There’s too much to learn!

I’ve been hearing this line lately, as Transition Los Angeles works with people to help them adapt toward post-petroleum lifestyles. “There’s too much to learn!”

But look at what you already know. Look at the massive amount of knowledge you have acquired in the past 3 to 5 years to learn to effectively use that electronic communications gadget you carry in your pocket or purse. A decade ago, you didn’t know those skills. You acquired them recently and rapidly.

Look at the vast warehouse of knowledge you have about how to get around in a consumerist society. Need new sports shoes? I’ll bet you know where to go, where to get the best prices, what route to drive to get there (not to mention the skills of driving), and what hours the store is open. Salad for dinner? Another store, another set of memorized characteristics. You think nothing of knowing how to best get across L.A. or O.C. in cross-town traffic, how to use Facebook, and a bazillion other peak-of-petroleum skills.

Growing food effectively with great yields sounds daunting to us because we are on the front end of the learning curve. We haven’t yet acquired the body of knowledge. But unlike cell phones (which are completely optional in my regard), at this point in human history, learning how to grow food is no longer an option. It is essential to survival.

Next: Chapter 2. Soil