A Big New Idea & Silence. Again. How is this possible? Seriously.

Many facts, insights, causes, outcomes, solutions, and evolved behaviors associated with human overshoot have been discussed by many people over many years.

It’s rare for a new idea to emerge in the overshoot space.

Hideaway’s CACTUS theory has some important fresh insights not previously discussed about the biophysical forces that collaborate to create brief blips of modernity in the universe.

Not every idea in CACTUS is new. But CACTUS identifies and integrates all of the important overshoot forces into a coherent unified theory that explains what’s going on better than anything I’ve seen in 20 years of study.

Inside the integrated whole of CACTUS is an important relationship I’ve not seen previously discussed that explains modernity’s dependence on growth of civilization scale for growth of resource use efficiency, and growth of resource extraction technology complexity, which creates self-reinforcing feedback loops, and vulnerabilities, that accelerate both the growth and decline of modernity.

CACTUS shows that the requirement for growth is independent of the type of economic system, or monetary system, or states thereof.

CACTUS shows that overshoot collapse can be triggered by depletion of any of many non-renewable resources, not just the master resource diesel.

CACTUS shows that steady-state and degrowth “solutions”, or any other form of “sustainable” modernity, are impossible, and therefore surviving humans will return to their hunter gatherer origins.

CACTUS shows that a gentle decline is impossible and that modernity will end rapidly.

CACTUS provides a clear prescription on what needs to be done to extend modernity as long as possible, assuming that is your goal.

CACTUS explains what not to do if the goal is to avoid triggering a premature collapse. Our leaders do not understand (or deny) CACTUS, and therefore they are making decisions that will end modernity sooner than was necessary. Citizens also do not understand (or deny) CACTUS, and therefore they are permitting their leaders to get away with the dumbfuckery.

CACTUS shows that broad awareness of overshoot and CACTUS is a good thing if you want to avoid war and violence as growth slows, and you want to avoid triggering a premature collapse.

CACTUS shows that modernity will be rare and brief when it emerges in the universe, and that modernity will never regrow on this planet, and therefore CACTUS provides deep reasons for gratitude and temperance.

These are BIG important ideas.

Elements of CACTUS have been discussed by others elsewhere, but the integrated totality of CACTUS ideas are not in wide circulation, and given their profound implications, deserve widespread debate and discussion.

Yet, what do we observe?

Silence.

Every famous overshoot intellectual, and the sites that focus on overshoot issues, are silent on CACTUS.

How is this possible? Seriously.

If I had learned about CACTUS from say Gail Tverberg, or Tim Morgan, or Tim Watkins, or Nate Hagens, or Alice Friedemann, or Chris Martenson, or Jack Alpert, or B, or Jean-Marc Jancovici, or Quark, or Simon Michaux, or David Korowicz, or Tom Murphy, or Tim Garrett, or Sam Mitchell, or Bill Rees, or Sid Smith, or Dennis Meadows, or William Catton, or Jay Hanson, or Paul Chefurka, or Richard Heinberg, or Charlie Hall, or Joseph Tainter, or James, or Jason Bradford, or xraymike79, etc., etc., instead of stumbling on Hideaway’s CACTUS theory in posts he made at the Peak Oil Barrel site that others, including the site owner, were ignoring or aggressively denying, I would have still discussed CACTUS hundreds of times, because the idea is so important to understanding our reality.

Why is the little un-Denial community the only site discussing CACTUS?

Ditto on the Mind Over Reality Transition (MORT) theory.

After I stumbled on Dr. Ajit Varki’s MORT theory in a 2013 CBC radio interview, I talked about nothing else for 10 years because it was such an important new idea for making sense of the existence and strange behaviors of a uniquely intelligent species, and for people, like myself, trying to find a path to reducing harms from overshoot.

For anyone trying to bring awareness and positive change to any unpleasant issue, including people still trying to find a solution for overshoot, or any of its symptoms like climate change, pollution, species extinction, ecosystem destruction, etc., etc., MORT is the MOST IMPORTANT IDEA they need to understand.

MORT explains why 99.9% of people aggressively deny everything that is unpleasant, including issues that are obvious without an advanced education, and including when denial of the issue will make things even more unpleasant.

MORT explains why famous polymaths who can and do understand many complex issues, are incapable of understand relatively simple overshoot issues, even when spoon-fed the facts.

MORT explains why only one species has evolved an extended theory of mind, despite obviously powerful fitness advantages.

MORT explains why only one species has gods.

MORT explains why behaviorally modern humans rapidly emerged from one small tribe to extinct all close cousins, and to dominate all other species.

These are BIG important ideas.

And yet all of the overshoot experts, including people who have devoted their lives to finding solutions to overshoot or its symptoms, all of whom have failed due to the genetic denial explained by MORT, have been silent on MORT for over 10 years.

Why, for example, don’t the thousands of climate scientists that have totally failed to make a difference, want to to understand why they failed? Why do climate scientists that have a sound understanding of physics still push “solutions” that are physically impossible?

How is this possible? Seriously.

If the reason everyone is silent on MORT and CACTUS is because they think the theories are wrong, then why hasn’t a single expert explained why they are wrong? Or proposed more compelling theories to explain what we observe?

No discussion. No criticism. No debate. Not even acknowledgement that the MORT and CACTUS theories exist.

Just silence.

I believe most of my overshoot colleagues have good intentions, and good integrity, and good intelligence, and so the only explanation I can think of is that ALL of the overshoot experts have normal denial genes, and un-Denial is the only place on the planet that the tiny number of mutants with defective denial genes congregate.

Is this possible?

It seems very improbable, but what other explanation is there?

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482 Comments

monk
June 22, 2026 2:26 pm

This is an interesting study. I’ve just read the pop science article, but actual study linked below. A researcher has come up with a different way to estimate rural populations by using population data from water dam projects. This is showing potentially rural populations are underestimated by 50-80%. Quite a margin of error if true!

Areas studied were mostly China, then east Europe and south America. There is a popular rumour on the internet that China is dramatically over-representing their population numbers. This paper is showing the opposite, at least for rural areas.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a71546207/human-population-miscalculated-research/

Actual paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56906-7

Christ
June 18, 2026 4:28 pm

You guys know I’m a big fan of Jan Bloxham. His comment today annoyed me.

https://substack.com/@gnug315/note/c-278444365

Apathy, selfishness and greed are cornerstones of both our genetic and cultural behaviours.

Yes, but you’re gonna fall for the Noble Blob Myth every time with that outlook. This is the much more accurate way to see it:

The quest for profit and growth will continue as it has since the first organic cell fissioned. – Lord James

I like where Jan’s going here:

You and I and Nate and countless others will talk and talk and talk about it. Like how Derrick Jensen laments a lot in his books that he’s achieving nothing by writing and writing about the burning of the world, and that what he should be doing is blowing up dams and assassinating corrupt, destructive elites – impulses triggered by most people’s biology (even if few of us can afford to admit it), as exemplified by the massive outpouring of support for Luigi and the popularity of vigilante justice stories.

But you have to be a little more direct when planting those types of seeds. Kinda like this quote I found on reddit:

A plea to the youth: Where are all the Luigi clones? I’m very disappointed in you. Seriously, go pick up a gun, track down a billionaire, and blow his motherfuckin head clean off, no questions asked. And for the ones who’ve made millions from the manipulation of Trumps deadlines, make sure to terminate with extreme prejudice.

Ok, last one.

At 49, I’m fortunate to be of an age that will be spared the worst of it. We have some decades to go before things really start falling apart.

What?? For once I’m speechless.

ps. Funny video & lyrics. Turn on the subtitles.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Christ
June 18, 2026 8:24 pm

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
Turns out us schizoids are the solution!

Christ
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 18, 2026 2:41 pm

LOL

I’m afraid you just gave Andrii Zvorygin a bunch of material for his yt channel.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 18, 2026 8:27 pm

Most lifeforms have zero creativity and survive far better than humans.

The average mammalian species the size of a human survives for 1.5 M years. No species in the genus homo has managed to last even half of that, except perhaps homo erectus. And that’s just average. It’s not an achievement, it’s baseline. 95% of all human species are already extinct, speciation is so slow that there is only one species left and it’s generating a mass extinction event in real-time.

If anything, creativity looks more like a problem than a solution!

HideAway
HideAway
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 18, 2026 8:42 pm

Rob “and every child deserves a pony”

Is that roasted, or cooked over an open fire in the years to come??

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 18, 2026 9:07 pm

Can I have a komodo dragon instead?

monk
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 18, 2026 1:36 pm

If anything unfettered immigration is another cactus response to try and shove growth along another decade

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 18, 2026 1:10 pm

Who would have thunk. What a truly unforeseeable surprise. Nobody could have ever seen that coming. So utterly unbelievably shocking.

el mar
el mar
June 18, 2026 6:54 am

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/patrick-georges-1b8b043_the-kindleberger-spiral-the-19291933-period-activity-7319804005742698496-2DNx/

The global economy is about to enter the Kindleberger spiral.

Scapegoats will soon be sought.

The Kindleberger spiral

The 1929–1933 period stands as a stark warning of what happens when global economies turn inward, with retaliatory tariffs amplifying the effects of the Great Depression.

