Reply #23: I'm not trying to get you to agree to anything in particular

[GliderGuider]

I'm just stating my own observations and conclusions. I don't think 2012 is any kind of magic number in real life, it's more an archetypal symbol that people have seized on because it has a set of convenient properties, one of which is its near-term timing. I agree that (everybody minus epsilon) will still be here in 2013.

All I'm trying to say is that I believe most people drastically underestimate the scope and scale of the problems humanity is facing, and the possibility of a rapid devolution of human societies as a result. They look at Y2K and the Great Depression and figure we can handle pretty much anything. I'm not asking you to accept what I say, I just take these opportunities to put out the idea that this may not necessarily be so.