After the lockdown ...

luka

Well-known member
Well you're probably right Padraig but I quite like the idea of imagining a world in which that does transpire
 

luka

Well-known member
And there's the other side of this, the disruption it causes to the world economy is likely to be profound and have repercussions that last for at least the next ten years. How profound and how far reaching remains to be seen. I assume what emerges from this is high intensity, high stakes political struggle before it is anything religious but even so, the more desperate we become the more likely we are to call out to God, regardless of whether we believe in him.
 

luka

Well-known member
If force of circumstance pushes us into drastically simplified economies this brown rice and cabbage subsistence could very easily be spiritualised I think
 

luka

Well-known member
I don't know about this. I think, if we re going to indulge in this thought experiment we have to assume that there will be signs and these will be interpreted in a uniform way across a large body of people. I don't think the best way to imagine this is as something invented in the way Mormonism or Scientology seem laughably invented by an individual human idiot.

THe Relative uniformity of the Psychedelic experience, particularly the DMT experience is suggestive.
 

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
the economic side is a better shout I think

eventually (hopefully) COVID-19 will subside with vaccines, developed immunity, etc

the repercussions of socioeconomic disruption will go on much longer

we've already seen in our own lifetimes how bad things get can in times of economic desperation, in the aftermath of 2008
 

luka

Well-known member
The thing about the virus is it lends itself to being interpreted as sign. From God or Gaia. Now if the huge slowdown in economic activity during this event and in its aftermath leads to drastically and visible improvements in the environment (canals in Venice) then you have sign two. And you're on your way.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Apparently all that stuff about dolphins in the Venice canals (and drunk elephants in China) was bollocks though.
 

luka

Well-known member
Apparently all that stuff about dolphins in the Venice canals (and drunk elephants in China) was bollocks though.

Well, maybe, but it doesn't really matter for this argument does it. If there is drastic economic slowdown over a prolonged period of time you will start to see improvements. It's inevitable. And all the more so if people really want to see it.
 

luka

Well-known member
“In accordance with the observation that in the life of the individual a defeated illness indicates not seldom the moment of a deep spiritual conversion—new sicknesses appearing in powerful forms appear as parallel symptoms of great spiritual emancipations.”

Schelling
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Sure... just making a minor correction.
One specific change is surely the US will have to address their health system after this won't they? Well, you'd think so but probably they will just be loads of hand-wringing and it will limp on to the next crisis.
 

luka

Well-known member
“In accordance with the observation that in the life of the individual a defeated illness indicates not seldom the moment of a deep spiritual conversion—new sicknesses appearing in powerful forms appear as parallel symptoms of great spiritual emancipations.”

Schelling

I don't know if you've ever been in hospital for a few days or more, really quite sick, but getting out is like being reborn. I can imagine something like the move out of the depressive phase in bipolar might be quite similar. Any shift out of low spirits is like a terrible curse being lifted.
 

luka

Well-known member
Sure... just making a minor correction.
One specific change is surely the US will have to address their health system after this won't they? Well, you'd think so but probably they will just be loads of hand-wringing and it will limp on to the next crisis.

There will have to be a political struggle presumably. Vested interests will need to be vanquished. And the same all over the world. This will make a whole host of struggles and conflicts unavoidable. The world will want to change and there will be people opposed to those changes. And they will have to be killed.
 

luka

Well-known member
It may make one big war a some smaller wars unavoidable if it seriously upsets the current balance of power.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Yeah it's a question of how much anger builds up and how it can be translated into political will. I'm not optimistic to be honest cos of the things we were talking about in the Trump thread.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
I mean people who think Trump is dealing with the crisis aggressively, professionally and well are obviously not capable of (or willing to) understanding that the health service needs improving.
 

luka

Well-known member
We have to wait to see how this pans out, assuming we can survive it. There will be opportunities. I'm certain of that.
 

luka

Well-known member
I mean people who think Trump is dealing with the crisis aggressively, professionally and well are obviously not capable of (or willing to) understanding that the health service needs improving.

They haven't lost friends or family yet. Give it time. This has barely begun.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Yeah I do wonder about that... how strong and how deep does it go? Will people whose relatives etc die unnecessarily because of Trump really still passionately defend him? From what I've seen I seriously think they might.
 
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