The Kindleberger spiral (a term coined in reference to Charles Kindleberger’s work on economic depressions) describes a series of compounding economic shocks, each worsening the next. Between 1929 and 1933, these factors led to one of the most devastating economic collapses in modern history.

1. The Stock Market Crash (October 1929)
The initial domino fell when stock markets collapsed, wiping out vast amounts of wealth and plunging the U.S. into a financial panic.
2. Financial Panic and Banking Crises
As businesses and individuals defaulted on loans, banks suffered massive withdrawals. By 1933, nearly half of all U.S. banks had failed.
3. Protectionism: The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act (June 1930)
The Smoot-Hawley Tariff was passed under the misguided assumption that raising import duties would protect American businesses. Instead, it sparked global retaliation, leading to a collapse in international trade.

✔️ U.S. imports dropped 66% between 1929 and 1933.
✔️ Global trade contracted by over 60%.
✔️ Retaliatory tariffs from Canada, Europe, and other trading partners deepened the crisis.
✔️ This reduced industrial output, leading to massive job losses. In the U.S., unemployment soared to 25% by 1933.

el mar
el mar
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 18, 2026 12:46 am

Quark today:

Don’t believe anything you hear in the coming weeks. Weakness in US policy, a blow to Trump, major geopolitical shifts, etc. As I see it, this is just a pause in the race to control oil (think of US shale oil; in 3-4 years it will enter an irreversible decline due to the disappearance of profitable locations, and then they will depend on Middle Eastern oil). It’s a way to avoid an immediate collapse, a brake on the acceleration toward the precipice. The situation in the oil market is the rapid depletion of global reserves, which, combined with a similar situation in copper, leads us to the attempt to control fundamental raw materials.

The war for resources has already begun, and this is just a temporary pause in a conflict that will last for years.

https://rayonegro.substack.com/p/el-reconocimiento-de-trump

Saludos

el mar

Christ
June 17, 2026 5:09 pm

Rob Mielcarski and a few others in the overshoot community mirror this shouting with CACTUS and MORT and commiserate with each other regarding our species’ collective denial of reality. Please make sure to check out the comments section of Rob’s article; there are some really remarkable comments there, including some well-deserved criticism of AI, hopium-believers, and other nonsense. It truly highlights the blind spots of our species.

https://problemspredicamentsandtechnology.blogspot.com/2026/06/more-blind-spots.html

Cool shoutout from Erik Michaels in his essay today. But of course I was disappointed to not see my name mentioned. In fact, I’ve never seen my name mentioned by anyone (except if they’re plugging one of my guest essays). It’s always Rob or Hideaway that gets all the glory. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! I’m so sick of it. How is it that the greatest mind in the doomasphere gets no respect at all? If I don’t start getting my proper recognition, one of these days Christ is gonna go postal on everyone. Samson stylee:

Chained to the pillars
A 3-day party
I break the walls
And kill us all with holy fingers

Gouge away
You can gouge away
Stay all day
If you want to

Last edited 7 days ago by Christ
Hamish
Hamish
Reply to  Christ
June 17, 2026 8:23 pm

A search for Erik Michaels reveals :
• a YouTube channel not updated in a few years “Living in the Time of Dying” youtube[.]com/@LivingintheTimeofDying/videos
• a Medium channel not updated since 2025 View at Medium.com
• a SubStack, last update 2026.05.31 erikmichaels.substack[.]com

Couldn’t find the quote you posted or anything for
today’.

Renaee
Reply to  Christ
June 17, 2026 9:04 pm

🤣 🤣 🤣
Link to the essay?

Christ
Reply to  Renaee
June 17, 2026 9:10 pm
Stellarwind72
June 16, 2026 7:19 pm

A more lighthearted post from Tom Murphy about deep time
https://dothemath.ucsd.edu/2026/06/galactic-time/

Accept humility. Let go of the false promise of control. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you know better than deep time. You’re just a one-day mayfly, or even just single-digit seconds old on the timescales that govern life on Earth. Reject hubris. We haven’t figured it out. We’ve actually gone backwards where it counts. By forgetting our ecological roots and instead filling our heads with metal and wheels, we’ve become downright dumb while flattering ourselves with the opposite—yet profoundly fallacious—appraisal.

monk
Reply to  Stellarwind72
June 17, 2026 3:26 pm

who are these meanies that keep disliking posts?! I enjoyed that article Stellar 🙂

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 17, 2026 3:38 pm

We clearly need the ability to dislike a dislike to invalidate it!

Christ
June 16, 2026 5:14 pm

LOL. Sam Mitchell loses his mind when he finds out the host from Planet Critical is having a baby. And he’s not exaggerating. He really does despise breeders this much. Especially ones that know what Rachel knows. I’ve seen him disown longtime friends over it.

For a while I was slowly going down that same path. But this is where Martin Butler has come in handy for me. His constant preachings re the survival/reproduction drive, as well as his mantra about not giving a fuck about anything… has helped me see that people like Rachel are not doing anything wrong or evil, they’re just letting their programming lead the way. And there’s absolutely nothing we misanthropes can do about it. But I’m still all about antinatalism.

Sam made me laugh a bunch in this one. Highlight was at 11:23

If she wants to look at why the fucking world is in crisis, look in the mirror. You fucking fat swollen belly clueless bitch! You’re the reason! You’re the fucking reason this world is in crisis Rachel Donald. You and every one of you other fucking breeders out there.

https://samhambonemitchell.substack.com/p/what-is-being-ecological-asks-clueless

Lurker
Lurker
Reply to  Christ
June 16, 2026 7:06 pm

Well, Rachel often has people on who have ridiculous notions about what is possible and this makes her feel hopeful about the world.

Regardless, there is no bad response to our predicament, so Sam Mitchell is completely wrong about this.

Hamish
Hamish
Reply to  Lurker
June 17, 2026 11:31 am

Rare, down-vote from me.

Sam Mitchell might be slightly uncouth in his delivery, and not completely right – there is no way, at all, that he is “completely” wrong.

Few of us, including here on un-denial, grasp the magnitude of the likely downside :

People procreating now are doing so in a scenario of increasingly short timescales that lead to cannibalism and forced violence. With a side-order of disease, malnutrition (rickets, scurvy) and massive anxiety.

Lurker
Lurker
Reply to  Hamish
June 17, 2026 4:50 pm

Fair enough. I think he’s wrong. If couples didn’t have kids, modernity’s end would be sped up, as would human extinction. So if some are given Sam’s, or your, blessing to have kids, to avoid a catastrophic societal meltdown, who gets to decide?

Hamish
Hamish
Reply to  Lurker
June 17, 2026 8:49 pm

The majority of kids result from the absence of “decisions” or expressed colloquially, they are oopsies.

It is hubris to think we have much influence over the ultimate outcomes and their timing – modernity has caused / is causing; its own end. Complexity Accelerated Collapse (CACTUS) partially explains this. (There is even more complexity outside of mineral processing & dependency).

We do not have problems, we have a predicament – we are in free fall and just noticed that we packed a lunch instead of a parachute.

Those that combine : skills, really good health, fitness, prepared, luck, determination, commitment and sheer will (yes, Wick) and the best location, might survive – but expect the future to be bleak like The Road.

During and after SHTF – expect to be challenged by everyone – authorities, cartels, gangs, neighbours, friends, even family.

monk
Reply to  Christ
June 16, 2026 7:58 pm

I am actively trying to get pregnant. LOL I would be happy to explain my reasonings behind it if anyone was interested.

Stellarwind72
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 17, 2026 3:19 pm

2) Modernity requires continuous growth in population.

But the longer modernity/growth continues, the worse the ultimate outcome is for humanity and the biosphere.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 17, 2026 3:41 pm

Which god? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_deities_by_cultural_sphere
Shintoism alone has like over eight million of them! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kami

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 17, 2026 4:08 pm

I have to point out that schizophrenia often causes the individual affected to believe that the voices they are hearing (from strongly damaged brain structures) are from a divine source. There is a theory that if schizophrenia affects a relatively high-IQ individual, the cognitive decline is not so severe that their behaviour becomes entirely alienating – instead of word salad, they package their voices in poetry and what not. That would be a biologically sound pathway of how religions are seeded in all cultures (schizophrenia affects around 1% of all people globally across most, if not all ethnicities and sub-groups)

https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.11090214

Christ
Reply to  monk
June 16, 2026 8:52 pm

Thanks for your honesty monk. Yes, I’m very interested.

