously asked to keep me from the temptation of driving at unsafe speeds. Oscar Wilde, who said: "I can resist everything but temptation," crossed my mind.

Once we set up the camp, as it was already late afternoon, we made a fire, as it was a little chilly and sat around it and enjoying the view.

There was a little house on the mountain across the valley, and for years we wondered what that house was all about. This time, my fifteen and eight-year-old sons and I decided to go there and have a look.

We estimated it would take us a whole day to get there and back. We would have to circle half of the valley to get there after we climbed above cliffs that rimmed the valley.

We decided to do it in two days, and on the day, we got going at the crack of dawn to ensure we had enough time.

Crawling on the Edge of Oblivion

The sky was cloudy that morning, but the clouds didn't look too heavy. It wasn't the weather we had hoped for, but we decided to climb above the cliffs and decide there whether to continue or return to the camp.

In the mountains, the weather can turn on a dime.

When we got to above the cliffs, the clouds seemed the same, so we decided to walk to another point where we would reconsider. When we got there, the clouds were still the same, so we decided on the next point beyond which we wouldn't go if we saw that it might rain because the soil would become slippery and dangerous for walking.

When we reached that point, it was still possible to return. We underestimated the time, but now we were too close to the little house to give up. Beyond where we stood was the point of no return.

We stood there undecided. Clouds still seemed friendly. Beyond the house was the ridge that reached the edge of the mountain, which looked scalable and would get us into the valley not very far from the camp.

So we thought, and decided to take the chance.

That was one of the most reckless decisions of my life, and there was no shortage of those.

We continued.

Once we got to the house, we were disappointed.

There was nothing much to see, just a one-roomed house surrounded by the barbed wire fence with broken windows, testimony that vandalism has no territorial limits.

Disillusioned, we hurried towards the ridge to get down to the valley, as by now it was late afternoon, and we wanted to get to the camp while there was still light. Also, the clouds were looking heavier.

We realised the trouble we were in once we reached the ridge. The steep slope was connected to the mountain's edge by about ten metres long and about thirty centimetres wide strip of land overgrown by slippery grass.

The crossing would be like rope walking between two hundred-meters tall buildings without pole. One slip, and that was it.

I cursed myself for getting us into the predicament, but it didn't help.

We still couldn't go back the way we came. It took us nearly a day to get where we were. Clouds were getting more ominous; if it rained, we would be in deadly trouble. We had one jersey and a small packet of sweets between us.

We had to get off the mountain; otherwise, if rain came, we would freeze.

We were in a deep crap, and I had to find the way out!

Then I made another stupid decision. I would try to crawl over the ridge and see what it looked like before my boys attempted it. So I did.

My older son and I were used to heights, as we occasionally did cliff climbing, but my younger son was not.

So I started crossing, one leg on each ridge side, my chest on the grass. When I was about five meters along, I realised that one wrong move would cost me my life, and my sons would be left alone and in deadly peril.

I returned to my senses, a little late, but better ever than never.

I inched backwards and, once again on the mountain, desperately hugged my sons.

Our survival was now questionable.

Our only solution was going forward into unknown, as we couldn't return. We got going.

About a kilometre further on, we saw the path leading towards the edge of the mountain, and full of hope, we followed it to the viewpoint at the cliff edge.

Disappointed, we walked back up the mountain to continue our journey but didn't know into what.

The clouds were hanging ominous.

As we walked on, we were on the lookout for the cave where we could spend the night, if necessary. There were some overhangs along the way, but nothing to give us substantial protection.

After an hour, we reached the end of the mountain, still hoping to find the way down. On the left and right were cliffs as far as we could see. This seemed the end of the road.

The only thing left was to keep trying!

We turned right along the cliffs, heading toward the camp. Disheartened, we walked on the edge of the cliffs along a narrow path created by hikers.

I have written a book in which one scene was about a tall factory chimney on which a sweeper's son lost balance and the man let him fall into his death, as if he tried to save his son they both would fall, leaving the rest of the family without a breadwinner.

As we walked on the path right on the edge of the cliffs, my younger son asked: "Tata (Croatian for Dad), is it true what you said in your book about the father letting his son fall?" His words stung like a knife entering my body. I hugged him and said: "Of course not, my son."

I am not even going to try to describe my feelings.

About half an hour later, we saw likely a place ahead similar to the one we tried earlier. We kept our excitement in check until we came closer and saw whether it was another false hope.

It wasn't!

There was a way to climb down. It was still dangerous, but nothing we couldn't handle, as long as the soil was dry.

The rain seemed imminent.

It wasn't easy, but we climbed down and hugged.

My sons’ firm hugs told me the story that made me a proud father.

Hobbling Rabbit's Sinister Lure

It took us about an hour to get back to the camp. The night was starting to get hold, and it started raining.

