Jeremy Puma returns from his vacation to bring some balance to the anti-civ crusade.

It's fun to read anti-civilization literature, but it's also worth considering that quite a bit of what passes for anti-civ lit in this little corner of the web comes from people who have a rather limited understanding of just what civilization means, and I include myself in that assessment. I think many anti-civ arguments make the rather sinister mistake of focusing so much on the past and future that they ignore the idea of living in the present, experiencing humanity and civilization without assessment, taking the time to simply experience and let be.

Here's my confession: On this website, I think I have tended to somewhat over-emphasize my anti-civ side, because 1) I want to give readers something to think about that doesn't generally find voice in mainstream sources, 2) at this point in my life, it feels like the web is the only place I can give vent to these ideas without receiving strange looks from people. So I do it all the more here, to the point that I may at times come off as a total crank. (Or perhaps not, you be the judge.) I think I also have a tendancy to spout more words and theories when I want to take stronger action, but don't, because of my own fears, so I try to make up for it by writing. End confession.

He goes on...

So where am I going with all of this? Heck if I know. I guess it all comes back again to the question of what really has value in all of our blathering, and the answer, which is "Know Thyself." There is no external change; all change is inside one’s self -- internal change occurs as the universe observes and learns from its own actions.

Aye. So what else have we learned today?