But first, let’s see if our lord & savior approves of Rob’s list:

1) Too selfish. Adopt or get a dog.
2) Unacceptable to be doing it for modernity’s sake.
3) Makes perfect sense.

monk
Reply to  Christ
June 17, 2026 2:05 pm

I got my first dislike response, oh dear

Christ
Reply to  monk
June 17, 2026 4:56 pm

Congrats. If you’re not getting dislikes, you’re doing something wrong.

monk
Reply to  Christ
June 17, 2026 2:06 pm

I had a dog but she died 🙁

Renaee
Reply to  monk
June 16, 2026 11:28 pm

I would like to hear more monk…?

monk
Reply to  monk
June 17, 2026 2:04 pm

Reasons (edit to fix the stupid bullet points):
Always wanted to be a mum and feel strong biological desire to have children. I think children are wonderful :-)I want to feel normal and do normal things. I want to be part of the community.Being childless ‘not by choice’ is one of the worst griefs you can go through. It feels like every month you lose a loved family member. The grief of it has been found to be a similar level to a terminal cancer diagnosis.Life goes on. I don’t think that life is not worth living just because we won’t have modern industrial civilisation in the future.I do believe in climate change but I do not believe in NTHE from climate change. Sure, there is a risk of nuclear annihilation, but at any point, we could be struck by a gamma ray burst from a black hole that wipes out all life on earth! I can’t control global or cosmic risk! So whatever LOLI live in rural NZ so I know there will be food for progeny.I am confident I can equip a child with resources and skills. I would probably abort a baby with special needs as I think that would be unfair/cruel to have a high needs child with what I know is coming.The environmental impacts of children is a numbers game. If every generation is having 5+ kids it is a disaster. If a couple has 1-2 children it is not an impact. I can explain this maths properly if people want? I think a lot of environmental activists have been ridiculous/illogical in their anti-child arguments. The biggest generation is the one I belong to. There will always be less people from now on.The only ideas and beliefs that survive are those of people who have children. If you believe there is a better way to live, the only way to make that happen is to raise children with the same beliefs. Otherwise, we are quite literally being outbred by stupid people and stupid ideas. I think there is probably some to do with DNA too, like our MORT genes. I come from a long line of atheists on both sides, and my husband has this too in his family.My mother did not want to have children. Her science teacher told her she was smart and that she should have children. And he was right as the results of her work was good, when I look at my siblings.Smart people thinking they are being smart by not having children seems dumb to me LOL but that is my own personal opinion.For the record – adoption is not super common in first-world countries like NZ. I am on many Facebook groups where people have shared their stories of being unable to adopt. You can of course do fostering, which is something I would consider. You would need time for fostering as our foster children in NZ just about all have additional needs as they have had trauma, drug/alcohol fetal syndrome etc. so likely is not compatible with a full-time stressful job. Plus when you do fostering you are essentially an employee of the state so your personal home then needs to comply with regulations, be inspected etc.

Last edited 7 days ago by monk
Gaia gardener
Gaia gardener
Reply to  monk
June 17, 2026 3:37 pm

Good morning everyone and a warm hug to you monk for your honesty and courage to openly be yourself with us. I am taking that as a sure sign of trust that you have in our little community here to be able to see and stand alongside you even if we may not share the same opinions. This is an opportunity of all of us to accept life and all its forms as we so often say we wish we could do.

I wish you all the best and comfort and contentment in your journey. I so understand your feelings and desire, not just because of your obviously thought out decision but mainly because I want to honour that you and your husband have also this one life to live as you choose, just as I would wish for myself. The universe does not judge, it only is and then changes.

One small input if it makes any sense at all to everyone here as I have chosen not to have children, is that for those who are still considering the choice, please spare a thought for having two (I know! but hear me out) as I and my husband are only children and the extra burden of having been the all and everything to parents can be overwhelming and unnatural, as well as the burden of being the only one to care for aging parents in due time (something we are going through now). I suppose if you’re going for one, you may as well think on the side of evolution and don’t put all your eggs (and sperm!) in one basket, so to speak.

Apologies for not being more present here as of late, my husband has come up for a 2 week conjugal and working visit to our property in Queensland and it’s been flat out. Several months ago I was prepared that every visit might be the last at least by plane due to the fuel situation but somehow here we are and it’s more or less BAU in Australia, go figure. All the more reason for us to think that we’re in bonus day territory and should just continue to do our best every day with what we’ve got.

I’ve been very intrigued by many of the recent comments by the way, thank you to all for stimulating contributions. I got a kick out of the thread about relationships which were posted on the 15th June, as that happened to be our 36th anniversary (and we actually spent the day together this year!) I never take for granted that I was lucky beyond belief to have found a compatible life partner at a relatively young age (I married at 19, yes, that still can happen and some of those marriages can last!) and of course we have had rocky times but we have done so much growing together and now are so companionable that it really feels like one life sometimes, although with different antenna receiving inputs as we do process things in complementary ways. I forgot exactly what MB thingo I am, it was heavy on the feeling and intuit side and I think my husband was the opposite, like your case, monk.

Anyhow, there are many ways to feel connection with other beings that bring deepest satisfaction and meaning to life, and all are wonderful and a marvel. I wish for everyone here that you may find that which you seek, even if it appears in a completely different way or form than expected.

Namaste and love to you, friends.

monk
Reply to  Gaia gardener
June 17, 2026 4:09 pm

Great to hear from you Gaia. You and your husband should be proud, it does show you are both good people to have a great marriage. I too feel lucky to have a good relationship, it is a real blessing. I totally understand what you mean about only children. It can also be lonely for only children getting older too, and having very little family.

Christ
Reply to  Gaia gardener
June 17, 2026 4:54 pm

Hi sis. Good to hear from you. You never have to explain your lack of presence here. We’ve accepted that you drift in and out.

But now that I know you’ve been couped up for the last couple weeks performing sinful acts with your husband during his conjugal visit… I might have to pay you guys a visit to lecture you about your evil doings. Shame shame, we know your name.😂

Gaia gardener
Gaia gardener
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 17, 2026 7:36 pm

Oh Rob,

You are a hoot. All sorts of imagery came to mind with your reference to an oil well, if you follow my drift. I can see that I’ve offended my saintly bro with my carnality so I better get off topic (pun!) If you really want to know, I actually have a mind like a gutter (yes, there are many sides to Gaia!)

Hamish
Hamish
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 18, 2026 1:23 am

” … and depleted like a fracked oil well.”

Thanks, I just sprayed a drink over my keyboard and displays.

Christ
Reply to  monk
June 17, 2026 4:48 pm

Thanks for sharing, monk. I was looking forward to casting judgement on your reasoning. But I’ve got nothing.

My only gripe is this line; Smart people thinking they are being smart by not having children seems dumb to me

But I get it. We all have our opinions.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Christ
June 17, 2026 5:40 pm

Fun fact about the genetics of IQ: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritability_of_IQ#Heritability_and_caveats

“Contrary to popular belief, two parents of higher IQ will not necessarily produce offspring of equal or higher intelligence. Polygenic traits often appear less heritable at the extremes. A heritable trait is definitionally more likely to appear in the offspring of two parents high in that trait than in the offspring of two randomly selected parents. However, the more extreme the expression of the trait in the parents, the less likely the child is to display the same extreme as the parents. In fact, parents whose IQ is at either extreme are more likely to produce offspring with IQ closer to the mean (or average) than they are to produce offspring with high IQ. At the same time, the more extreme the expression of the trait in the parents, the more likely the child is to express the trait at all. For example, the child of two extremely tall parents is likely to be taller than the average person (displaying the trait), but unlikely to be taller than the two parents (displaying the trait at the same extreme).”

monk
Reply to  J. Doe
June 17, 2026 6:05 pm

That was interesting, thanks for sharing. Surely parenting and environment has a big role to play as well?

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  monk
June 18, 2026 9:33 am

There is a lot of debate surrounding nature and nurture in the intelligence research community. As far as I can make sense of it, the most accurate summary at the moment is that both play a role, but your genetics define an upper limit of how high your IQ can get. Your environment determines how much of your potential you can tap into, but you cannot use environmental factors to go beyond a certain, defined ceiling.

I would recommend these links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioural_genetics

Dr. Plomin has published a lot on the matter:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Plomin
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Nmt_xfwAAAAJ&hl=en

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  J. Doe
June 18, 2026 9:37 am

One thing I like to throw in, though, is that intelligence and rationality are two very separate things; a lot of very high IQ people display what Stanovich et al have termed “dysrationalia”: irrational behaviour despite extreme intellect.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysrationalia

monk
Reply to  J. Doe
June 18, 2026 1:40 pm

That is definitely true. I have observed that a lot. What do you think is the underlying reason for being good at logic? Is it something you are taught? Or is it a personality thing about being obsessed with truth?

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  monk
June 18, 2026 8:40 pm

My most favourite example is John von Neumann: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_von_Neumann
Without exaggeration, he may have been the smartest person in all of documented history. He could calculate complex differential equations faster in his mind than the computers of his time (which he helped build). Nobel prize winners often felt like idiots when talking to him.
On the other hand, he crashed his cars so often that he got a new one every year on average – because he liked to read books while driving and didn’t hire a driver due to his obsession of feeling in control of the vehicle. He also was so afraid of death that he just pretended that it didn’t exist; to the point he risked his own life and that of others with his reckless driving style. He also advocated for all-out nuclear war with the Russians.
He’s also the same person that came up with game theory and established that you always should minimize your maximum possible loss in anything you do.
He had the perfect IQ genes, but that didn’t stop him from being an idiot.

I don’t know if rationality is more a learned or more of a genetic trait; you might be more rational if you have enough intellect to grasp the rules of logic, but if that’s combined with a lot of emotionality, those emotions might just overwrite any reasoning (like fear of death making you ignore death risks as acknowledging the risk’s existence would trigger your fear-response which you are trying to avoid).

