The old normal is that life will go on just like before. The new normal
is that nothing will ever be the same Rather than attempting to
undertake the Herculean task of mitigating the unmitigatable-attempting
to stop the world and point it in a different direction-it seems far
better to turn inward and work to transform yourself into someone who
might stand a chance, given the world's assumed trajectory. Much of
this transformation is psychological and involves letting go of many
notions that we have been conditioned to accept unquestioningly. Some
if it involves acquiring new skills and a different set of habits. Some
of it is even physiological, changing one's body to prepare it for a
life that has far fewer creature comforts and conveniences, while
requiring far more physical labor. These words from Pages 125 and 126
of Dmitry Orlov's Re-Inventing Collapse: The Soviet Example and
American Prospects leapt out at me as perhaps the most definitive in
his marvelous new book in which Dmitry illumines the collapse of the
American empire, now well underway, with his insights from living
through the collapse of the Soviet Union. By way of background, I will
be using his first name throughout this review because although I've
only met him once, he feels like an old friend. I first heard of Dmitry
several years ago when I became a subscriber to From The Wilderness
where I was captivated by his article series "Post-Soviet Lessons For A
Post-American Century." Later in 2007, Dmitry wrote an exclusive
article for my website entitled "Collapse And Its Discontent." I was
then honored and humbled by his request for an endorsement of
Re-Inventing Collapse and immediately requested a review copy from his
publisher, New Society. Opening the book with a "recipe" for collapse
soup and noticing that the United States has combined all of the
ingredients, Dmitry states that economic collapse, particularly in the
throes of Peak Oil, is an enormous red flag signaling that the collapse
of the American empire is underway. Additionally, he emphasizes that
"when faced with a collapsing economy, one should stop thinking of
wealth in terms of money." Physical resources and assets, as well as
relationships and connections are worth their weight in gold and
quickly become more valuable than cash. (11) Specifically, he states: I
therefore take as my premise that at some point during the coming
years, due to an array of factors, with energy scarcity foremost among
them, the economic system of the United States will teeter and fall, to
be replaced by something that most people can scarcely guess at, and
that even those who see it coming prefer not to think about. (15) A key
psychological factor in the individualization of oppression, deeply
embedded in the American psyche, is the notion that in the face of
utter powerlessness, blaming oneself provides the last semblance of
empowerment, i.e., "It's my fault; I caused it; if only I hadn't...."
This is not unlike the internal psychological mechanisms that engage
within a child during and after abuse in which the child unconsciously
blames him/herself for the abuse because not to do so confronts the
child with an intolerable, overwhelming sense of powerlessness. Noting
that Americans find it difficult to imagine failure collectively in
terms of the nation itself and prefer to insist that all failure is
individual in nature, Dmitry concedes that collapse will be different
for each person, but that one way to bridge the gap between
"individual" and "collective" might be to notice the pre- and
post-collapse conditions of the Soviet Union and compare them
hypothetically with those of the United States. The ultimate intention
here is to invite the reader to ask him/herself to what extent each
important thing in one's life is "collapse-proof" and then after
several pages of deepening and refining many of the concepts of his
"Post-Soviet Lessons" series, Dmitry makes a stunning request: to
consider how to make that "important thing" collapse-proof, or come to
terms with how to live without it. (17)
In his marvelous chapter on "Superpower Similarities" Dmitry offers a
conclusion, certainly not new to me, but one which begs to be pondered:
"Rather than one giant explosion, this is more likely to be death by a
thousand cuts." (35) After each cut, he states, Americans are likely to
fantasize a technological remedy, but increasingly their fantasy will
be proven to be just that, and those who offer such false hopes will
become, "progressively lest trustworthy." (35) At the same time that he
emphasizes the protracted nature of collapse, he notes the power of
tipping points, like Chernobyl in the Soviet Union and Katrina in the
U.S., to exacerbate the velocity of collapse. During this hour of
national election mania in the United States, I cannot resist Dmitry's
sardonic observation that "The two capitalist parties offer a choice
between two placebos," (55) later noting that "...all successful
adaptations to the new circumstances will have to be made at the local
level, and will have to rely on existing infrastructure, inventory and
locally available talents and skills." (61) In pondering his analysis
of collapse-how it manifested in the S.U. (Soviet Union) and is now
manifesting in the U.S., one is dumfounded with the utter vacuousness
