I get a lot of my inspiration from the people who comment on the blog posts.  Not just inspiration on what to blog or talk about on future podcasts.  I get inspired to make changes in my thinking or way of life.

A recent comment gave me a great deal of angst on how to respond and I have been thinking about it for a week.  A fellow human being named Kurt took the time to write down his feelings on how  the 2012 doomsday predictions were affecting him.  He said about 2012 YouTube videos: "Watching them I felt lost and depressed".  The cynical among us would say - stop watching them then.  I am hopeful for him though, because he has at least taken his head from the sand and started to look at the world differently.  The next step for Kurt is to use his discriminating mind and consider the real likelihood of any of those doomsday events ever occurring.

Yes, in the past several billion years we have been hit by large meteors, had super volcanoes erupt, the magnetic poles of the earth reverse, dramatic climate change and many other natural Earth changing types of events.  The possibility of them happening again is always there, but we have to look at the PROBABILITY of them happening in the near future and that is very very low.  Besides, what are are you really going to do if they should happen.

The 2012 doomsday, end of days, scare the crap out of you crowd is happy to accommodate your fears and anxiety, they have their own agenda and I know you are smart enough to figure that out.

Lets take the next step and look at the more possible events that could lead to the "End of the World as We Know it".  Again when considering these events, always keep the PROBABILITY in mind and think about what you as an individual can do to prevent or mitigate the damage done by them.  Ultimately the way you respond and react to any event is up to you.

The possibility of mankind completely destroying themselves is a relatively new concept.  Entire civilizations have in the past destroyed themselves or have been wiped out.  It was not until recently that we as a species gained the ability to eliminate ourselves.  I lived during the cold war and the constant threat of someone "pushing the button".  I remember the bomb drills in grade school of hiding under my desk in case of nuclear attack.  It could have happened and could still happen, but again ask what is the PROBABILITY.  Bio warfare could wipe us out, the means to do this exists.  We all know it, we all know that nasty little viruses have been cooked up and bred in labs around the world.  Could they be released on purpose or by accident?  I am sure there have been minor incidents at some time.  Is there some individual or government insane enough to want a global release.  You bet there is!  The PROBABILITY?  Very low.  These are threats that are fueled with malice and insanity and there is an abundance of sane and kind people in this world that will do everything in there power to prevent this from happening. You perhaps?

What about global greed and stupidity?  No one can deny that greed and stupidity have caused major problems in the world.  We see it and live with it every day.  The economic mess, the energy mess, the  possible climate change mess, racial cleansing, out of control population growth, and on and on and on.  We know that any and all of these could end the world as we know it, the possibility exists and the PROBABILITY of disaster is indeed higher.  A new factor though must now be included in the formula.  Survivability!

Survivability is I believe is what scares us the most.  In the first two examples of end of the world scenarios survivability is very low and quality of life after-wards is unthinkable.  What happens though if the world is not wiped out in a single devastating blow.  What happens if our systems completely break down and no one is there to save us, no one is there to take care of us?  For the most part we as a species have lost our ability to take care of our own individual needs, we have now become so inner dependent on the systems, that we couldn't feed ourselves if the food distribution system broke or the electrical distribution system collapsed.  What would happen if fuel prices spiked to a point that you couldn't afford to pay your bills because you spent a big part of your weekly paycheck to just buy fuel to get to work?  Crazy?  Maybe.  Think about the fuel price spike two years ago.  What would happen if the independent truckers couldn't afford to haul your food to the grocery store?  Could you feed yourself?

The possibility of our systems collapsing is there.  Just like the possibility of a meteor striking the Earth or a man made nuclear  winter.  The possibilities are much different though and the survivability is too.

Kurt in his comment also said "I thought about why should i even bother finishing college if the world is going to end, but most importantly i thought of my daughter and the fact she is only four years old and has her whole life in front of her"

Kurt...  The world may end tomorrow.  You have no control over that.  The world may end on December 21st 2012.  Maybe, but it's highly unlikely.  All you have to worry about Kurt is how you are going to love your daughter now and prepare her for a world that is dramatically and rapidly changing.  No one can predict what will come in the future and if they say they can, they are delusional.  Some have had insights into the future, people like Edger Casey, Nostradamus, and Paul with his Revelations.  These insights though are always open to interpretation and never set in stone, our present actions always influence future outcomes.  Ancient civilizations like the Maya and the Native Americans were in touch with the earth and it's changing patterns but never claimed to posses knowledge of what exactly would happen in the future, only insights into what may occur.

My suggestion to you Kurt and others who are feeling like you do, is to take control of your present day, shed the shackles of dependence on systems that will take you down with them.  Learn to provide for yourself and your family no matter what may come. Teach them to provide for themselves when you are no longer around.  Simplify your life, become as independent as is presently possible and don't become a slave to systems you have no control over.  I think that if you just start to do this your mind will begin to clear, your fears will dissipate and life will definitely be worth celebrating again.