Civilizations evolve in cycles of bloom and crash. The bigger the bloom, the harder the crash. For a few centuries human civilization experienced an unprecedented blooming, and it is now approaching an unprecedented crash. Refusing to accept this basic truth is a denial of the laws of nature. Hoping that our greatest bloom in history will be followed by even a greater one is as logical as hoping that a decaying fruit will grow fresh again. It is only the decomposition of the fruit which leads to regeneration. In the "post-exuberant world", hope has therefore become a form of denial. 
   For all of our lives we have been programmed to associate hope with meaning. Without hope our life can easily seem meaningless. Losing any sense of meaning in life can lead to a state of deep despair, or doom. Eco-theologian Michael Dowd defines doom as "a common feeling of ugh or dread upon realizing that technological progress and economic growth and development are the root of our predicament, not our way out". Doom is a dangerous state to remain in for long. But acceptance is not equivalent to despair. By accepting that we cannot change the course of evolution and abandoning false hopes for limitless progress, we can begin a quest for meaning within our limits. For this final part of the composition, which I have titled "Acceptance (Post-Doom Song)", I borrowed Dowd's term "post-doom" to refer to this type of spiritual quest, which abandons denial and transcends beyond doom. Dowd defines post-doom as:

"1.  What opens up when we remember who we are, accept the inevitable, honor our grief, and prioritize what is  pro-future and soul-nourishing. 
2.  A fierce and fearless reverence for life and relative equanimity even in the midst of abrupt climate change, a global pandemic, and collapse of both the health of the biosphere and business as usual.
3.  Living meaningfully,  compassionately and courageously no matter what."

Personnel on this track:

Composition and arrangement - Udi Wahrsager
Flute - Udi Wahrsager
Guitar - Amit Baumgarten
Piano - Katia Toobool
Bass - Yorai Oron
Drums - Avi Barak
Recorded by Iyar Dalva & Jonathan Barak and mixed by Kobi Farhi at Mitzlol Studios, Tel-Aviv.

My special thanks to Michael Dowd for uploading a 13-hour recording of Catton's entire "Overshoot" book to his SoundCloud podcast project, among other inspiring texts. To listen to this podcast follow the link below:

https://soundcloud.com/michael-dowd-grace-limits/catton-overshoot-1

IV. Acceptance (Post-Doom Song)

Atmospheric scientist Tim Garrett joins me to discuss, among other things, collapse. Contained within this hour-long interview, we cover the thermodynamics of civilizational growth and inevitable decline, the irrationality of dominant economic theory, Jevons Paradox, and his fascinating and wondrous study of clouds and snowflakes.

Tim Garrett is Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Utah, and his research mostly focuses on the complex interplay between aerosols, clouds, precipitation, radiation and climate.

Episode Notes:

- Learn more about Tim’s work and follow him on Twitter: https://www.inscc.utah.edu/~tgarrett / https://twitter.com/nephologue

- Song featured is “Bells Buzzes and Bows for Breen” by Scott Farkas. Used with permission: https://youtu.be/NU92uyOU9-w

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#321 | Heat Engine, Civ w/ Tim Garrett

Overshoot Catton 1

Catton Overshoot 1

Voice: Ella Tadmor
Piano: Gilad Shapira
Guitar, Flute, Digital wind instruments: Udi Wahrsager
V-Drums: Gil Idan
Written and composed by Ayelet Even-Ezra (based on music by F. Chopin)
Arrangement and musical production: Udi Wahrsager
Voice recording and mix: Raz Burg, "Tamuz" studios
Artwork: Omri Davidson

Waltz

This piece is inspired by and dedicated to the great Arik Rudich. 
The music was composed, recorded and produced by me.

IV. Acceptance (Post-Doom Song)

Udi Wahrsager

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