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X-WR-CALNAME:In the Shell of the Old
X-WR-CALDESC:Surviving the Future
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DTSTART:20250309T070000
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SUMMARY:In the Shell of the Old
DESCRIPTION:The systems and institutions of society are not living up to
  their promises. That might be old news for you. Or it might be a recent
  revelation. Either way\, after noticing the things aren't as we were le
 ad to believe\, it's worth taking a closer look. Are we dealing with sur
 ficial cracks in the paint that could be patched and restored? Or are we
  seeing the evidence of deep structural flaws? Put differently\, do we n
 eed to confront the fact that honestly made and long-upheld principles a
 nd promises are suddenly being broken? Or is it time to reckon with the 
 fact that those same principles and promises we always dishonestly proff
 ered?\n\n\nIf we accept – or even strongly suspect – that human-made
  systems aren't working well and are leading us somewhere we'd rather no
 t go\, we might be tempted to pursue significant\, large scale\, rapid a
 nd transformative reform of the system. But after so many decades of cla
 moring for action on an array of important issues\, we also must admit t
 hat the massive shifts needed are unlikely\, if not impossible\, to brin
 g about at the pace of worsening crisis or in the face of regression. Th
 is admission is not one of defeat. Rather\, it is an invitation to stop 
 trying to change\, repair\, or redeem "the system") and\, instead\, buil
 d a new world in the shell of the old.\n\nTaking matters into our own ha
 nds involves rebuilding cultures of commoning and cooperation. It also m
 eans not waiting for anyone to come save the day. We must take care of e
 ach other and get to work. As the old world crumbles and cracks\, we can
  discard the parts that no longer serve us\, we can take the pieces that
  work and start rebuilding the world we want to live in\, here and now. 
 This is a task of trusting that other worlds are possible – even if th
 ey straddle or hover just beyond the edges of our current imaginative ca
 pacity. It is also about committing to doing the work to build with who 
 and what we have immediately around us. And it requires courageously acc
 epting (perhaps even embracing\, uncertainty – surrendering to the rea
 lity that we cannot know what our new world(s) will be or bring\, recogn
 izing that we are in the slipstream\, doing the work of generations. It 
 begins when we we show up\, whether overwhelmed or undaunted and trust t
 hat "[w]e know what we need to do. We need to build the sequel\, to draw
  inspiration which has lain dormant\, like the seed beneath the snow." (
 David Fleming)
URL;VALUE=URI:https://survivingthefuture.darkoptimism.org/events/in-the-
 shell-of-the-old/
UID:urn:uuid:6965a02a-316a-4369-b28d-0b9a45a09fdd
STATUS:CONFIRMED
ORGANIZER:
DTSTAMP:20260430T155451Z
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250607T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250607T170000
LOCATION:Hard-Pressed Community Print Shop\, 12 VT Rt. 15\, West Danvill
 e\, Vermont
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