Kubler-Ross, Hope, and Human Extinction

“No matter the stage of illness or coping mechanisms used, all our patients maintained some form of hope until the last moment. Those patients who were told of their fatal diagnosis without a chance, without a sense of hope, reacted the worst and never quite reconciled themselves with the person who presented the news to them in this cruel manner. As far as our patients are concerned, all of them maintained some hope and it is well for us to remember this!”

—  Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, On Death and Dying, p. 264

Hope tells us we are so clever,

There’ll always be human endeavor;

But with doom, we must guide

To what it’s applied,

‘Cause our species won’t live forever.

Human hope has always been spun

Into all kinds of jobs to be done;

Due to limited roles

When choosing our goals,

Never dying cannot be one.

People will always have hope:

We evolved it in order to cope;

But now where it’s attached

Must be thoughtfully matched

And be of more limited scope.

Our drama stirred much to enthrall,

But most roles were surprisingly small;

When we’ve finished our page,

We’ll exit the stage:

We're really just mortals, after all.

With no immortality bases,

We might find hope in other places:

Much more Here and Now,

More I-and-Thou Tao,

And probably lots more embraces.

Hope urges us to repress

Thoughts which will cause us distress;

But in truth, I confess,

Making do with much less

Will be just one big fucking mess.

Serenity Pitch

Life’s fast becoming a bitch,

So I hope to learn what I can ditch:

Accept things I can’t change,

Those I can, rearrange,

And wisdom to know which is which.

Plan for the New Year: Popcorn and Beer

If events in the coming new year

Interfere with your current career,

And you see cracks appear

In the social veneer,

It’s time for popcorn and beer.

The frontier ahead is severe,

But before we all disappear

And doom comes so near

That we really feel fear,

It’s time for popcorn and beer.

It’s getting abundantly clear,

Times will become more austere;

So while things still cohere,

Let’s all be of good cheer:

It’s time for popcorn and beer.

Solstice Reflection

The solstice brings time for reflection,

Like, how there’ll be no course correction:

We’re headed for doom,

Via whimper or boom,

With no way to change our direction.

Kubler-Ross Denial

Enjoy the first stage while you can,

It’s a relaxing part of the plan;

‘Cause next comes Stage Two,

When the anger breaks through,

And then real shit hits the fan.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

It’s beginning to look a lot

Like Christmas is going to be hot;

If your human-type meat

Can’t throw off the heat,

You might move to a cooler spot.

Merry Christmas

So now the final time’s here

That ever we’ll share Christmas cheer;

On the other hand,

By popular demand,

We go through this every year.

Professional Advice

As your counselor, I’d like to say

What to watch out for today:

Alcohol’s bad,

And drugs are bad,

And doom's REALLY bad, m’kay?

Mental Fortitude

Your mind is more likely to plow

Through derision, and never kowtow,

And hold to your vision

With less indecision

If you’ve been crazy up until now.

Are Doomers Crazy?

When collapse ratchets up a few notches

And clobbers us square in the crotches,

Though I’m going down too,

The idea might come through:

Who’s crazy now, beeotches?

Nuclear Meltdowns

Someday the whole grid will fail,

And there won’t be a way to derail

The meltdown heat

Which will leave no retreat

To continue the human tale.

For plants still in operation,

Unexpected electric cessation

Of short duration

Could cause activation

Of radioactive damnation.

Each abandoned reactor, no doubt,

Eventually will start to spout

Stuff which can spread

And make people dead

Once electric power runs out.

If people would just pay attention,

We could stop our wayward invention,

But not those threats forming,

Like global warming,

And others too many to mention.

South Park

In our world, doom options are many,

But if you don’t care for any,

Life in South Park is cool,

‘Cause there, as a rule,

The only one killed is Kenny.

If Methane Goes Nuts

If methane really goes nuts,

It will be a quick kick in the guts;

Though we might not agree

On the time and degree,

It’s coming, no ifs, ands, or buts.