There’s probably some scientific literature on this, too, but I couldn’t quote anything in that regard by heart.

monk
Reply to  J. Doe
June 18, 2026 8:59 pm

Well there is a big difference between a brain that is superior at processing and one that is wise 🙂

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  monk
June 19, 2026 8:01 am

Very big difference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Diary

The allied Dr. Gilbert conducted IQ tests with all the Nazi leaders at Nuremberg and found out that they were almost exclusively in the high to very high IQ range.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Christ
June 17, 2026 5:23 am

The human brain evolved under conditions of very high childhood mortality and is built to tolerate that. Even if 50% of all one’s children were guaranteed to die before reaching puberty, the average human would not see that as a reason to not reproduce. If I remember correctly, there even is positive correlation between exposure to mortality and fertility, e. g. humans reproduce more the more death they experience around them (this makes biological sense – a species that does not replicate more aggressively if it starts dropping like flies probably would face extinction)

My best guess is that people will have more children as collapse gets worse.

Personally, I don’t care. As a schizoid, my detachment from emotional matters just makes me shrug in that regard – and it also translates into not wanting children, because I am not emotionally attached to that concept, either.

All I see is a petri dish with nutrient solution, and of course, when you introduce yeast, it will replicate. And of course, it will die. It’s just a biochemical reaction driven by thermodynamics. Reading any sort of positive or negative value into that is the product of a brain generating valenced internal subjective states which it was also selected for.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  J. Doe
June 17, 2026 5:32 am

Addendum:

What I see here are two biological wirings:

1) Reproduction – An organism that experiences no urge to replicate goes extinct and disappears. This leads to the evolution of brains that attribute positive value to replication protocols and leads to pro-natalistic philosophy.

2) Empathy – An organism that does not care about its offspring will not invest time and effort into them and they probably will die, which translates into extinction. This leads to the evolution of brains that attribute positive value to the absence of suffering and leads to anti-natalistic philosophy.

Since both positions are ultimately evolutionarily competing principles based on affective states generated by the brain, there is no logical argument to be had. It’s two emotional drives that sometimes contradict each other. My best guess is that evolution will trim empathy in favour of reproduction.

monk
Reply to  J. Doe
June 17, 2026 4:11 pm

Empathy can’t be trimmed because infants of low empathy parents would have a lower survival rate.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  monk
June 17, 2026 4:27 pm

Empathy is a spectrum. If an individual has so much empathy that their mirror neurons scream “NOOOOO!!!” when they imagine merely the potential suffering of a person that does not even exist yet, and that makes them abstain from reproduction, they will not pass on their level of empathy to the next generation (at least the genetic part of it that defines their mirror neurons).

monk
Reply to  J. Doe
June 17, 2026 4:46 pm

what you are describing sounds more like a mental illness than empathy to me

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  monk
June 17, 2026 5:29 pm

Maybe we are using different definitions?

Affective empathy is when you experience the emotional state of the being you observe (if you see a human smile and it makes you feel good). That’s mirror neuron activity, your brain copies the pattern into your own mind.

Cognitive empathy is the ability to understand emotional states without experiencing them yourself (like an AI that can tell if someone is sad based on what they write or by tears being visible in a picture)

monk
Reply to  J. Doe
June 17, 2026 6:13 pm

I was referring to this: “so much empathy” that it is debilitating.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  monk
June 18, 2026 9:50 am

I am fairly certain that is a reason why anti-natalist philsophy exists. I might be wrong, but a lot of people in that group seem to argue that they won’t reproduce because of empathetic reasons.

https://www.reddit.com/r/antinatalism/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antinatalism

The thing is that if it is actually the affective empathy being on the extreme end of the spectrum, then it self-selects out of the gene pool.

monk
Reply to  J. Doe
June 18, 2026 1:37 pm

gotcha, I suppose that has a logic to it

Gaia gardener
Gaia gardener
Reply to  J. Doe
June 17, 2026 4:13 pm

Thank you J Doe for your logical insights. I really appreciate your evaluations of this and many other arising topics as I have just alluded to that your antenna and mine are attuned to pick up things differently but leads to often similar conclusions.

I have thought of this dilemma of sorts quite a bit as I never had any desire to reproduce ever since I was a child and began to think along the lines of my impact on this planet and how to reduce suffering. From my earliest memory, I worked out for myself that my own child would only be of exceptional importance to me (and my partner) but not so to any other human being (not counting immediate family but that still leaves 8.4 billion), and that all the lifetime energy and inputs I would devote to my one or two children could be expended on helping others which would have a wider scope. I chose to be a doctor along these lines of reasoning, that I could have more energy and resources at hand to alleviate the suffering of say, 500 people, instead of siphoning that to my own progeny. At that time (I think I was about 9-10 years old at this time of awareness) of course I didn’t have any clue of overshoot (although there’s no reason why I shouldn’t have been able to understand, it just wasn’t on my radar) so this decision to not have children (before I could even physically have them!) was purely based on this logic alone.

Blessed I was indeed to have met a life partner who more or less shared this same thought which became ever more solidified through the years.

Many, many times my partner and I have been told that we would have been wonderful parents and should have had children (some well wishers even stating a reason that our children would have been beautiful as a honey-brown Eurasian combo) but we have been firm in this decision. However, we’ve been honorary auntie and uncle to many children of friends and have probably made quite a difference in some of those kids’ lives (hopefully positive!) Although our role and influence is obviously adjunct, these connections have brought much joy and fulfilment. But, yes, our case does illustrate the point that those who have the level of empathy and resources to perhaps successfully raise “desirable” members of society often outthink themselves to not procreate, thereby reducing this potential genetic and cultural pool. But, as you say J Doe, the universe is a petri dish and has no expectations other than what are the natural laws.

We have gone forth and multiplied, and now past our limits, so what will, will. It only remains for us to live through the time we have, god willing and help us all.

Namaste, friends.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Gaia gardener
June 17, 2026 5:15 pm

My antenna is very, very different – it’s why I keep pointing out I have schizoidia. It’s an extremely rare neurotype, and I am on the extreme end of it (I would estimate only 0.1% of all people have it like that, if at all).

I have a very, very long list of reasons why I do not want any children. But my main reason has always been that I just have absolutely no emotional interest in it. Schizoids typically never reproduce unless they are under duress from family or society at large.
A few other aspects: I do not experience emotional love (love is an entirely cognitive thing to me, a decision of sorts based on intellectual appreciation, if that makes sense). I know I would not love my children. They would be strangers to me. The only way I can really connect with people is through mutual intellectual alignment – a child cannot offer that. I know I would be a horrible father who would have absolutely no motivation to do anything with his child. It would register as a stranger who I do not want to spend time with.
The only motivation that I have is to understand the universe to the furthest degree possible that my limited brain allows until the day I die. Game-theory-wise, offspring are not a logical decision from this perspective.
I also am not emotionally attached to humanity’s continued existence – all species eventually go extinct, it’s a thermodynamic certainty and all of existence is ultimately an entropic dead-end. To me, it’s irrelevant if that happens sooner rather than later.
Then, there is genetics – there are a lot of conditions in my family, like a very high risk of depression, multiple sklerosis, severe acne and sebaceous gland activity, to name but a few. It’s not something I would want to have passed on to me, and it would seem hypocritical to want to pass it on further.
I also experience extreme cognitive dissonance from environmental breakdown (not because I am emotionally attached to life on earth or the planet, but because it makes no logical sense to burn down your own habitat if you want to be alive and because I cognitively appreciate the complexity of intact ecosystems), and I really don’t want to contribute to that. And I also don’t want to explain it to any hypothetical offspring.
… That’s only a few bullet points.

All I really want is to sit alone in a quiet room and read and study. Some tap water. Porridge. And that’s pretty much it. I have zero interest in accumulating riches and wealth, zero interest in social status and zero interest in any form of legacy – neither genetic or in some more abstract form like collective memory. So I obviously wouldn’t be the kind of partner most people would be looking for, anyway. It’s kind of a statistical anomaly that I had a relationship with my ex for 13 years, since 3rd grade, until she succumbed to her schizophrenia. She was the only person I ever met who truly tolerated my personality structure (she was extremely cerebral herself and also very introverted, we often just spent hours sitting together in my room, reading books, not saying a word to each other. And it was perfect.)

Anyway. I am just here because I want to understand what’s happening to this planet. MORT has helped me get rid of a lot of cognitive dissonance. Takes a lot to get a schizoid to bother writing stuff like this. Bit of a statistical anomaly in itself, heh.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 17, 2026 5:43 pm

Well, this is the only site in all of cyberspace that discusses MORT. I don’t think I could take these thoughts anywhere else!

monk
Reply to  J. Doe
June 17, 2026 6:36 pm

That was super interesting to read how your mind works. I can relate to having intellectual curiosity as a source of enjoyment, but not to anything else, as I am such an emotional person.
Do you well and content in day to day life?