My wife and daughter were panicking and about to try organising a search party.

It rained harder and harder, and the rain didn't stop for four days.

That evening, we sat under a gazebo squeezed in a tight circle around a small fire. Under the circumstances, we couldn't make fire bigger without the danger of getting burned. The gas light hung from the pipe supporting the gazebo's roof, giving sparse light from on high.

The boys were excitedly talking about our adventure. At the same time, my exhausted mind drifted to the past when I was a little boy living in a village with no running water or electricity, almost exactly like we were at that moment.

In the evenings, people would gather in different houses and sit around the fire, talking. I used to sit with adults, a paraffin lamp flickering away some of the darkness beyond the reach of the hot coals of the hearth.

They would often tell scary stories.

About two kilometres from the village, there was a place where the road branched in three directions. This crossroad was the stage of many eerie tales. The junction of the roads, they were saying, is a hazardous place to be at night. Demons lurked in those places and haunted foolish travellers.

One tale that stuck in my mind, that was very relevant to that day and was about a man travelling at night and encountering a crippled rabbit who limped on three legs. The man tried to catch it, but the rabbit always hobbled just out of reach. It turned out that the rabbit was the demon and lured the man into the devil's cavern.

I wondered what made us go from the point to the point until we reached the point of no return.

Was it the test or the lesson?

We left the following day, taking camp down in the rain, and in the town, we bought second-hand tyres and went into a coffee house. The staff looked with disdain as we walked in, wet to the skin.

We ignored snottiness, had breakfast, and didn't leave a tip.

Moronic Sabotage at the Edge of Abyss

Fast forward through eventful decades, I watch society standing bewildered at another crossroad, this one much more dangerous than the one with the hobbling rabbit.

This time, humanity's protracted debate on how to get out of the climate crisis in the Age of Cretinism should be waking humanity up to the fact that we are at the intersection where one road leads to restoration and another to extinction - life or death. I wonder how many are aware of this.

The society, misled by interests antagonistic to environmental common sense, sows discord to propagate indecision. We have fallen victim to the method of circular arguments generated by corporate interests and disseminated through complicit media. This has brought us to the edge of the abyss at which we are now tottering.

Degrowth, renewable energy and avarice have divided people into three camps. The first two, although on opposite sides of the debate, agree that urgent action is necessary, while the third inserts the disinformation into discussion. The doubt this disinformation creates prevents consensus.

We are stuck at the crossroads, waiting for darkness to fall and the demons to emerge and hobble us to hell.

Increasingly powerful storms, intense droughts, devastating floods, fast-diminishing biodiversity, rising sea levels and idiotism are making the world literarily uninsurable.

Global insurance companies are reexamining their policies and restricting coverage. Talking about taking away umbrellas when it starts raining.

There is no time for the protracted debate as half a billion people from coastal communities are watching rising water threatening their livelihood. Theirs' is the life and death, or climate refugee predicament.

Even if we disregard compassion, when the brown stuff hits a fan, no matter at what lofty heights we live, we will be splashed, including billionaires who survive upheavals, which will precede the final event.

As it is, the refugee crisis is causing anxiety in America and Europe. The hordes of refugees will multiply tenfold when rising waters displace nations. The global social structures will not survive, and our society will collapse into disarray, especially as American society is being gutted from the inside by con artists that conned gullible people to get themselves into the power.

The crisis is becoming increasingly complex daily, so we must boldly identify and disregard the distraction's roots while focusing on getting a unified grassroots movement going.

Mass movement is our best chance. We have no chance if we wait for governments to solve the ecological crisis.

Can We Dodge Deadly Delusion?

The degrowth movement argues for a scaled-back human footprint, suggesting that we must consume less and lessen our strain on Earth's resources. It claims that the constant pursuit of economic growth is incompatible with the finite Earth's resources.

Their approach calls for a profound paradigm shift, a move away from consumerism and towards a more modest, self-limiting lifestyle that seeks to balance human activities with the natural world's capacity to cope. It advocates for a systemic change prioritising wellbeing by choosing sustainability over economic growth.

There is not much to argue against the degrowth concept, except that half of people reject it.

Resistance to degrowth stems from its challenges to the foundation of modern capitalist society that celebrates consumerism and equates success with material wealth.

It requires a cultural shift prioritising the planet over individual desires and necessitates economic and political changes and a cultural transformation focused on survival.

There is no argument against the objective of preserving the planet, but there is on a way of getting there. Both ways are good as each one equals the planet's wellbeing to the wellbeing of humanity.

If the Earth prospers, so do we; if it withers, so do we.

Navigating these conflicting views requires a balanced approach. Degrowth emphasises reducing consumption and redefining prosperity, while renewable energy focuses on sustaining modern lifestyles through technological advancements.

