BookBusters 2: Collapse

Our second book, chosen by Nicoline, was the massive volume by Jared Diamond called Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed/Survive. By massive, I mean immense. Nicoline had a hardback copy which, I believe, would hold a door closed against a tornado. In my e-book version, it was well over 1,500 pages.

To be fair, the book covers a lot of ground and details an awful lot of case studies. Most of them are failures; most of them describe the stupidity of the human race when it comes to survival. One of the most frightening things for me is how humans would rather give bells to a church than eat or keep warm. Death for belief is nonsensical.

Or using valuable resources, resources which people need for survival, in order to pay homage to the elite who then die out because those paying homage died as a result of having no resources left. Those equally stupid people who set themselves up as more deserving than any individual only to suffer for it.

I have to be honest here and say that I didn’t quite finish it. I was rushing towards the deadline this afternoon, thinking I had one last chapter to go. I didn’t. I had three to go. There was no way it was going to happen; I was running a losing race. Actually, that would be an excellent title for the book: Humanity, the Losing Race.

Originally, the meeting to discuss the book, was to be held at our place but, given the snow in our driveway was too deep and wide to shift in the time available, we moved the venue to the more accesible East Wing at Nicoline’s place.

Earlier, we’d had a message from Mårten to say that he wouldn’t be able to attend the meeting, which, he said, had a bright side in that it would given him a chance to finish the book. KSP and Jonas were also otherwise engaged which meant it was a meeting of three.

Not that it really mattered. The discussion was varied and lively. I think we all ‘enjoyed’ the book to a large extent. I say ‘enjoyed’ because it’s not really the sort of content that inspires much joy. As opposed to the foamy balls of coconut and chocolate delight which Nicoline served with tea/coffee.

Anyway, refreshment aside, the meeting left us with a not very high opinion of our own species. Personally, I’m not sure how we’ve survived up until now. If you think about it, with the rise of Trump, it seems we are destined to repeat the stupidity of the past, over and over again. Ironically, his latest desire to own Greenland, to take it by force if necessary, is definitely a copy of a much earlier folly.

I have to say that I am really enjoying BookBusters. It’s the first book group I have been a part of and, as I mentioned to Mirinda, a golden opportunity to discuss the type of books that I read to myself regularly. But now I have the chance to discuss them with someone other than the dogs.

Our next book is to be Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke. It’s a lot shorter than Collapse. I think I might start it tomorrow.

Also, the girls visited the vet today to get their yearly booster shots. All went well with Emma being calm and happy and Freya shivering, shaking and generally only being happy when we left the building.

Stalking report

North Bergen had 98 views today.