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  monk
June 18, 2026 8:12 am

Well, human civilization was not built with schizoidia in mind. I cannot relate at all to anything most people consider normal and have opted out of it to the furthest degree possible. I work part-time from home, and am pretty much a modern day hermit. Typically, I don’t leave my apartment during the day (I don’t like the social noise; but I like to take long walks in the middle of the night when there’s no one around), food gets delivered to my door and the rest of my time I spend reading scientific literature, discussing topics I find interesting on the internet (like MORT here), playing video games (not for entertainment – they are tools to keep my mind sharp; real-time strategy games that require to keep track of a lot of things simultaneously, such as logistic chains, resource deposits, enemy activities, troop morale, military doctrines, healthcare etc. ; simulations like Barotrauma and Dwarf Fortress [rumored to be the most complicated video game ever programmed so far] ; sometimes roleplaying games with absurdly complex plots [Planescape Torment, Disco Elysium, Deus Ex] – I also play a lot of Neverwinter Nights to explore how people react to schizoid characters), analysing movies and music, sometimes even reading novels (not quite my thing, but I do like the occasional Franz Kafka story or selected pieces from Mark Twain and Isaac Asimov), I also have a perfume collection (but that’s not emotional content, either; my professional background is in chemistry and I like to try and analyse scents with my nose to see if I can pinpoint the rough chemical composition, it’s more like a historical archive of sorts, I suppose).
I don’t really have an emotional connection to food, either, I just need it functional. I have been drinking sweetened water (I need some sweetener because I often forget to drink otherwise, my sense of hydration is pretty dulled, too) without variety for ten years and I don’t see any need to change that. It’s not like I don’t know how to cook, but I just need things nutrionally optimal and would rather spend my time on studying things rather than preparing meals (I heavily lean towards lots of porridge, raw broccoli salad, plenty of nuts, raw fruits, nothing fancy – the last thing you will ever see me doing is to book a trip to Japan just to eat Fugu in an exclusive restaurant)
I try to maintain a healthy diet, keep my body mass index around 20 and occasionally do a bit of exercise and stationary bicycling. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink alcohol, have never been drunk in my life, have never been interested in any kind of drug and I don’t gamble, either. That’s all again just emotional content my brain doesn’t register as relevant; even though I have to admit that, coming from my chemistry background, alcohol is to me a solving and cleaning agent – I find it somewhat amusing that people would consider that as a drink.
Socially, I’m pretty much alone (that’s the whole point of schizoidia, being alone is the ideal, unless there’s someone who so perfectly fits into the picture that it just works without friction; but that is entirely optional and not something I actively try to find); I don’t talk to my still living family much; we don’t really have any connection worth mentioning.

I think that about sums it up.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 18, 2026 9:02 am

I am not in any academic position to advance any scientific theory. I’m just a humble laboratory technician in voluntary exile because he cannot relate much to the world homo sapiens has created.

I don’t see any critical flaw in CACTUS – in fact, it just seems intuitive. You always go for the low-hanging fruit first. Easy-access deposits with high concentrations, and you go downhill from there, with the energy cost of extraction piling up ever-more while technology is going to run against a wall at some point (you are not going to break the law of Carnot).
And anyone who has ever played a game like “Anno” or Dwarf Fortress should be painfully aware of what happens when you disturb a complex logistical system.

As I see it, what CACTUS /might/ benefit from is a publication in a peer-reviewed journal (if I had to recommend one, I would pick “Biophysical Economics and Sustainability” – if I am not mistaken, it was founded by Charles Hall, who still sits on the editorial board). A mathematical model as a supplement would be excellent; for that, I would probably recommend a software called “Minsky” (Tim Garrett and Steve Keen have been using that to integrate Garrett’s GDP-energy relation into Keen’s economic modelling)
But I don’t have any experience in actually using that software, I don’t think I would be of much help. If you want to model the entire world’s resource supply and logistical chains … tough. Depending on the level of detail you want, you’ll still be working on getting things right when SHTF.

And like you are painfully aware of yourself, this is not the stuff people want to know. Even if it checks out both logically and empirically. I think we would just be hitting our heads against a wall made out of lava.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  J. Doe
June 18, 2026 9:03 am
J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  J. Doe
June 18, 2026 9:08 am
J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 18, 2026 10:05 am

Have you tried writing a pre-print introductory paper for CACTUS that you could show to Garrett, Keen, Hall and perhaps a few others who are most likely not to outright dismiss it as woo? Personally, I think Hall would be the best bet, given he has published the most on related subjects and runs his own journal. And publically calls out mainstream economics as a bunch of BS.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 18, 2026 1:36 pm

I have never been part of writing journal science. I once had a chance to get my name on a paper when I did an internship at a research institute, but I refused – I didn’t really do anything noteworthy and I figured it would look bad to have an author on the paper who has no academic degrees.

I don’t think someone like Charles Hall would care that much about credentials for as long as the work itself is rigorous; still, it always looks better to have a lead author with a high h-index on any given publication (science isn’t save from social woo) if you want it to be taken seriously at first glance. And even then… Garrett has an h-index of around 40 (that is already quite exceptional) and his CThERM papers still weren’t taken seriously.
Varki sits at an astronomic 150+ (that is titan territory, easily top 0.1%, if not 0.01%) – still, radio silence.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  J. Doe
June 18, 2026 8:43 am

Here, this is pretty much everything I own. It still registers to my mind as a bit too cluttered. You can see how there’s no pictures, no symbols, no comfy-bits etc. Some people say it looks less like a home and more like a prison cell. Turns out I really don’t care, it’s perfectly functional and I can spend years in such a room without experiencing any form of distress.

comment image

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 18, 2026 10:13 am

The nice thing about schizoidia-fueled minimalism is that you just don’t have enough objects to ever generate disorder even if you tried. But given my background in chemistry, I just keep everything obsessively clean and sterile by default. Disorderly conduct in my line of work can get you killed. Hells, even a bloody spelling mistake can be the end of you. Mistake CoCl2 with COCl2 and you are going to have a very, very bad time!

My system is really old, got it in 2011, but it still runs like a charm. Even the HDD hasn’t needed replacement yet.
Back then, I really wanted to invest a bit extra in a stainless steel casing for better thermal conductivity. Also comes with separate air-flow shafts, one for HDDs and power supply, the other for the remaining internals. And it has a double-wall for better cable management. Even a thumb-screw design so you don’t need any tools to disassemble the chassis.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 18, 2026 10:39 am

Bling is noise. I want the best available thermal paste for the CPU, copper heat sinks, 90%+ efficiency power supply, rubberized HDD racks, quiet fans with easy-to-clean dust filters, and as much high-thermal-conductivity metal as possible. Those flashy LED gamer rigs are just brutal on my eyes. But hey, emotional beings apparently like that stuff.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 18, 2026 11:50 am

I also want a liquid nitrogen cooling system (that pulls its nitrogen directly out of the ambient air) and whatever I need to use this data storage technology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5D_optical_data_storage

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 18, 2026 12:22 pm

If we can get our hands on some chunks of radioactive material, we could probably convert the waste heat from the nuclear decay into electricity entirely passively with a Peltier Element! That would spare us any nasty fuel rod management, but I suppose we would need exceptional radiation shielding. At least, if SHTF, we no longer have to worry about pesky permits!

Gaia gardener
Gaia gardener
Reply to  J. Doe
June 17, 2026 7:29 pm

Hello J Doe,

Thank you for that. I very much enjoy your company here, too. I am probably the antithesis of what you describe as schizoid personality but at the same time, I completely see you and for my part would feel quite comfortable sharing quiet space with you, just being and thinking. I like porridge, too, all types.

Namaste. Go well, friend.

Christ
Reply to  J. Doe
June 17, 2026 10:09 pm

Great comment. You’ve convinced me that I’m part schizoid. 

I know I would be a horrible father

Had that same feeling all my life. Until Mr Zeus entered the picture.

This comment link gives some details if you’re interested. I just re-read the whole thread, good stuff.  

https://un-denial.com/2024/02/20/by-paqnation-aka-chris-my-final-act/comment-page-4/#comment-94691

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Christ
June 18, 2026 8:26 am

Schizoidia is a spectrum, some people are just schizoid-adjacent, others are very, very deep into the territory. If you’re interested, Reddit does have a spot for it: https://www.reddit.com/r/Schizoid/

In my experience, if you ask any AI of your choice to test if you are on the spectrum, it can do that relatively well. There’s just a few caveats:

Schizoidia is often misdiagnosed. A lot of times, it is mistaken for autism. And they do look quite similar at first glance, however, autists typically have a lot more emotional wiring going on and actually want to connect more with people but can’t due to the conditions impact on theory of mind; a schizoid is emotionally flatter and understands social dynamics quite well, but lacks the inherent motivation to want to participate in it. Then, it’s also often mistaken for social anxiety. But someone with social anxiety withdraws out of fear and suffers from loneliness, while a schizoid withdraws because being alone is genuinely preferred and might not even have a clue that loneliness exists as an emotion.

Bob Nickson
Bob Nickson
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 16, 2026 11:09 am

Rob,

Do you have a post where you elucidate why you hold this position regarding the Covid pandemic and the mRNA vaccines? Do you have a link with citations to your sources?

Much thanks.

