When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful
A miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical
And all the birds in the trees, well they′d be singing so happily
Oh joyfully, oh playfully watching me

But then they send me away to teach me how to be sensible
Logical, oh responsible, practical
And then they showed me a world where I could be so dependable
Oh clinical, oh intellectual, cynical

There are times when all the world's asleep
The questions run too deep
For such a simple man
Won′t you please, please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd
Please tell me who I am

I said, watch what you say or they'll be calling you a radical
A liberal, oh fanatical, criminal
Won′t you sign up your name, we′d like to feel you're acceptable
Respectable, oh presentable, a vegetable!
Oh take it, take it, take it, yeah

But at night, when all the world′s asleep
The questions run so deep
For such a simple man
Won't you please (Oh won′t you tell me)
Please tell me what we've learned (Can you hear me)
I know it sounds absurd (Oh won′t you help me)
Please tell me who I am

Who I am
Who I am
Who I am

'Cause I was feeling so logical
D-d-d-d-d-d-digital
One, two, three, five
Oh, oh, oh, oh yeah

Ooh it's getting unbelievable, yeah

https://youtu.be/eNDdn4de35Y

I have the idea that a lot of developments in Europe are put in higher gear because of the current state of affairs in the US.

I'm skeptical about a lot of the proposed ideas and the general direction of developments, growth and technological developments, but still it's good to see there is some social, democratic thinking going on.

Fun fact: the four quotes at the bottom of the article all come from women!

First part of the article:

EU Preparedness Union Strategy to prevent and react to emerging threats and crises

Today the Commission and High Representative launch the Preparedness Union Strategy to support Member States and enhance Europe's capability to prevent and respond to emerging threats.

It comes as the European Union is facing increasingly complex crises and challenges that cannot be ignored. From growing geopolitical tensions and conflicts, hybrid and cybersecurity threats, foreign information manipulation and interference, to climate change and increasing natural disasters, the EU needs to be ready to protect its citizens and the key societal functions that are crucial for democracy and daily life.

Concretely, the Strategy includes 30 key actions and a detailed Action Plan to advance the Preparedness Union's objectives, as well as developing a ‘preparedness by design culture' across all EU policies.

President Ursula von der Leyen said: “New realities require a new level of preparedness in Europe. Our citizens, our Member States, and our businesses need the right tools to act both to prevent crises and to react swiftly when a disaster hits. Families living in flood zones should know what to do when the waters rise. Early warning systems can prevent regions hit by wildfires from losing precious time. Europe stands ready to support Member States and trusted partners in the neighbourhood to save lives and livelihoods.”

Key objectives and actions of the Strategy include:

Protecting Europe's Essential Societal Functions:

Develop minimum preparedness criteria for essential services such as hospitals, schools, transport, and telecommunications.
Enhance the stockpiling of critical equipment and materials.
Enhance climate adaptation and availability of critical natural resources such as water.

Promoting Population Preparedness:

Encourage the public to adopt practical measures, such as maintaining essential supplies for a minimum of 72 hours in emergencies.
Integrate preparedness lessons into school curricula and introduce an EU Preparedness Day.

Enhancing Crisis Response Coordination:

Establish an EU Crisis Hub to improve integration among existing EU crisis structures.

Strengthening Civil-Military Cooperation:

Conduct regular EU-wide preparedness exercises, uniting armed forces, civil protection, police, security, healthcare workers, and firefighters.
Facilitate dual-use investments.

Bolstering Foresight and Anticipation Capabilities:

Develop a comprehensive risk and threat assessment at EU level, helping prevent crises such as natural disasters or hybrid threats.

Increasing Public-Private Cooperation:

Create a public-private Preparedness Taskforce.
Formulate emergency protocols with businesses to ensure rapid availability of essential materials, goods, and services, and secure critical production lines.

Enhancing Cooperation with External Partners:

Work with strategic partners like NATO on military mobility, climate and security, emerging technologies, cyber, space, and the defence industry.

Overall by taking a proactive approach to preparedness, the EU aims to build a more resilient and secure continent, better equipped to face the challenges of the 21st century.

Whole article here:

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_856

It's not Me, It's You

Collapse-awareness: an incurable case of existential dread

I'm incurable.

I've been to psychologists and while the venting seems to help, nothing really cures me from my constant dread. I'm not a mental health expert, but I believe psychologists are simply not equipped to deal with existential anxiety.

