Civilization peaks and valleys

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bags123
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Civilization peaks and valleys

Post by bags123 » Mon Feb 09, 2015 9:10 am

Does anyone subscribe to the notion that civilizations eventually peak, then subside. Often leaving very little of their wisdom to the proceeding generations, who are left in a kind of vacuum,...a Dark Age if you will. Consider all the civilizations that we know about. The ones that have left monuments that still stand, and have done so for 1000's of years. Where are they now? When Rome fell, Europe was thrown into almost a 1000 year period of ignorance, and barbarity, before things started to get a little better in the Rennaisance. Look at the rate of our technological progress (?) just in the last 20 years? Can you imagine 1000 years of nothing changing, except maybe the way you were tortured, beaten, or staved to death. It would start getting pretty hard just to get up in the morning. Anyway,...I'm not sure when it's going to happen, or how it's going to happen,....but I think we're setting ourselves up for another Dark Age with our increasing dependence on technology. When the lights do go out,.....No one's gonna know what to do...... Just a thought. :mrgreen: :hello:
I prefer to keep an open mind,....but not so much that my brains fall out.- Carl Sagan
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Moushka
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Re: Civilization peaks and valleys

Post by Moushka » Tue Feb 10, 2015 8:34 pm

You remind me of the ending of 'Escape from LA'.
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Re: Civilization peaks and valleys

Post by preston » Wed Feb 18, 2015 6:08 am

“There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always — do not forget this, Winston — always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever.“

George Orwell, 1984.
:book:

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Re: Civilization peaks and valleys

Post by bags123 » Wed Feb 18, 2015 6:34 am

Orwell seemed to see it happening even in his time. Amazing that so many are blind to it today when it's become so much more obvious. :2cents:
I prefer to keep an open mind,....but not so much that my brains fall out.- Carl Sagan
Your brain is like an umbrella. It only works when it's open- Someone Smart


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Re: Civilization peaks and valleys

Post by LadySaturn » Sun Feb 22, 2015 4:54 pm

:badword:

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Re: Civilization peaks and valleys

Post by MJPease » Sat Feb 28, 2015 12:38 pm

:crying:
Take me back, so far back, adjust this fate. Afeared lately of pen, in abscence of light. The fear I might stumble upon a plagiarized soul. Wipe this dark slate clean, regain my thought. Add the words that rekindle my depth of soul.

From: Summers Discontent 7-24-02

Sincerely

Michael J Pease

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Re: Civilization peaks and valleys

Post by MJPease » Mon Mar 23, 2015 11:28 am

Dependence on technology is the tip of the ice burg my friend. We are losing or have probably already lost touch with the basic humanistic needs for survival. If you can't go to the grocery store to buy food how are you going to eat. If you can't buy a # of butter how do you make a # of butter especially when all of the local dairy farmers have been erased and replaced by large corporate dairy operations that depended on the technology that no longer exists. Same thing with the vegetables and ranchers. Hunting has become taboo for the youngsters. If the lights go out and stay out this planet will be a scary place to live on as if it isn't already. I guess that depends on which continent or neighborhood you live in. Take Care
Take me back, so far back, adjust this fate. Afeared lately of pen, in abscence of light. The fear I might stumble upon a plagiarized soul. Wipe this dark slate clean, regain my thought. Add the words that rekindle my depth of soul.

From: Summers Discontent 7-24-02

Sincerely

Michael J Pease

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Re: Civilization peaks and valleys

Post by bags123 » Tue Mar 24, 2015 4:18 am

All Progress is not dependent on technology, and all technology does not represent progress. :computer:
I prefer to keep an open mind,....but not so much that my brains fall out.- Carl Sagan
Your brain is like an umbrella. It only works when it's open- Someone Smart


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Re: Civilization peaks and valleys

Post by MJPease » Fri Mar 27, 2015 10:43 am

I have to add something. There is this popular thing making movies and TV shows about Zombies which I'm not interested in. Each time I see a promotion for one of these I can't help but think of the people I described as not being able to provide themselves with the basic needs to sustain life. These are the people that would be roaming mindlessly around in mass #'s not as Zombies but as lost souls looking for something or someone to eat. Forget about even surviving at all in a large metropolitan area. Disease like Ebola would thin the #'S quickly. The already ill and elderly would die off quickly. Mother Earth would have her way with us as if she isn't already. The damage from our extreme winter here in Western NY is unbelievable and leaves me cringing at the thought of what winter will bring next year. While it was the warmest on record for the planet in our area it was the coldest on record and the deep freeze has left an enormous amount of property damage throughout the area. I didn't think we could top the winter of 2013 but we did. I think this pattern of extreme weather extremes is going to continue. Lake Erie is still 2 foot thick with ice they say this will be the latest the ice boom is removed from the lake in history, which will make for a very cool spring for us. It was 16 last night and our high will be 28 today. Well I guess I must sound like chicken little by now. I'm not sure what all is involved in the "End Of Times" thingy but I think as in the poem I wrote titled "Pondering What The Dinosaurs Did Wrong" We are probably heading towards all I mentioned in that poem. Some of us know what's up it doesn't take a scientist to determine that the weather is changing for the worse. It doesn't take a prophet to know that our world is plagued by wars on many fronts with no end in sight or that disease is getting very problematic. Well I've got to go and check my ammunition supply :mrgreen: Just Kidding/ Take Care
Take me back, so far back, adjust this fate. Afeared lately of pen, in abscence of light. The fear I might stumble upon a plagiarized soul. Wipe this dark slate clean, regain my thought. Add the words that rekindle my depth of soul.

