"In an unprecedented move, Nobel Peace Prize nominee Donald Trump presses Qatar to mediate deal to end US government shutdown."

Yes, and charliesc.substack.com/p/a-conversa...

Facing reality takes courage. I believe feeling helpless (or not) is a personal choice. I suggest you read Pema Chodron about charnel ground practice. Also, Albert Camus’ writings inspire me to practice stubborn optimism. And definitely follow David Krueger’s blog!

Don’t look up!

I believe we humans need to expand our view in the direction of protecting all life on earth, beyond focus on a specific industry or even a certain category of wildlife. It is all connected and our narrow boundary, linear thinking is what got us into this mess.

I think you were a bit optimistic here; it’s not quiet.
“The second Trump administration will proceed much like the first, in the sense that superficial changes will happen very fast while the broader crisis of corruption — a transnational crisis — will quietly deepen and become more dangerous.”

Linear, narrow boundary thinking is the default mode for most people. It is the standard in politics. Sawin does an excellent job of making it accessible. Do you think you’ll read it? Not to get personal, but I’m curious about your interest.

I think systems thinking is essential for solving real world problems. Sawin’s book is an excellent primer on the kind of systems thinking I’m referring to, with clear examples of applying it to actual problems. Thanks for asking.

This is why I voted for Ralph Nader in 2000 (in a red state where my vote didn’t count). “Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee.” Or, in current terminology, a duopoly. Yes, one party is overtly less evil, but no more wise re the future of humanity (not looking good).

Am I missing something? All he says is gpt5 is disappointing. Then, he suggests ways to overcome speed bumps. Yeah, a simplistic effort to just go bigger is dumb. Seems like a classic straw man argument.

Here’s an old man version of personal doomer update:

youtu.be/8WlbQRoz3o4?...

Perhaps similar to what we’re doing to the oceans with “fishing” or rain forests with feeding cattle or wildlife with golf courses and lawns, …

Extrapolating in 8 or more steps is also nonsensical. Linear thinking is a problem, leading to irrelevant “conclusions.” Systems thinking is required and cannot predict the future, but can help us make better decisions in the short term (which our society as structured can’t do).

I get triggered by people assuming climate change is the biggest ecological problem, ignoring planetary boundaries, overshoot in general, and technology as major accelerating threats.

Not much hopium and the problems described are horrendous, especially shrimp industry. This is but one episode in a series. Watch it and judge for yourself.

Here’s an example of truth we refuse to see, except in shows like this: pbs.org/video/shelf-...

I went through a climate activism phase - advocating carbon tax, fighting against single use plastic, finally converting lawns into wildlife habitats. Talk led to thinking, connecting with others, revising. It led me to you and other post-doomers. It can also lead to compassion as we collapse.

Ecological overshoot is a more meaningful concept, to me, than simply overpopulation. www.austriaca.at/0xc1aa5576%2...