It doesn’t take much imagination to extrapolate the current world situation into a scenario in which our actions or non-action could change the world and civilization into a state that will be unrecognizable. The more you examine the problems objectively, the date of 2012 becomes more feasible for the critical tipping point.

Say, we continue to approach these problems with the same mindset, the emphasis being on the acquisition of materials by the individual and by extension the nation state. My belief is if this type of greed and materialism continues, we will reach that tipping point and our climate will reach a point of no return; the earth will undergo such dramatic changes as to force us to adopt a new mindset.

The other possible scenario is our present mindset changes before we reach that point of no return; an understanding that sacrifice and cooperation among peoples and nations is our only hope. We will address these issues as the emergency situations that they are and our policies would reflect such.

I don’t hold out much hope for the second, my reading of history leaves me with the idea that the human species is reluctant to leave the comfort of routine unless his very existence is in question. It never ceases to amaze and confound me as to the ability of humans to continue in their comfortable routines while trouble is knocking at the door.

Now, I believe Americans hear the knocking, but will not respond to all the noise until their hair dryers and electric can openers are threatened. Many people seem to believe that there is no need for them to become overly concerned because surely our technology will deliver us and just as surely our leaders are working at the problem.

The question of leadership, in my opinion, is part of the problem. Our system means that no one making decisions for you and me and more importantly your grand kids (I say your, because I don’t have any) will be alive to face the future with the consequences of their choices now. I will never understand why every grandmother and grandfather in America is not in the streets demanding and snarling with an incredulous righteousness that only a grandmother can, demanding that her grand kids should be our priority.

As far as our technology, conjure on this 2012 fact. Our sun reverses its rotation on a cycle of every 11 years. Only the middle third of the sun undergoes this reversal, but that is enough to raise the incidence rate of what are commonly referred to as solar flares. Now, it begins to get interesting. In addition to the 11 year cycle a cumulative effect becomes a player in the plot. Let’s just indicate that the last time these two cycles came together was in1859. In 1859 the extent of our technology was the telegraph. A solar flare caused the need to replace every telegraph line in the world. It fried them along with causing the largest outbreak of fire events in modern history.

The two cycles come together again for the first time since that event in the year 2012. Stop, for a moment, and consider the dependance of our culture on technology today, particularly everything that utilizes electricity. Now imagine every piece of technology from satellites to your electric can opener fried and a period of three years before the electrical grid can even be restored.

Not saying it will happen, but it could, and wouldn’t it be an interesting experiment to see if we finally came together to address our shared futures or continued to destroy ourselves through short sighted policies. I’m just saying, that when you can’t go to a switch and make night into day there are going to be alot of desperate and pissed off people and maybe, just maybe, a few snarling grandmothers.