Yea, if you live in a first-world nation, and you make a lot of money off of growth, it can look pretty good… until it suddenly starts looking very bad.

It is pretty certain that humanity is in overshoot. We are in a situation called “Liebig’s Minimum,” whereby we are bumping up against all sorts of natural constraints, and if we solve any one of them, the next will smack us down.

The current Liebig Minimum appears to be petroleum. The Occupy people are blaming the bankers, but many credible economists don’t think you can have a growing economy when oil is consistently over $80 a barrel. Ten of the last eleven recessions have been correlated with high oil prices. Now, it looks like we are in a permanent phase of expensive oil, which suggests permanent recession.

The “greater opportunities” I see is if more people take control over their food and energy supply, even while companies like Monsanto consort with government and health authorities to give them “seed to plate” control over the food system.

Want to avoid “doom and gloom?” Plant a garden. Get some chickens. Perhaps even a couple goats. If you can feed yourself, you’re a big step closer to independence.

Now about that huge house that’s way too big for your needs, and that car that takes way too much of your paycheque…