Bob Nickson
Bob Nickson
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 17, 2026 6:48 am

I attempted to pose my question agnostically. I assumed you’ve written about it, but I’ve searched through your site map, your indexes, and your menus, and I haven’t found it listed as a topic. I’m just looking for help navigating to where you do discuss the information that has informed your position.

Much thanks.

Last edited 7 days ago by Bob Nickson
Bob Nickson
Bob Nickson
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 17, 2026 10:12 am

The most salient questions for me personally are:

The efficacy and safety of mRNA vaccines generally, and of covid vaccines specifically.

Trustworthiness of national and international public health institutions.

monk
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 17, 2026 4:13 pm

I too stopped donating to Wikipedia after their biases annoyed the crap out of me

Kobayashi Maru
Kobayashi Maru
June 15, 2026 7:56 pm

Please cease the complaining about no one saying anything. It’s negative and counter-productive.

Take another approach: each week or so, choose one detailed item about Cactus and talk about it. Explain the real-world details: what happens in this or that situation. The human psychology behind people’s responses or lack thereof—look up George Lakoff for insights there, re metaphors, reasoning, cognitive psychology, etc.

Just take one topic and explain it simply and offer a few references that support those ideas.

SIMPLE and not silence. Let others do as they will. NOT your problem to think about. Just Teach It, they will come.

Christ
Reply to  Kobayashi Maru
June 16, 2026 12:16 am

Just Teach It, they will come.

I’m not clowning on your comment, Kobayashi. Overall, it’s good advice. But when someone tees it up like that for me, I can’t resist. 

Everyone, listen to this clip but follow along with the revised script below. The greatest speech ever. Rob, we’re gonna make a fortune!

Rob, people will come, Rob.

They’ll come to un-Denial for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn on their computers, not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your website as innocent as children, longing for the past.

“Of course, we won’t mind if you look around,” you’ll say. “It’s only twenty dollars per person.” They’ll pass over the money without even thinking about it. For it is money they have, and awareness they lack.

And they’ll cyberwalk out to the oil fields and sit in their EV’s on a perfect cyberafternoon. They’ll find they have reserved seats somewhere along the 100 million barrels, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they’ll watch the game, and it’ll be as if they’d dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they’ll have to brush them away from their faces.

People will come, Rob! 

The one constant through all the years, Rob, has been CACTUS. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But CACTUS has marked the time. This field, this game, it’s a part of our past, Rob. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again.

Ohhhhhh, people will come, Rob. People will most definitely come.

Hamish
Hamish
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 16, 2026 2:23 pm

The late George Carlin talking about the big club that we ain’t in and politicians, said “they don’t care about you” and then for emphasis added 3 “at all”.

Carlin (especially) could equally have said “they don’t give a fuck about you, at all, at all, at all”.

Reality (understanding) : nobody gives a fuck, and to a large extent, it is because giving-a-fuck is forbidden.

Pretty soon, the suicide rate is going to soar – as people transition into not giving a fuck about themselves (or their spouse, children, parents, siblings & close friends). And that is not a conscious transition, just as the transition into dementia is unknown to the victim.

Acceptance of what is actually happening and accepting reality is damn near impossible – for so many reasons :
• Understanding – is beyond most peoples capacity because of the effort required, or the intellect that is required, or the time, or distractions, or …
• Denial Genes – forbid accepting harsh realities (we would stop procreating)
• Social conditioning – the need to fit in to society, or being immersed in advertising
• And so much more …

The original post “Please cease the complaining …”

I thought – is this a troll, or maybe AI, or maybe they are sincere, maybe they will reply to Rob’s longer reply, maybe they actually understand and give-a-fuck, or … and my mind drifts off into various extrapolations, tracing and back-tracking along various trains of thought.

Then I come back to reality and say “fuck it”.

With all of our anger, I don’t know or understand how you keep it up – maybe its a case of : some of us have really weird hobbies!

Hamish
Hamish
Reply to  Hamish
June 16, 2026 2:37 pm

I didn’t fuck it up
Did you fuck it up?
It’s fucked up

Kobayashi Maru
Kobayashi Maru
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 17, 2026 8:05 pm

Hamish “maybe they actually understand and give-a-fuck”

KM: I totally understand both mort n cactus, from some time ago. If I didn’t give a fuck I would have never read it, nor responded above now, saying what I said.

Quote: “Please cease the complaining about no one saying anything. It’s negative and counter-productive. Take another approach:………”

Rob: “so I respond respectfully” ?

KM: No you didn’t. Rather than “hearing” what was said, you offhandedly dismissed what was offered, then continued to “complain, blame and criticize”

My comment focused entirely on your attitude and approach. Acknowledging you have “failed” you deny any responsibility instead blaming others, highly intelligent experts in the field of systems failure, because they are too stupid to understand you?

You are your own biggest problem. You are the one incapable of listening or understanding. Your attitude stinks. You’re beyond help.

HideAway
HideAway
Reply to  Kobayashi Maru
June 16, 2026 2:56 am

Welcome Kobayashi Maru, a perfect name for an Undeniably Cactus person..

From the Star Trek universe the only way to get out of an impossible situation, is to cheat, just like most of mankind does in their belief of the future, and every billionaire does to ‘get ahead’, while the good times last…

In the previous post, Rob gave a 13 point outline of Cactus, I stated I’d be using these points and expanding on some of them the get a more complete picture, but just haven’t started just yet, sorry for being slack..

I’ve been watching too many science fiction movies and series, looking at all the things people think will be possible in the future, which are firmly in the realm of science fiction and will always stay there.. (The ‘fusion drive’ of the rocket is producing a plume of fire, which is not how fusion would work.. etc, etc, etc..)

I get your frustration, of Rob’s frustration, hope that makes sense, about no-one from even in the doomsphere understanding MORT or CACTUS, and not having any arguments against either. They just call them wrong..

My own opinion is slightly different.. Do we really want people to know about CACTUS?? You just have to look at all of us closet preppers here, the more people that know and understand, the more hoarding of sardines and likely the faster the collapse if enough paid attention..(sardines being a good pseudonym for everything we gather to prep).

Realistically the full description of Cactus is a book or series of books, that I think you already get, but that much information gets into the TLDR mode for most people. Maybe if I do get around to writing up the slightly expanded version of those 13 points of CACTUS, we could go through each one and expand on it over a series of posts. Treat it initially as a brainstorming exercise, to start the first few days of conversation on each aspect, then the next week or 2 pulling it apart or adding strength…

anyway, welcome trekkie, to the dark side of the force… (oh whoops…)

Last edited 9 days ago by HideAway
Kobayashi Maru
Kobayashi Maru
Reply to  HideAway
June 17, 2026 8:11 pm

Do as you wish.

Christ
June 15, 2026 3:30 pm

I liked Art’s take on Trump today. This idiocracy peak of insanity thing has been super frustrating for me… because I haven’t been able to figure out how to take advantage of it.

I always underestimate the stupidity of the masses. For example, in the early days of Facebook and Twitter, I argued that they won’t last because nobody cares about following celebrities around. 

I’m also gullible as hell. Like with that awful show American Idol. First couple years I actually believed everyone when they said “I don’t like it. I only watch the first couple episodes to make fun of the bad auditions.” (btw, 24 goddamn seasons of American Idol, and only one season of Firefly😡)

Unlike me, Trump is genius at estimating the stupidity of the masses.

https://www.artberman.com/blog/truth-is-no-longer-the-bottom-line/

[re: Trump’s tweet from 6/13] What’s striking, however, isn’t the substance of the post but its packaging. It reads like a trailer for The Iran War streaming series. Obama is the villain from a previous season. Trump is the hero fixing the mistake. The B-2 pilots are supporting characters. “Nuclear dust” is a plot device. The deal is the happy ending.

Nuclear diplomacy, radioactive contamination, and the threat of catastrophic force are being narrated as a feel-good business deal with a season-finale cliffhanger.

That may be why Trump’s politics work so well. He does not simply offer a narrative. He offers an experience: outrage, anticipation, victory, betrayal, suspense, catharsis. Facts become secondary to emotional participation.

The deeper question is no longer whether people can handle the truth. The question is whether truth still matters once it is competing not merely with a more compelling narrative, but with a more compelling experience.

Donald Trump seems to understand that better than almost anyone.

ps. Need a laugh? Funny old skit spoofing The Dead Zone.

And I like this comment.

“YOU… are going to die tomorrow.”
“But I thought you can only predict trivial things.”
“Yeah.”

Hamish
Hamish
Reply to  Christ
June 15, 2026 3:41 pm

Those first 4 paragraphs are almost my level of jaded and cynical – awesome.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Christ
June 15, 2026 3:42 pm

If only Trump could instead work on the truly important things. Such as

“When and how do we get an online dating & match-making service that comes with a robust MORT filter so people not affected by MORT can finally find the people they actually can have a normal conversation with?!!!”

Hamish
Hamish
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 3:56 pm

I bet MortMatchMaker.com is available!

