what, me worry?

That's right; don't worry. Nobody ever made his or her life one day longer by worrying. And don't panic. I doubt whether panic has ever helped one single person deal with a dire situation.

But do act, calmly, deliberately, methodically. You don't need a crystal ball at this point to know that you're going on a long journey. What will you need to take with you, and what will you need to leave behind?

Act every day, and do the most important thing first. Then, after that's done, don't rest, but move on to the next indicated change that will improve your own life, for in doing so you might also improve someone else's chances of prospering in a changed landscape. Everyone now living is now directly involved in this undertaking called transition, and for the rest of our lives, so even though panic is not helpful, there's no time to waste.

Remember the past, but don't try to hang on to it. Revere the ancestors, but don't try to learn from them, since they lived in a different world and have little to teach us other than the most universal truths.

Ultimately, your work in transition couldn't possibly be more local, as first and foremost all of us will be working to improve ourselves, to make our own lives better, more independent, more graceful, and scaled appropriately. In doing so we may be able to create a viable community.

Some, of course, are going to resist the obvious and deny that we are in transition, and there's no helping them. They will be passing through the next century or so in their own way, and I don't envy them. Then there are those who have adopted an attitude of "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," and their position is not too enviable either, as in days to come they and their children and possibly their children's children will be dealing with day-to-day life as an ongoing emergency.

It's time for anyone who has any capacity to lead, in any form whatsoever, to step up and do so. Our well-being very well might depend on our ability to form viable co-operative communities.

--Dave B

Magazine cover art by Mark Frederickson, ©2007.