Worried about nothing in general? Cognitive behavioural therapy can help.

Suffer from stage fright? There's a pill for that.

Crippled by depression? It could be caused by an chemical imbalance in your brain.

Under normal circumstances, psychologists have methods for dealing with these issues. They are temporary or internal - caused by one's own brain. I.e. a "me" problem.

But what if the source of my dread is permanent and external. In other words, my brain is not the problem. My brain is simply observing facts. How do you cure reality?

Whether you're toiling in a concentration camp, trapped in the sunken Kursk submarine, or simply observing the burning world, there is no cure for reality. Most mainstream psychologists aren't equipped or experienced enough to deal with these things. Also, many collapse-aware don't know how to broach the subject.

The best most professionals can do is listen and prescribe a mind-numbing agent. (I still can't decide whether anti-anxiety meds are a good or bad thing to use in this situation.)

However, there is a branch of psychology dedicated to those in hospice. This is the closest the profession comes to being capable of dealing with collapse-awareness. If you're experiencing existential dread, I believe a professional must attack the anxiety from this angle.

The collapse-aware have unique needs from psychologists. They don't need someone to tell them "it's going to be alright". So what do we need?

For some, that's what religion is for. Religion makes death and the unknown palatable. It also gives the illusion that something is in control and that this chaos is by design. I understand the appeal.

Realistically, most collapse-aware are evidence based thinkers and won't accept religion. At least not in the traditional sense.

Side note: I have tailored my views on religion beyond belief vs disbelief. First of all, I don't follow any organized religion. Rather, I view the concept of god as a metaphor for the beauty and mystery of the world. My 'religion' is about doing, not talking, symbolizing or worshipping. In fact, if there were a god entity, I believe that entity would judge people by what they do with their lives, not by whether they believe in him or visit a designated building weekly. I once created a set of rules for my own 'religion'. One day I'll share more. Anyway, back to the program...

If you happen to find the right collapse-aware psychologist, here's what they should provide:

Validate and normalize your feelings
Encourage you to talk and explore fears
Create relaxation techniques
Help you create meaning from your life, however long it may be
Find acceptance and peace with the inevitable
Identify areas of personal control

Good luck finding one though. It takes extra effort, and sometimes you must cycle through a few to find the someone suitable. As many of you know, there are many psychologists (and people in general) who still believe this doomsday shit is overblown.

Moreover, not everyone has the funds, ability or inclination to find and work with with a psychologist. So below I've provided a few resources to help manage through the fear of collapse.

Read the full article and have a look at the video's mentioned here:

https://www.collapse2050.com/its-not-me-its-you/

The List of Trump’s Forbidden Words That Will Get Your Paper Flagged at NSF

It's fascism, plain and simple.

Every federal agency in the U.S. is currently trying to figure out how to purge forbidden words from documents posted online, in a desperate attempt to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order to purge “DEI” from every facet of American life. And nowhere is that effort more bizarre than the National Science Foundation, which is currently combing through websites and research papers for a long list of words that include “female,” “disability,” and “LGBT,” among a host of others.

The review comes in response to a memo sent out Jan. 29 from the Office of Personnel Management, written by acting director Charles Ezell. Every agency has interpreted the memo a little differently, but at NSF they’ve compiled a list of words that need to be found which will initiate a review to see if it’s allowed.

According to the Washington Post, a word like “women” appearing will get the content flagged, but it will need to be manually reviewed to determine if the context of the word is related to a forbidden topic under the anti-DEI order. Trump and his fellow fascists use terms like DEI to describe anything they don’t like, which means that the word “women” is on the forbidden list while “men” doesn’t initiate a review.

Straight white men are seen through the MAGA worldview as the default human and thus wouldn’t be suspicious and in need of a review. Any other type of identity is inherently suspect.

Some of the terms that are getting flagged are particularly eyebrow-raising in light of the Nazi salutes that Trump supporters have been giving since he took office. For example, the term “hate speech” will get a paper at NSF flagged for further review. Redefining terms like “hate speech” is obviously part of the fascist project.

Darby Saxbe, a professor at the University of Southern California tweeted the list of banned words on Monday., including a decision tree she says had been sent to all program officers at NSF.