Why Kubler-Ross

It’s not very easy admitting

We’re walking dead, right where we’re sitting;

But this issue’s the crux,

And, while facing it sucks,

It makes Kubler-Ross very fitting.

Methane Doomsday Machine

Methane releases might mean

The end of the whole Holocene:

We’ll become obsolete

‘Cause we burned stuff for heat

And triggered a doomsday machine.

There Will Be Panic

"...when the world recognizes—widely recognizes—that there’s a problem, there’s going to be panic that takes place."

—Dr. Robert Hirsch, at 10:37 in the interview:

http://www.financialsense.com/financial-sense-newshour/guest-expert/2011/12/15/robert-l-hirsch-phd/we-are-staring-directly-into-energy-storm-in-next-2-3-years

The response will be galvanic

When there’s nothing to eat that’s organic;

WTSHTF

And it’s last standing man,

People are going to panic.

Global Warming Inconvenience

The idea is pretty succinct,

Though it’s based on a lot of things linked:

Consensus is forming

We can’t stop the warming

So humans are going extinct.

Holiday Shopping

There’s not too much money to shop,

So it’s likely that sales are a flop;

That’s what scant new implies,

Because otherwise

We’d be hearing about it nonstop. 

Limericks Save the World

We might save the world writing limericks

Listing our choice of survival picks,

Or else simply lurk,

‘Cause nothing will work—

Unless you know of some other tricks.

Global Warming Treaty

A compromise starts off the gag,

But the road map could hit a small snag;

Should the protocol drag,

The treaty will lag—

It’s practically in the bag.

A Nation of Homer Simpsons

"...we have truly become a nation full of Homer Simpsons."

http://billhicksisdead.blogspot.com/2011/12/snow-cones-for-homeland-security.html

What I’m doing at work isn’t clear,

But a crisis is nothing to fear:

If the plant starts to glow,

I simply say, “D’oh!”

And focus on donuts and beer.

Somebody to Blame

The poor say the rich are to blame,

The rich make the opposite claim;

If there’s need to deplore,

For those keeping score:

We all played a part in the game.

Focus

To better manage our fears

About aspects of doom as it nears,

It helps to steer clear

Of what won’t persevere

Or matter within a few years.

Global Warming Conference

Insisting on personal gain

Is why we’ll all swirl down the drain;

We're not worthy! No way!

Excellent! Way!

Party on, Garth. Party on, Wayne.

Comfortably Numb

Going out comfortably numb

Might beat feeling constantly glum;

Since resistance is futile,

It might be less brutal

A way to the world that’s to come.

Dear Europe: Urine Trouble

Lots of people are really pissed:

Europe’s cash problems still persist;

Wee tell them, “Urine debt”

(Not a piddling threat!)—

“Perhaps you should call a Eurologist.”

On the Awesome Power of Doomer Poetry to Save the World

“The pen’s mightier than the sword”—

A belief that’s been ofttimes explored;

But now, despite writing

(Which beats even fighting!),

We’re still going to our reward.

Why I'm Writing These Limericks

Some doggerel’s je ne sais quoi

Could go viral and wake the bourgeois:

Sneaking under defenses,

Unease it dispenses

Introduces a mind coup d’etat.

My goal’s not great poetry, nah,

But to wake the world from its blah-blah;

Then disaster gets waived,

And we are all saved.

Bwahahahahahaha.

The Sixth Mass Extinction Event

Some people might circumvent

The worst, for some part of descent,

But our species can’t skirt

What none will avert:

The sixth mass extinction event.

Geologic Time

Our thoughts can get stressed, even twisted,

When geologic time is enlisted:

Our end’s almost here,

We’ll soon disappear,

Leaving no sign we ever existed.

Global Warming: Past the Tipping Point

The tipping point has been passed through,

There’s no way to stop what will ensue;

It’s baked into the cake,

And so it won’t make

Too much difference whatever we do.