Matt Simmons and the Five Psychological Stages of Grief

This is a wonderful clip. When Matt Simmons was recently asked to go on CNBC’s ‘Fast Money’ to discuss the high oil prices, he clearly stunned the presenters with his forthright analysis of society’s current perilous situation. When asked if $147 a barrel is a ‘wake up call’ he replied “yes, but we’re not having a wake up call, we’re having a witch hunt for who got us here”, a succinct analysis of the current world situation.

Rob Hopkins uses the reaction to the situation by the studio panel to illustrate the Five Psychological Stages of Grief that he believes people go through in coming to terms with this information.

Get Out of Credit Card Debt! Now!

We’re often told in the Peak Oil community “get out of debt,” and yet, as we continue to pay the minimum on the credit card each month, it appears to have little effect on the overall balance of the bill. Should we forget about getting out of debt and just start putting up supplies? Not unless you have a crystal ball that tells you when all US banks will fail, and that whatever entity takes them over will be unable to figure out how to collect your monthly payments.
Here are some concrete suggestions on how to break out of the cycle.