What Am I Trying To Do?

You will have to forgive me, I'm a little drunk here. Not rip-roaring out of my mind, but definitely impaired.

I got a Google e-mail text from a former (?) reader Mike L. who asked me — I did not reply — why don't I just give up? His implication was this — why do I write these posts day after day? Why don't I just chuck it all in? You know, fuck it, throw in the towel?

Look. I am not trying to change the world. The world as you and I know it can not be changed.

I am trying to explain the world that you and I live in.

Even that is a hopeless task 99.99% of the time. And you might well ask why I persist at that.

And the answer is that this task is what is left for me to do on this Earth. And I hope — yes, there's that word I often ridicule — that some of you can take this knowledge and run with it. Make your life better than it might have been if nobody had told you the things I tell you.

I remember 2000-2001 when my own life fell apart completely and stayed shitty for years after that. Collapsed. I survived somehow. And do you know what? It would have been a good thing if I had had DOTE to read back then, which was many years before I was actually capable of writing it. And the world we live in is a lot worse for most of us than it was in 2001. (Wasn't that the very year Stanley Kubrick's technologically optimistic movie took place in?) In any case — No!, in the best case —

We learn as we go.

best,

— Dave

Comments

[alex]

Dave,

Don't listen to those who ask you to give up - you are an embodiment of an important human trait: you _share_. Share your knowledge, share in the pain of others.

You are incredibly generous, not many people are like you.

You are very needed.

You may not hear this from all your readers but I think I will speak for most when I say that you are an important part of intellectual life for many.

And most of your posts (if not all) are timeless: somebody has to think those thoughts and write them down for others.

Keep loking and learning and keep sharing.

And take care of your health so you can keep doing DOTE for long.

[Mike L.]

Ultimately, you have to decide--but I hope you continue your writing. Some people may find your message difficult to read because they prefer to believe that you are wrong, whereas I find your writings difficult because I think that you are right.

Regards,
another Mike L.

[RobM]

Enjoy your buzz. I wish I could could join you. You cover such a wide range of topics I suspect some of us might appreciate an article summarizing your most important beliefs and advice across all disciplines. We could then dig into your archive if we wanted elaboration or justification.

[Alexander Ač]

With reading DOTE (and some other blogs/sites) I am less and less surprised by everyday events. Now I can understand global warming and peak oil paralysis, financial crisis inevitability, etc...

One might say I am better informed than otherwise AND more prepared for my own collapse...

Alex

[Anywhere But Here Is Better]

Dave, your explanations add to the sum total of knowledge (unlike 99.99% of human output) so for that reason alone, please keep on keeping on. Even if it takes a stiff drink now and again to clear the decks for another day of f..king discovery.

Anyone asking you why don't you give up needs to question their motives. I'm guessing fear is in there somewhere. Which is rather primitive of the questioner.

All power to your elbow. All the "best" (tee hee), Oliver

[Mike Roberts]

Drink can sometimes give one clarity, Dave!

I wish there were a similar blog for New Zealand (not actually an empire, of course) but a lot of what you write about has a direct or indirect impact on most people, no matter which country they live in, in this interconnected globalised world.

Keep up the good work.

[eugene]

I am more pessimistic than you. My hope disappeared some time ago. When I look at debt levels, climate change and energy issues, I don't see a prayer. But then the disappearance of the human race is of little concern for me. I read you each day as I find support as there's none here. I don't talk to many as the they simply think I'm nuts, eccentric or something. Hang in there.

[Xraymike79]

You and Glenn Greenwald are like the proctologists of societal analysis, dissecting and rummaging through the rot and filth of modern day civilization. I don't know how you and Glenn do it day in and day out. I've quoted both of you numerous times, but sometimes I just have to step back and breath some air that's not full of the stench of truth, for my own sanity and that of my family.
Perhaps the worst thing I have learned over the last 4 years is the total corruption and betrayal of those chosen to lead us. And for what? We threw it all away for... this.

[T E Cho]

Dave,

Many are addicted to your website. Don't make them go cold turkey. If you must, taper them off slowly...

Also, BTW, misery does quite logically love company.