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Hamish
June 15, 2026 4:02 pm

“Meet reality-aware singles not in denial near you*”
*Your closest match is likely over 1 000 km away from you and may or may not share any languages with you

Christ
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 4:50 pm

Going with my ‘one in a million’ logic, I should have 349 matches in the US… and 7 in Arizona. Those numbers sound way too high.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Christ
June 15, 2026 4:54 pm

You have to keep in mind that of these 349 people, only around 20% will be in your own age-group. Of these 20%, only 50% will be the gender you are into (assuming heterosexuality). And that doesn’t account for a lot of other things and personal preferences. So the number for actual compatibility is going to be far, faaaaar lower still! xD

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 4:58 pm

So, essentially, your perfect match exists, but they probably live somewhere in Asia or Africa, do not speak any language you know, and without an international pooling via match-making-algorithms, the chance of ever encountering each other is close to zero.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 5:18 pm

Of course, this is based on the assumption that MORT-freeness is equally distributed among genders, which may not be the case. I think Tom Murphy once mentioned that over 90% of his blogs’ audience have the INTJ Myer-Briggs-Indicator, which is 80% male. Could be noise, could be signal.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 5:20 pm

Looks like I messed up a bit: https://dothemath.ucsd.edu/2015/04/programmed-to-ignore/

Point still stands, though.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 5:24 pm

I’m INTJ myself, by the way. xD

monk
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 5:57 pm

We covered this a while back on UN-Denial. Most of us are INTJ, and that type does have more males.
Two INTJs is not a match I’d reccomend for romance haha

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  monk
June 15, 2026 6:03 pm

No surprise there, I suppose. Can’t really comment on the romance part, though, I don’t think I ever was with an INTJ.

monk
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 6:06 pm

I am an INFJ and my husband is the exact opposite of every letter. We have a great relationship

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  monk
June 15, 2026 6:15 pm

My longest relationship I’ve had so far lasted for 13 years, but my partner succumbed to a severe neurodegenerative disease. I never got to know her MBTI, but I think she would have been INXX. I don’t think I would harmonize with an ESXX.

monk
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 6:51 pm

I am so sorry for your loss. That is such a hard thing to go through *virtual hugs*

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  monk
June 15, 2026 7:05 pm

No need for sentimentalities. She and I both were well aware that dying isn’t optional for anyone. We just didn’t expect that to happen so suddenly in early adulthood. I must clarify – she did not physically die. She likely had a severe case of schizophrenia, it’s a genetic condition that leads to a dramatic miswiring (synaptic pruning) in the final stage of brain development; you start hearing voices in your head that tell you to do (potentially very bad) things, your thinking becomes more and more disorganized, your IQ drops severely over time and without treatment, the condition effectively erases your entire personality. She actively refused treatment because she did not see a problem with voices only she could hear that told her to beat me. Ultimately, we had to break up and the woman she is today has nothing to do with the person I grew up with.
That’s also why I can’t shake off the feeling that MORT and schizophrenia could very well be related; the condition is genetic to the core, specific to homo sapiens, and does exactly what you would expect; it’s also not just a single gene, but hundreds that amount to an ever-greater risk. Genetic psychiatrists don’t know why it’s not selected out of the genepool, given how debilitating it is, but it’s possible that in a moderate dose, schizophrenia genes are providing the benefit MORT assumes.
She and I were always the scientific, inquisitive type and I think her past self would have wanted me figure out what the hell happened to her. It’s part of the reason why I’m here.

Christ
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 5:26 pm

LOL. Yeah, but I’m not picky. I’m asexual so I have no problem dating a 99 year old woman or man. As long as they have an awareness level that matches mine, I really don’t care about the other stuff. Not having a dark sense of humor is the only dealbreaker I can think of.

How is it that I’m still single? I’m a helluva catch. No touching allowed (if you get me drunk enough maybe we can hold hands, but that’s as far as it goes). Forget about sleeping in the same bed, I don’t even want you in the same room! We have to watch what I want. And you have to cook for me.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Christ
June 15, 2026 5:46 pm

In my experience, most people are sexual and get terribly frustrated when they are in an exclusive relationship with an asexual person (I do not consider myself asexual, but I definitely lean into the spectrum enough to the point it’s been a point of friction in my past relationships), they might drop out of the pool because they are looking for a sexual partner themselves, which again cuts down the available pool.

But yes, dark humor, please. Darker than dark. Give me Vanta-Black-Dark. Darker than even that. I want a whole new degree of black!

I myself have been single for about 10 years now because I have schizoidia (a profound preference for solitude and extremely low emotional affect, I need a lot of alone time and don’t enjoy socializing for its own sake, and I think the only person I could really harmonize with is a fellow schizoid who I could be alone with together (yes, that’s a thing, apparently)) and don’t find the neurotypical arrangement of seeking status, wealth and genetic legacy in any way rewarding, especially when it is all wrapped up in MORTification. I want raw, unfiltered reality and relentless persuit of knowledge and the most morbid jokes ever told! xD

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 15, 2026 8:29 pm

If we assume that MORT is a polygenic trait (so that it is not a single on/off switch but a whole lot of genes that work in conjunction), then it would be no surprise that combinations with little to no MORT activity would be exceptionally rare (think of casting two six-sided dice – it’s far more likely that they amount to 7 than 2; only that you are not throwing two dice, but a few hundred and are crossing your fingers for rolling a 1 on every single one). In that case, the chance of randomly running into a person with a similar genetic setup would be nigh-zero. Without something like the internet, it would be pretty much impossible to encounter peers. And even with the internet, the peers must be aware of the condition, have a term to look up, technological access to computers and the worldwide web … before they ever even show up as signal.

It would be a statistical anomaly not to be alone if these assumptions are correct. Might be discomforting to look at the potential math behind it all, but personally, I find it somewhat reassuring in the sense that it would be an incredible waste of time to try and just randomly find a “match” just by meeting people in real life more or less randomly. There’s just far too much noise out there, isolating the signal will take a lot of effort and precise filters.

Hamish
Hamish
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 4:08 pm

The Mort-Match-Maker is self contradictory.

• “Normal” conversation (with like minds) we have here on this site.
• Conversation, friends with possible coitus – maybe
• Conversation, leading to family <- WTF.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Hamish
June 15, 2026 4:24 pm

I think it would be an interesting concept. Sure, conversations are possible on this site, but this site does not come with a compatibility algorithm (the best thing I can think of in that regard is okcupid before it was taken over by Match Group) that immediately checks who you have the most things in common with and tells you who most likely will be an ideal romantic partner / close platonic friend. There is also the issue of disclosing relevant, but highly personal data.

Now, personally, I have never wanted any children for a myriad of reasons, and global environmental breakdown is just one of those (I really don’t want to explain to my kids why their brains are being filled with microplastic shards); however, I have actually met doomers who still wanted to start a family despite them being in the near-term-human-extinction camp (yes, that phenomenon apparently does exist). Would be fun to see how many people would actually pick “wants children” when signing up on MORTMatchMaker. I bet it’s not going to be 0%. Anyone wanna place bets? ;D

Hamish
Hamish
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 4:41 pm

• Curiosity
• A (very) dark sense of humour
• & the relevant skills

makes me a candidate to try something like that.

Though I fear I am also the kiss of death. My X posts typically get between zero and 10 views. A lot of businesses I have worked for, no longer exist.

On the other hand – the metrics that ‘might’ be revealed!

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Hamish
June 15, 2026 4:47 pm

I once was in a romantic relationship with a student of medicine and instead of flowers, we gifted each other body parts (teeth that had to be pulled, blood samples, hair) and totally obsessed over scalpel sets and the idea of dissecting a corpse together while making jokes about who of us will die first and how we would donate our bodies to medical science (but only under the condition that the other is allowed to partake in the dissection process). So… yeah. Dark humor that makes a black hole look like the brightest thing in the known universe is not negotiable!

Hamish
Hamish
June 15, 2026 3:01 pm

Distributed Abdication
The majority of people visiting (and especially posting) on un-denial are above average for understanding the relationship between early agriculture (historically speaking) and the role of surplus in enabling specialisation in roles :
• accounting for who owns what
• security of stored grains
• sale, distribution, transportation, baking, etc.

Hydrocarbons have put that specialisation on cocaine.

Israel has been dumping toxins on arable land in Lebanon poisoning it. When Israeli tourists visit a place the locals have a dilemma – the politicians refuse to discuss or initiate sanctions, the prosecutors say their is nothing to charge the tourists with, and so on – a distributed abdication, made possible by complexity.

Fuck the ‘Chosen Scums’.

Hamish
Hamish
Reply to  Hamish
June 15, 2026 3:04 pm

And the genocide is so much more evil.
And the war of choice.
And …

monk
June 15, 2026 2:35 pm

Cannabilism is dangerous. There are prion diseases (misfolded proteins), risk of infections, toxic mineral accumulation, parasite exposure, and excess vitamin A. Prion disease is terrifying and well worth researching. Eating brains and organs would carry more danger. Eating older people would carry more danger. That is why some people theorise that Epstein’s people preferred eating babies/children (rather than adults) as it lowered the risk of prion disease. A truly horrible topic 🙁

Last edited 9 days ago by monk
Stellarwind72
June 15, 2026 2:27 pm

Israel is interfering in Western elections. The West condemns Russia for election interference, but why not Israel?

Last edited 9 days ago by Stellarwind72
Lurker
Lurker
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 16, 2026 3:16 am

Then how can an Israeli citizen also be a US citizen, if Israel doesn’t permit dual citizenship? Is it OK only if they live in another country?

