It's Round Table Time! Leadership and Cooperation for Survival In Our Changing World

by Blue Evening Star

It has occurred to me that there are similarities between the days when the people of the British Isles first began to realize that the Romans were pulling out after four centuries of unbroken occupation and the times we are now living in. As it begins to dawn on many in today's world that it would take the resources of several planets for everyone on the earth to enjoy the globally sought-after lifestyle of the average American, reality is rapidly setting in.

The Roman occupation meant that Britain's shores were protected from invasion, that there were well-built and maintained roads, and that free trade existed which made many exotic goods from the continent into household items. But theirs was not a bioregionally-based economy, so when the Romans withdrew, their world rapidly deteriorated. The Celts were left to fend for themselves. After centuries of Roman presence, there were undoubtedly many who had a difficult time believing that their world was about to be turned upside down and was suddenly becoming much smaller. Soon it became painfully apparent that they were going to have to quickly find a way to survive without the Roman presence and all that it implied. At this point there occurred a massive scramble for clans to secure their turf and find ways to manifest and protect the resources needed for survival.

In our present society, between the 'Peak Oil' phenomena and wide-spread environmental deterioration, we are also facing changes that will affect everyone, with the greatest impact on the world's affluent societies. Dan Chiras and Dave Wann of the nonprofit organization Sustainable Futures Society make the following prediction: "The peak in oil and natural gas production could cause major, potentially devastating problems in modern society: rising fuel prices, runaway inflation, and severe economic depression. No segment of our society will be safe from the onslaught of problems stemming from shortages of these two vital fuel sources."

What exactly does 'peak oil' mean and how can it cause devastating problems for modern society? Monte Myers, local Sedona area resident who is a former Yellowstone National Park ranger and prominent contributor to the highly informative www.peakoil.com website, explains it this way: "We are running out of cheap, readily available oil. The low hanging fruit has been picked; it's time to get out the ladders when it comes to oil production around the world. Our society is going to have to power down and learn to live within the limits of the energy that comes from the sun. The #1 source of energy in the imminent future is the powering down of the American standard of living. Different countries respond to the depletion of oil reserves in different ways. In Cuba, where they have been dealing with an oil embargo for decades, it is illegal to drive by a person hitch-hiking. If the Highway Patrol in certain areas of Cuba sees you drive by a hitch-hiker and you don't pick them up, they give you a ticket."

Back in the British Isles, legend has it that after the Romans pulled out the internal fighting became continuous and devastating. The Celts were so caught up in internal fighting that no one was paying attention to the threat of raiding invaders on the coastal shores; bloodthirsty hordes who were poised and ready to swarm and overtake the island. And thus we have the stage set for the compelling story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Of the many versions with which this story has been told, each version contains the elements of chivalry, ethical behavior, a cooperative society called Camelot, a supernatural link to a place called Avalon, and a loyal band of heroes united by the destiny of the Once and Future King.

I was particularly struck by our present situation's similarity to the chaos that precluded Camelot when I sat in on a showing of the excellent film The End of Suburbia (concerning Peak Oil.) This film was shown around Sedona, hosted by Sustainable Arizona and usually ended with a discussion led by retired chemist and economist Vance Whitesides. On June 23, 2005, Global Community Communications Alliance also showed Peak Oil at Future Studios which was followed by a lively discussion held by local author Monte Myers.

After the showing at the Sedona Public Library in January of this year, some people were expressing shock, outrage, and disbelief that our government would allow such potential chaos to occur without beginning to prepare for national energy independence as soon as it was known that the oil reserves of the planet were becoming severely limited (in the 1970s.)

Statements such as: "They would never do this to us!" and "Who is to blame for this gross mis-management?" and "The world as we know it will never change!" were bouncing off the walls as audience members reacted to the sobering presentation made in the film. These are exclamations that are heard whenever people begin to discover that their appointed leaders are leading them—for selfishly shortsighted reasons—into a future of disordered chaos.

The Sustainable Futures Society in Colorado began in 2000 to map out ways to dramatically reduce our consumption of energy, slash our reliance on foreign energy from unstable countries, increase self- reliance, and promote widespread use of renewable energy. The object of these recommendations is to protect the environment, strengthen both urban and suburban neighborhoods, and create less stressful and more satisfying lives. They have published a list of very practical recommendations whose implementation basically leads to getting to know your immediate neighbors and joining together in community efforts to produce food and energy locally.

There is a common understanding, uniting many diverse individuals and groups, that we are entering the Aquarian Age of Cooperation. As growing numbers of people awaken to the planetary crisis we are in, the frequency of systems for creating cooperative and functionally sustainable societies become greater by the minute. And in order to succeed in becoming truly cooperative and sustainable, we will all need to unify within a divine administration, a planetary system that is based on divine pattern, chivalry, and ethical behavior—a truly cooperative society like the dream of Camelot and a loyal band of heroes united by a leader who has the mandate of God to lead his people, as in the vision of King Arthur, the Once and Future King.

References:
Books:
High Noon for Natural Gas: The New Energy Crisis by Julian Darley
The Party's Over: Oil, War, and the Fate of Industrial Societies by Richard Heinberg
Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World by Richard Heinberg
Suburbia! 31 Ways to Create Sustainable Neighborhoods by Dan Chiras and Dave Wann

Websites:
www.sustainablearizona.org
www.peakoilaction.org
www.communitysolution.org
www.worldwatch.org
www.energybulletin.net
www.peakoil.com
www.peakoil.net
Note: Coin images are Dacian & Celtic Imitations of Roman Republican Denarii (circa 100-50 B.C.) from the rrimitations.ancients.info website.