Finally, feel free to take days off more often, take it easy, no pressure...

Thank you.

[dan packy]

Mr. Cohen,

I have been a non-commenting, but daily, reader of DOTE for 1 1/2 years. It is among the most important, illuminating, intriguing, and intelligent blogs I follow. I may not always agree with you, but I always find your position compelling.

I have not searched your archive to learn why you write this blog. I take your statement in the short essay above: "I am trying to explain the world that you and I live in...that some of you can take this knowledge and run with it" to be an honest admission of its purpose.

Let me simply say Thank-you for that.

I assume many of the readers of DOTE struggle with events of the last 40 years. No one who can say, for certain, how current civilization/society/decline will turn out. Each of us is left with a requirement to address your purpose: Where do we "run with it?"

I am 54. I am responsible for every one of my past actions, or in-actions, and, as a voting, US citizen/consumer, responsible in some part for the mess this planet is in.

DOTE helps me see through the endless misinformation that bombards me daily, and helps me develop my own thoughts and plans for moving on.

Again, thank-you. And please continue.

[Dave Cohen]

Thanks for all these comments.

Re: where do we run with it?

Good question! And also a question each person must answer for himself.

I can not give out personal advice, and do not do so. I can only point out and explain the Human Tragedy to the best of my ability. It seems helpful to tell folks where we stand and what we most likely can expect to happen.

But I can not also solve the problem of how one deals with the Human Tragedy. Nobody has ever done so. Spiritual practice turns the practitioner away from worldly things. There's always that. But you've gotta eat, too. And where can we run to in a filled-up world?

Everywhere you go, there you are.

best,

-- Dave

[Dave Cohen]

Hey folks --

I've got to out of the house for some time today and tonight. My elderly Mother just had some significant dental surgery, and I've got to attend to her.

If you comment, your comment may not be posted for a while because I won't be around to moderate.

-- Dave

[Anywhere But Here Is Better]

Mother deserves a gentle pat on the back for producing Dave.

[Brian M]

Ahhh, is somebody having a "moment"? :-)

Remember, I drink, therefore, I am. No, wait, it's I think, therefore, I am. Or maybe, it's I think we're screwed, therefore, I am. No, I think I was right the first time. ;-)

Seriously, life is a journey. The journey does not end because shit happens, either good shit or bad shit. The scenery changes, the opportunities change, and time marches on. An important tool for your journey is the information you have (what things are, how people think, how things work, etc.). The better your knowledge of reality, the better your opportunity to make the best of your particular journey. For what it's worth, to me, this is what you offer, the opportunity for people to get an unvarnished opinion of one man's perception of reality (which, I happen to think, is pretty frickin' accurate). I appreciate the opportunity.

But, either way, I guess we can always fall back on that sentiment from the Shawshank Redemption (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46GwJbrMghQ)... "Get busy living, or get busy dying."

[John Andersen]

I agree with the poster who said fear is a factor with those who would want Dave to close shop; fear that he might be right.

[Andrew Kirk]

Dave,

Thanks for the truth.

You might dig this:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-safina/farewell-whole-new-time_b_1519861.html?ref=green

Go, Stealers!

AK, Pitt Alum

[Gaianne]

Very funny. Very good.

Sharing thoughts and knowledge is about all we can do--along with taking actions in our personal lives.

As you imply, hope is not necessary. Only persistence.

--Gaianne

[spynetkilla]

I have been combing similarly-themed blogs for some time, and I find this one to be the most intelligent and coherent one around. It takes a huge personal evolution to truly accept the reality we see around us, it's difficult, but ultimately liberating.

Your blog helps me feel that it's ok to be who I really am. That's valuable.

[Tony]

Dave, I'm glad you had a few drinks when you wrote this post, because i always have a few drinks before reading them! Finally, if even for one night only, we are even.
Take care my virtual friend. You are the neighbor peering over the fence, speaking common sense and helping me to discern my reality that I wake up with every morn.
Godspeed.

[Melinda]

Thank you for all of your valuable effort, friend.

[Joe]

Keep up the good work Dave!

I'm drunk right now too.

Joe
Sacramento, CA