Weogo
Weogo
Reply to  Lurker
June 16, 2026 7:08 am

It may be that US recognizes both passports, Israel only recognizes Israeli one.

Huldulæki
Huldulæki
June 15, 2026 4:37 am

Just some interesting young doomers on youtube.

Their thoughts on the matter: “The world will enter a Mad Max state of lawlessness next decade.”

Delete if not interesting.

Last edited 10 days ago by Huldulæki
Hamish
Hamish
Reply to  Huldulæki
June 15, 2026 6:32 pm

I rate those two young men at 99.8% better informed than the entire population around them.

The one being interviewed seemed keen to not allow moments of silence for reflection and thought. I hope his self-confidence grows and he learns that nobody gives a fuck.

Flippr
Flippr
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 15, 2026 5:51 am

Israel doesn’t want peace so what difference does this mou make?

Duke
Duke
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 15, 2026 1:40 pm

Pulled this from Moon of Alabama:

Last Friday, Mehr News Agency published a 14 point draft of the MoU. This Iranian draft version included:

  1. Permanent and immediate end to war on all fronts, including Lebanon.
  2. US commitment to non-interference in Iran’s internal affairs and respect for the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
  3. Complete lifting of the naval blockade within 30 days.
  4. US commitment to withdraw its forces from around Iran.
  5. Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days, under Iranian arrangements.
  6. Suspension of sanctions on oil and petrochemical product sales and derivatives, and full Iranian access to its financial resources.

Points 2., 3., 6., are straight out of the 1981 Algier Accords which had ended the Iranian hostage crisis. Under that agreement the U.S. had committed to not intervene politically or militarily in Iranian internal affairs and to remove the freeze on Iranian assets and sanctions on Iran. The U.S. started to break those commitments as soon as the Accord had been signed.

Duke
Duke
Reply to  Duke
June 15, 2026 1:43 pm

Rice prices surge for the 3.5 Billion that depend on rice. Prices have been down for a while.

Asian rice prices, specifically for Thailand’s benchmark white rice, surged by 20%. This marked one of the largest single-month jumps in the commodity in nearly two decades. [1]
The sudden spike in price is largely driven by a dangerous “double shock” affecting supply and production costs: [1]

Christ
June 14, 2026 4:11 pm

Found this pic on Dave Pollard’s links of the month. Gave me a good laugh.

comment image

from the memebrary; this article appeared in this Wellington NZ newspaper 114 years ago, based on a report earlier that year in Popular Mechanics (yes, it’s authenticity has been repeatedly fact-checked)

CampbellS
Reply to  Christ
June 14, 2026 11:32 pm

That’s actually an old rural North Auckland newspaper. Warkworth is about an hours drive north of Auckland. About 2.5 hours south of me. Just to clear up some NZ geography 😀

Christ
June 14, 2026 4:01 pm

Hey Renaee, since you were such a big fan of my last post about cannibalism, here’s another one just for you. LOL!!! 

JDoe, I’m expecting you to be the only person with any interest at all. The video is about the slave ship Arrogante in 1837. That story was included in your ‘cannibalism at sea’ wiki link, but this guy goes into way more detail.  

For those not interested, it’s still worth watching the story he tells at 8:52 – 11:41. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have gory details. Video is queued up. Here’s some of the text:  

The European moral panic about African and indigenous cannibalism was a classic case of projection. What could be more cannibalistic than colonialism and chattel slavery?

By far the most bloodthirsty cannibals in the early modern Atlantic world were the monarchs and merchant adventurers of Europe, chewing through entire continents to feed their rapacious appetites… people in West Africa made this connection too. In a fascinating and not at all surprising twist, fear of white cannibalism was widespread in Africa from the 16th to the 19th centuries. 

Europeans were the world’s most successful animal farmers. And enslavers across nationality and culture viewed chattel slavery as an extension of animal husbandry. The European conception of Africans as just another farmed animal is the absolute bedrock of early modern anti-black racism.

And just for a bonus round, here’s another fun story. Not as good as the first video but still held my attention.

What was it about the Wild West that made people want to eat each other? Allow me to satisfy your hunger for knowledge. Feast your eyes on this video and learn about the three most deliciously evil cannibals in American frontier history: Alferd Packer, Boone Helm, and John Jeremiah “Liver-Eating” Johnson (Donner Party not included).

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Christ
June 14, 2026 4:30 pm

That’s rookie territory. There is this video game I play because of the utter chaos you must manage in real time: Barotrauma. You essentially have to manage a submarine in a hostile alien ocean and if I get to be the Captain, I mandate that all corpses must not be buried – instead, they are to be repurposed on the medical deck: remove all transplantable organs, drain all the blood for infusion, extract all precious metals in implants and then use the remains either as nutrient paste, fertilizer or bait for enemy aliens (turns out a pile of rotting human meat with a few depth charges make for excellent deep sea fishing lures). And no worries, if anyone does not want to eat human flesh for ethical reasons, we can feed the human flesh to experimental xenobotanical lifeforms in the hydroponics deck that turn it into perfectly vegan, plant-based food!

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  J. Doe
June 14, 2026 4:39 pm

For context:

Christ
Reply to  J. Doe
June 14, 2026 8:34 pm

Ah, you damn kids with your video games! LOL

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  Christ
June 15, 2026 7:48 am

Barotrauma stops being a video game on the most difficult settings. It becomes an anti-MORT filter because denial will get you erradicated on Europa. You also need to understand actual medicine to play medic (turns out you cannot fix a broken bone with a morphine injection, especially not when the patient is severely psychotic and first needs haloperidol which you must administer with a syringe gun from afar because they are highly aggressive in their current state)

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 7:50 am

For context:

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 7:54 am

And yes, if you perform a blood transfusion, you absolutely have to make sure that the patient receives a compatible blood type. Which is why you want to harvest humanoid corpses of both hostile pirates and fallen crew mates for biomatter.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 8:03 am

And before you ask, yes, you absolutely can electrically wire a nuclear tactical bomb to the ship’s toilet’s flushing mechanism.

J. Doe
J. Doe
Reply to  J. Doe
June 15, 2026 8:10 am

For context:

Renaee
Reply to  Christ
June 14, 2026 8:50 pm

There is no doubt the subject matter is captivating. I once read a novel set during the Irish Potato famine times, and there was a description of families retreating into their homes out of shame, and just staying inside to slowly starve to death rather than the other villagers know they had ‘failed’. Then the Brittish discover some of the bodies and describe evidence of family members eating the dead. Anyway – JDoe has set you straight – rookie territory, ha! (I did not watch these vids btw, your description of the poignant bits says enough). I am very tired today, tackling some big stuck patterns at home within the fam of late, it’s positive but a bit exhausting.

Hamish
Hamish
June 14, 2026 2:52 pm

I’m an inveterate learner. A 2006 moving violation in a car for rolling a stop sign (remote location, 10 PM, deserted streets, very long sight lines), was treated as a half hour $260 ‘traveling’ lesson.

When I listen to a long-form video, if I suspect I am going to learn nothing I stop.

The process of contemplation, has multiple filters – e.g. can I use any conclusions to get leverage over others, make a living, increase my chances of being comfortable (with options) in the years ahead, etc.

This post here, is itself a mix of exposition and experiment.

I’ve been posting on X and whilst interacting with the peanut gallery – (after removing all of my own followers) I’ve been :
• monitoring its algorithm
• looking at the followers / following of others
• noticing that posts with pictures get more engagement than purely text. The hoi polloi have the engagement of a child ‘reading’ a comic.

The Following / Followers is interesting, half of followers appear to be :
• Only-Fans / prostitutes / pimps
• Crypto promoters
• Investment scams
• Engagement farming
• AI Bots
• Nigerian scammers
• etc.
It is a significant effort to check new followers and remove those that are not ‘sincere’.

Aside : on YouTube there has been a massive increase in AI content (written, audio, images & video).

Musk spent billions on a lemon – but I suspect that actually means nothing to him. He was being directed.

My increasing understanding of the collapse is that a group of special people (not Jews & not Semites) are making things worse – the Zionists.

Being prepared has many angles, including the following :

Hamish
Hamish
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 14, 2026 4:48 pm

“… truth has no influence on most citizens …”

Indeed.

But also : I have a hard time thinking of people as citizens, 99% are sheep and a subset of those are aggressive-sheep (we will force you to take the clot-shot).

I try to remain aloof with regard to the sheep. They are likely to get slaughtered, but appear to be begging for that outcome.

I usually fail at remaining aloof, because there is constant anger at the hell they ‘allow’ to rain down on the entirely innocent – children, pets, nature.

I anticipate my PTSD will get much worse, then I will die.

Hamish
Hamish
Reply to  Rob Mielcarski
June 15, 2026 3:49 pm

” … truth has no influence on most citizens …”

From the Art Berman quote above :

The deeper question is no longer whether people can handle the truth. The question is whether truth still matters once it is competing not merely with a more compelling narrative, but with a more compelling experience.

Donald Trump seems to understand that better than almost anyone.

Trump understands very little, he is a classic narcissist and bully, its an illusion of understanding.