of all American political party platforms in the face of a crumbling
empire. The Soviet experience confirms that when societies collapse,
all issues become acutely and intensely local, and communities and
neighborhoods-or large numbers of the dispossessed in a particular
venue--must address them. Whereas some may feel guilty about political
apathy or their unwillingness to participate in the national election
charade, Dmitry argues that "Although people often bemoan political
apathy as if it were a grave social ill, it seems to me that this is
just as it should be. Why should essentially powerless people want to
engage in a humiliating farce designed to demonstrate the legitimacy of
those who wield the power?" (114) Thank you Dmitry; you've just
described how I've felt after departing a voting booth every four years
for the past three decades. In his chapter on "Collapse Mitigation"
Dmitry names his major concerns regarding the nature of the catastrophe
that lies ahead. He notes that "there is no one who will undertake an
organized effort to make the collapse survivable", but this is indeed a
circular dilemma. A society that cannot and will not even consider the
possibility of collapse is incapable of organizing to survive it. And
so it is that we have many radioactive toxic installations, stockpiles,
and dumps lying around. Many nuclear power plants have been built near
coastlines, which does not bode well for surrounding communities in the
face of rising sea levels resulting from global warming. (111) As a
result of collapse, soldiers may become stranded overseas, along with
private contractors. As prison systems become increasingly costly and
unmanageable due to the diminishment of resources, what will happen to
those populations that can no longer be maintained and managed? Will
they be released, setting off "a crime wave of staggering proportions"?
(112) Even more frightening is the collection of non-collateralized
debt, such as credit card debt, which is "secured by threat of force"
and which Dmitry suggests may result in massive indentured debt
servitude. In a wonderful section called "Do It Yourself", Dmitry
states: Any behavior that might result in continued economic growth and
prosperity is counterproductive: the higher you jump, the harder you
land. It is traumatic to go from having a big retirement fund to having
not retirement fund because of a market crash. It is also traumatic to
go from a high income to little or no income. If, on top of that, you
have kept yourself incredibly busy and suddenly have nothing to do,
then you will really be in rough shape.... (122) If the economy, and
your place within it, are really important to you, you will really be
hurt when they go away.(123) It takes a lot of creativity and effort to
put together a fulfilling existence
on the margins of society. After the collapse, these margins may turn
out to be some of the best places to live. (123) So "doing it oneself"
is about figuring out how to increasingly operate and live from the
margins of society. Those who have already learned how to do so will
have an advantage over the many who haven't. From many collapse
watchers such as Richard Heinberg, Derrick Jensen, James Howard
Kunstler and others, we frequently hear the word "adaptation" or
synonymous terms, indicating how crucial it is that we are able to
adjust our demands to the reality of "Peak Everything" because of how a
collapsing world will force human beings to live. Ideally, we need not
be forced but will proactively prepare ourselves physically,
financially, and emotionally. While Dmitry points out that there is
nothing wrong with comforts, he emphasizes that for optimum collapse
survival, we need to perceive them as luxuries, not necessities. In
addition, we need to be able to blend, in somewhat chameleon-like
fashion, into the environment. It is best to appear average and
mainstream while constructing a life of radical survival so as not to
attract attention. While we live in a great deal of uncertainty that
FEMA is actually constructing detention camps to incarcerate American
citizens, we read here and there online about it, and we assume that in
a chaotic milieu of food shortages, power failures, water rationing,
massive unemployment, inaccessibility of health care, and total
societal breakdown, martial law and detention camps will be required
for social control. Those whose behavior is agitated, hysterical, or
recalcitrant attract attention, while the ability to remain calm,
rational, and outwardly compliant may afford much-needed anonymity as
the panic of collapse exacerbates. Dmitry implies that acting skills
might be useful in a milieu where many people will be looking for
someone to blame for their plight. The most important thing beyond
personal safety, he suggests is "to understand who has what you need
and how to get it from them." (138) That is to say that in a collapsing
world, existence is likely to become increasingly utilitarian-much more
about getting the job done than agonizing over social graces or
ego-based preoccupations with performance. This may sound robotic, and
perhaps a bit schizophrenic in the light of the disparity Dmitry points
out between one's inner world and one's public persona. Nevertheless,