From: Summers Discontent 7-24-02

Sincerely

Michael J Pease

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Re: Civilization peaks and valleys

Post by LadySaturn » Sat Mar 28, 2015 8:11 pm

Come on comet. :book:

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Re: Civilization peaks and valleys

Post by MJPease » Mon Mar 30, 2015 11:09 am

Donner and Blitzen :shrug: something like that :cheers:
Take me back, so far back, adjust this fate. Afeared lately of pen, in abscence of light. The fear I might stumble upon a plagiarized soul. Wipe this dark slate clean, regain my thought. Add the words that rekindle my depth of soul.

From: Summers Discontent 7-24-02

Sincerely

Michael J Pease

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bags123
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Re: Civilization peaks and valleys

Post by bags123 » Thu Apr 02, 2015 6:35 am

It's been a long, cold, winter Mikey. Glad I stocked up on Jamesons before Christmas. I ran out of wood pellets for my pellet stove,....in January,...so it's kind of been my alternate, alternate, fuel source since then. If ya know what I mean. :shrug: Anyway,...looks like the weather is finally beginning to break out my way.
Suppose to get up to 60 today possibly. :shock: I don't think I remember what 60 feels like. I'm still using my "long johns" everyday.( Which reminds me,....being a Mormon must really get annoying sometimes.) Glad to hear you and Lucy have survived the Winter from Hell. You guys got a good start on us with that 70" + the end of October. :darn: I'm travelling less and less these days. By choice. Still get out now and then. Gonna try and hang in there till 66, which is 5 more years. Ugh! Hey,...could be worse. I see a lot of very smart young people struggling to make ends meet. Especially the ones with kids. You can only stretch a dollar so far,... and everything seems like it's getting so expensive. A decent one bedroom apt in our area is 800-900 per month. Utilities average 250 per month, Car payment-300/month, Car Ins- 175/month, Cell phone- 100/month. Medical coverage through employer-200/month- Gas-200/month, Food-600/month- that means you'd have to net $2725.00/month just to cover the essentials. So,...an 18-20 year old would have to have a job starting at 20.00/hour X 40 hours=$800.00/week
x 4.3 weeks per month= $3440.00 gross per/month. Less 20% Federal, SS, State Tax($688.00)= $2752.00 take home. A 20 dollar an hour job, based on a 40 hour work week, is only 41,600/per year, and should be the absolute minimum wage as far as I'm concerned. I applaud Seattle for passing their minimum $15.00 /hour wage increase,...but frankly,..it's not enough. We've gone from the land of plenty, to the land of not many where jobs are concerned. A Republic,...not an Empire! Lets stop with all the globalist, corporate agendas, and concentrate once again within our own borders,..... on what made this country great to begin with. The people. We've been duped for far too long by the slick media campaigns, false representations, and outright thievery of our government. Based on the presumed candidates for both parties so far,...I don't see much changing too soon either. It's happening right before our eyes Mike,....yet very few see it. Either that or we choose not to see it, and that's even more scar :shrug: y.
I prefer to keep an open mind,....but not so much that my brains fall out.- Carl Sagan
Your brain is like an umbrella. It only works when it's open- Someone Smart


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Re: Civilization peaks and valleys

Post by LadySaturn » Mon Apr 13, 2015 8:20 pm

Poop.



HAHAHAHAHA!!!

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bags123
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Re: Civilization peaks and valleys

Post by bags123 » Tue Apr 14, 2015 3:56 am

LadySaturn wrote:Poop.



HAHAHAHAHA!!!
I can always count on you for an intelligent comment. :badword:
I prefer to keep an open mind,....but not so much that my brains fall out.- Carl Sagan
Your brain is like an umbrella. It only works when it's open- Someone Smart


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LadySaturn
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Re: Civilization peaks and valleys

Post by LadySaturn » Thu Apr 16, 2015 7:11 pm

Yes, you can. Honestly though, I thought I'd bring some humor to the conversation. The Texan over there was falling asleep. :hello:

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