Questioning my rural relocation strategy...

[fleam]

Um, we WILL end up at subsistence agriculture, in fact I think at least in most areas, we'll be back to hunter-gatherer.

[mark arsenal]

Um, we WILL end up at subsistence agriculture, in fact I think at least in most areas, we'll be back to hunter-gatherer.

Really? I'm not sure I entirely agree with this. Keep in mind that most ancient civilizations had large cities and produced a significant agricultural surplus before fossil fuels. I think the question here is what overpopulated areas will go through in absence of industrial agriculture and long-distance trade. My personal opinion is that Europe (except Russia) and Asia are screwed, but the Western hemisphere, Russia and Australia will get by with some nice, boring stagnation for a while. Bards, Jesters and Mages, yes; Systems Analysts, Software Engineers and Advertizing Executives, probably not.

I also think technology will remain cumulative, society will just be vastly simplified and the pace of new innovations will be very slow as businesses try to produce success in a vastly-reduced resource environment. There were shopkeepers, inventors and explorers in medieval times, and there will continue to be. The past 50 years might be wiped out, but not cities and not the trading instinct.

[apwall21]

How are things in the greater Oakland area anyway?

[QuinteYankanucks]

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     Re: Questioning my rural relocation strategy...
« Reply #138 on: Today at 10:09:38 AM »   

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"The past 50 years might be wiped out, but not cities and not the trading instinct."

I have been talking with my husband about this opinion.  I agree that much of the distant past will be wiped out, but I am wondering what will happen to all the old trades that kept a simpler society functioning.  Who will be passing on these skills and information?  My hope is that the young people will be interested because the older folks that know how to do things, how to repair things, how to make things, won't be there to teach the younger, stronger people who will need to know these things to function in the simpler society we envision.  Will there be time to teach or learn these old skills and trades from books?  For example, how do you train a horse to pull a plow or wagon?  I live in a rural area with a lot of older people who know these things and can pass them on.  My hope is there will be enough time to teach others.  Any thoughts?
Joan
 
 
 
 

[fleam]

I'm rural now and it' a trap. If they just extended the bus line to go through here so I could hop on a bus at San Juan Road and ride through to Watsonville and up the coast to Santa Cruz, I'd not be totally dependent on a motor vehicle.

Looks like I'm moving to a semi-rural area, near a medium sized town but very rural seeming, the difference is you can bicycle all over the town if you're a decent rider and it's only a mile or two from the trolley station.

No one farms out here other than commercially. Very isolated geographically and socially since no one talks to each other or socializes either.