Forbidden keywords that initiate a review at NSF, according to Saxbe:

activism
activists
advocacy
advocate
advocates
barrier
barriers
biased
biased toward
biases
biases towards
bipoc
black and latinx
community diversity
community equity
cultural differences
cultural heritage
culturally responsive
disabilities
disability
discriminated
discrimination
discriminatory
diverse backgrounds
diverse communities
diverse community
diverse group
diverse groups
diversified
diversify
diversifying
diversity and inclusion
diversity equity
enhance the diversity
enhancing diversity
equal opportunity
equality
equitable
equity
ethnicity
excluded
female
females
fostering inclusivity
gender
gender diversity
genders
hate speech
excluded
female
females
fostering inclusivity
gender
gender diversity
genders
hate speech
hispanic minority
historically
implicit bias
implicit biases
inclusion
inclusive
inclusiveness
inclusivity
increase diversity
increase the diversity
indigenous community
inequalities
inequality
inequitable
inequities
institutional
Igbt
marginalize
marginalized
minorities
minority
multicultural
polarization
political
prejudice
privileges
promoting diversity
race and ethnicity
racial
racial diversity
racial inequality
racial justice
racially
racism
sense of belonging
sexual preferences
social justice
sociocultural
socioeconomic
status
stereotypes
systemic
trauma
under appreciated
under represented
under served
underrepresentation
underrepresented
underserved
undervalued
victim
women
women and underrepresented

Again, this isn’t just happening at NSF. As Gizmodo reported last week, CDC is also purging its websites and reports of forbidden words.

All of this is happening while billionaire Elon Musk, an unelected representative of Trump’s government, is ransacking his way through the federal bureaucracy, gaining access to highly sensitive data with basically no one to stop him.

It’s still not clear what happens on the other side of all this. But when they’re flagging words like “women” and “trauma,” less than three weeks in, it can’t be good.

https://gizmodo.com/the-list-of-trumps-forbidden-words-that-will-get-your-paper-flagged-at-nsf-2000559661

Oppression and fear of freedom

In our insane civilisation the use of shenanigans and scams, double standards, opportunism and other forms of trickery and deceit quickly change from being sus pect to being valued in order to survive. We even go as far as to adjust our ethics and personality according to the situation. With all such practices, we lose our true colours. Who is still publicly sincere and authentic?

On a personal level, we see many people adopt the same morals and manners as those who actually exploit and oppress them, even if they initially resisted the situation. This is extremely advantageous for the arrogant bosses at the top of the pyramid. They can’t manage without a compliant middle management that directs the lower-ranking workers for them. Eventually, the workers themselves are also indoctrinated and assimilated into that culture to such an extent that they adopt the same mentality and behaviour. It’s the well known combination of sucking up to the boss, while simultaneously treating your subordinates with disdain (or ‘brown-nosing’ and ‘shit flows downhill’, as the Americans say). On a higher, meta-level as the priests of technology determine our lives and take away our freedoms, we simultaneously become dependent and afraid of freedom, autonomy and responsibility.

Thus freedom is not offered as a gift. It must be constantly pursued and reclaimed. But for that, we must first learn to see and learn to realise that the oppressors cannot exist without the consent of the oppressed [40]. The fear of freedom itself will have to be conquered. To break free from the arrogance that is destroying this world, it is imperative that we pursue that freedom. Humility and respect should be the basis of our relationship with each other and with the living world, where mankind doesn’t oppress the natural world.

A very important book to read in this current context is this:

Paulo Freire. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. 1967.

Download it at: https://archive.org/details/FreirePedagogyOfTheOppresed

=========
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedagogy_of_the_Oppressed

Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Portuguese: Pedagogia do Oprimido) is a book by Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, written in Portuguese between 1967 and 1968, but published first in Spanish in 1968. An English translation was published in 1970, with the Portuguese original being published in 1972 in Portugal, and then again in Brazil in 1974. The book is considered one of the foundational texts of critical pedagogy, and proposes a pedagogy with a new relationship between teacher, student, and society.

Dedicated to the oppressed and based on his own experience helping Brazilian adults to read and write, Freire includes a detailed Marxist class analysis in his exploration of the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized. In the book, Freire calls traditional pedagogy the "banking model of education" because it treats the student as an empty vessel to be filled with knowledge, like a piggy bank. He argues that pedagogy should instead treat the learner as a co-creator of knowledge.[1]

As of 2000, the book had sold over 750,000 copies worldwide.[1]: 9  It is the third most cited book in social science.[2]

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(The section above was taken from:
CRASH COURSE - On Your Future in the Anthropocene by Otis Scops)