countless survivors of extremely oppressive regimes have found the
discrepancy invaluable for navigating unimaginable stress. Dmitry has
sometimes been called a "doomer"-a label with which I'm quite familiar
since it has frequently been attached to me as well. And while it's
true that Re-Inventing Collapse isn't a fluffy, feel-good novel with a
happily ever after ending, it is tempered with delicious outbursts of
Dmitry's heartwarming sarcasm and mischievous humor which makes him the
delightful human being he is. An unforgettable case in point from the
book is the section entitled "The Settled And The Nomadic" in which he
emphasizes how much moving around from place to place may be required
of us in a collapsing world. Then poking fun at our terminally mobile
culture he says: Where to ensconce and secrete our precious selves,
there to sit out the gathering storm? In a nation of nomads, who think
nothing of growing up in one state, going to school in another and
settling down in a third, it is surprising to see that so many people
come to think that, during the most unsettled of times, some special
place will sustain them perpetually. More likely than not, they will be
forced to stay on the move. (139) The idyllic dream of many collapse
watchers-the small farm isolated from the city, may or may not be the
safest, sanest venue. One will need neighbors with whom to barter, and
who knows--and Dmitry doesn't address the topic, to what extent a
repressive regime will have the time, money, or hydrocarbon energy to
roam the countryside and round up those who do not "blend in." What he
does recommend is a small village where an acre of farmland
for every 30 people or so is available and where people know each other
and are willing to help each other. However, given the uncertainties
and unpredictability of life during and after collapse, one may be
forced to stay on the move. "Having a permanent base of operations is
certainly a good thing, but if so, then having two or three is even
better." (141) Remaining somewhat nomadic allows one the necessary
detachment to avoid getting caught in "deteriorating circumstances" and
flee so as to avoid them. Thus, a "winter camp" and a "summer camp" are
recommended. Again, like maintaining one's inner world while presenting
a divergent exterior, Dmitry suggests not letting on that one doesn't
have a permanent home since "communities are always suspicious of
nomads", but at the same time remaining aware that "To seek out that
sympathy of strangers, you need to have a place you call home, even if
that place only exists in your imagination...."(142) Suddenly,
following his daunting description of life in a collapsed world, a
chapter entitled "Career Opportunities" appears. As a result of reading
"other Orlov", I smiled and guessed that this chapter would be more
about survival, as opposed to becoming comfortably ensconsed in a new
profession. And I was right. In this final chapter, Dmity speaks
honestly about the alternative economies that flourished in the Soviet
Union and that are typical of decaying societies. "Asset stripping" or
pulling the copper out of the wires of abandoned homes, carrying off
the vinyl siding and the fiberglass insulation could provide a treasure
trove of "currency" and bargaining chips for future transactions on
which life depends such as food, water, or medicines. Black market
pharmaceuticals will be indispensable, and of course, in a world in
which people have collapsed emotionally as well as financially, drugs,
alcohol, and cigarettes will have inestimable value. Authentic doctors
and nurses will be sorely needed, but black market medical practices
are likely to abound as well. As for transportation Dmitry opines that
there will soon be only two viable options: bicycling and sailing. A
proud proponent of sailboating as the most reliable form of
transportation during and after collapse, Dmitry emphasizes that
sailboats are not actually luxury items. He suggests checking the
foreclosure lists and states that "a few months' rent will buy you a
new, floating, rent-free home. If the cost is still too much, all you
have to do is wait; the sailboat market is going from bad to
worse."(154) Dmitry leaves us with an exceedingly important piece of
advice. Noting the vast numbers of people who have asked him what he
plans to do to prepare for collapse, he emphasizes that preparation
should include more than one option because there is no "one plan." In
Re-Inventing Collapse, he offers no crystal ball and humbly admits that
he does not know how collapse will unfold, only that he has lived
through one collapse in his life and wishes to utilize that experience
to shed light on the next one that has already begun. I have no
negative criticism of the book, but I must add that I wanted to hear
more about psychological and attitudinal preparation-for two reasons,
one being that my own forthcoming book explores them deeply, but also
because I long to hear more personally from Dmitry how he has been
impacted by the demise of the S.U. even as he navigates the downward
spiraling of the U.S. Nevertheless, everyone who has forsaken denial
about collapse and is serious about preparation must read Re-Inventing
Collapse. Check out Dmitry's blog at CLUB ORLOV