Combining elements of both approaches may offer the best chance for a sustainable future.

We must act decisively and collectively, moving past indecision and toward a unified effort to save our planet.

Our ecological overshoot is alarming, and our consumption has outpaced the Earth's recovery capacity. We need 1.7 planets to satisfy our requirements, of which we only have one.

We also have passed the stage of the customary option of kicking the can down the road. The world might be on fire when we get there.

On the flip side, the proponents of renewable energy advocate for a shift from fossil fuels to sustainable energy, a pivot that could sustain our lives without poisoning our planet. This approach is the central premise of Renaissance 2.0 (R2.0), which champions the Environmental Economy and redefines the meaning of a good life.

Our project, R2.0, promotes a technological revolution to combat climate change, and the focus is on innovation. We believe humanity can continue to thrive through technological advancements, recycling and smart infrastructure without depleting the planet's resources or exacerbating climate change.

Fossil fuels, and this is where avaricious ones are hiding, must be responsibly replaced with sustainable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydrogen, and others. This approach promises a less disruptive path and requires fewer lifestyle changes. At the same time, we must address overconsumption.

Neither approach has much argument against it, except that the other half rejects it.

At this critical crossroads, we must choose a path that balances degrowth and renewable energy. By acknowledging the strengths and limitations of both approaches, we can find common ground and work together to find a solution acceptable to all.

Immediate action, unified grassroots movements, and a willingness to compromise are essential for solving the climate crisis. It's time we move beyond debate and take decisive steps to protect our planet.

The Math of Survival is Simple - We Must Accept It

Degrowth is not about recession or austerity but rather a planned approach to ensure the wellbeing of citizens and prioritise the needs of people and the planet. One thing is for sure. The natural resources are running out, and we must accept the fact.

We mustn't be stupid.

The environmental math is simple.

Having a barrel of 180 kgs of grain and using one kilo daily will give us bread for six months. The next harvest is in another six months. This is not a hypothesis. I've seen it happen in my village. After a bad drought, people went hungry or, to survive had to sell some of their precious livestock.

They still went hungry but stayed alive. It took years of self-denial to replenish their livestock.

It is to the shame of our society that today, people are dying from hunger despite wasting well over a billion tons of food. This food rots away, releasing billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

How is that for the idiotism of leaders we choose?

Madness on a Dying Planet: Jungle Law Returns

Hunger and thirst make people crazy, and crazy people are dangerous.

In famine, nobody is safe. Haves and have-nots fight for food. It is a rule of power and the law of the jungle. Not even luxury bunkers are safe.

What would you do if your choices were reduced to kill or die? Jungle laws apply. Only the strongest and most adaptable survive.

If the Earth continues to heat up, no one will survive.

We cannot exclude these scenarios.

We are having unprecedented droughts, floods and all kinds of natural disasters. These reduce food production. Already, some commodities are in short supply, one of them being cacao and prices of chocolate are increasing fast. The coffee is also vulnerable.

We can survive without these luxury items, but not if droughts or floods wipe out wheat, corn and rice.

To avoid this situation, we must stop wasting our resources and reinvent a more natural and economical lifestyle that is healthier than one we live today.

Degrowth challenges the notion of infinite economic growth and highlights the urgent need to reduce our carbon footprint to avoid ecological and societal collapse.

Only demented believe infinite growth is possible; many of these wield extreme power.

We must address the ecological crisis and reduce our carbon footprint to avoid catastrophic tipping points. By actively degrowing economies, we can prioritise things that make us genuinely happy, such as family, friendships, and nature, while winding down polluting industries.

Pushing the Limits on the Way to Inferno

"Degrowth" or "sustainable living" entails consuming less energy, buying fewer unnecessary products, and embracing a simpler lifestyle. Another key aspect is manufacturing and purchasing quality goods that will last and will not have to be replaced frequently.

It is in the power of every one of us to abandon the practice of planned obsolescence and practice waste reduction. Instead of fasting our eyes on new cars or washing machines, we should be feasting them on the beauty of nature.

We must shift towards repairing and reusing products, cultivating our food, reducing unnecessary travel, and slowing down the pace of life. These steps towards sustainability should be our focus, and we can all take them. This is not sacrifice but liberation, as all this activity is good for mental, physical and social health.

There are myriad ways we can contribute to a better world, including planting a tree, switching off lights, turning down air-conditioning, etc.

All the above practices would have considerable benefits in mitigating global warming.

The previous article in the Renaissance 2.0 series is: America’s Great Rip-Off

If you have any ideas, put them in the comments, and we can start saving Earth's life together.

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No matter what, I will keep writing, as Renaissance 2.0 is my passion, but if you spread the word about it, you will make my life easier.

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