Time's Up!: An Uncivilized Solution to a Global Crisis

by Keith Farnish

Book Overview

This is not an environmental book, even though it is concerned with the environment. It is not a book to save the world, even though the world is clearly in trouble. Ultimately, Time's Up! is a book... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 190032248X
• ISBN13: 9781900322485
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: Green Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

It's not terrorism - it's saving humanity.

Unlike the two people who posted 1* reviews of Farnish's book, no doubt as a result of the recent spate of bloggers calling him a "terrorist", I have read Time's Up! In fact I had to read it twice: the first time I was drawn into the fascinating stories of scale, became slightly more self-conscious during the examination of the nature of humans, became downright scared when faced with our lack of connection and the feeling that there was so much conspiring against us that nothing could ever improve, and finally sceptical that the apparently superficial response in the last section could do anything to reconnect us with the real world. But something kept bugging me, and I went through it again - and only when I had reached that last section a second time did I realise that the thing that so many people have recently been attacking was probably the only way out of this mess. The idea of sabotaging (or Undermining, as the printed version calls it - I guess for legal reasons) the "Tools of Disconnection" in order to free civilized people from the yoke of industry makes perfect sense, yet it has never been elucidated so clearly as in this book. In fact Time's Up! specifically rails against the direct-attack "symbolic" actions Farnish has been attacked for apparently promoting, because they are a waste of time - the Tools of Disconnection keep us disconnected, so we keep consuming, voting, working for the system that we have become. Undermining these tools is the key to allowing a new wave of people to make the necessary changes to their lives, and then start the process again for a larger group of people. There is so much more to this book than the negative reviews would like people to think; perhaps they are scared people will read it and start thinking for themselves. Terrorism it is not. Common sense it is.

calculatingly critical

"Never forget that you have time to laugh - it really helps when contemplating annihilation." - Keith Farnish, from Time's Up! Simply put, this book is a pleasure to read, illuminating exactly why we should give a damn. It uses numerically based anecdotes and data-rich stories and examples to illuminate how important our ecosystems are, and what kind of crap we're doing to it as civilized humans. Don't worry though, all the while Keith's charming humor will keep you from depression, not to mention that the book will help you come up with some pretty good answers for how you can actually help (none of that "screw in energy saving light-bulbs to help save the world" kind of stuff either, Keith is ready to discuss the real nitty-gritty changes we need to make). If you already care about our Earth, this book will provide much more fodder for that Thanksgiving (US holiday) or Christmas family face-off, and will aid in your continual grounding and humility. If you don't care about our Earth and our role within our own ecosystems, well, please read this book.

Eye Opener

"The only acceptable outcome for humanity is one in which humans reduce their impact on the planet, such that they are able to continue to remain part of the global ecosystem. The other option is self-annihilation. Humans have a choice, but in order to make this choice they must reject and remove the systems that are preventing them from choosing the outcome." I can get tired of reading books which create disillusionment with the world we live in yet offers no solutions. This book DOES offer solutions. It is well worth the read.

Withdrawing together with Keith Farnish

WITHDRAWING TOGETHER WITH KEITH FARNISH (July 2, 2009) In his Time's Up! An Uncivilized Solution to a Global Crisis,[1] Keith Farnish likens our civilization to a progressive addiction that has lasted for a thousand or more years already. He sets out to show how the reader himself or herself can make the process of withdrawing from this culture as easy as possible. In the short term, it is good to start with water discovery, capture, purification, and storage; shelter building; wild food identification and discovery, preparation, and cooking; building friendship and community spirit; and basic first aid. Civilization itself is the worst disease of all, and the withdrawal cannot but be painful. "It is possible to create a situation where civilization is left to crumble gradually," he argues, "reducing the impact on humanity, and the sooner this is done, the less the global environment will be harmed."[2] This is essential, for an environment left in shambles will not be conducive to survival at all. And survival is our main concern at present. Blundering in will not do. Careful preparation and planning are crucial here. "Step outside civilization, and you stand a pretty good chance of surviving the inevitable," he points out. "Stay inside, and when the crash happens, there may be nothing at all you can do to save yourself."[3] So, start by consuming, eating, traveling, working, and reproducing less. Turning "green" at this stage will not make much of a difference unless your withdrawal is not comprehensive. But begin by realizing that time is indeed up. Now, much of this message is very much to my liking. Even though I do not believe that we will be able to avoid the horror that comes in the wake of the imminent collapse, just like Romans were unable to do so when their world started collapsing around them, I am still convinced that the basic thrust of Farnish's book is right on the money, for it focuses on the individual. All you need to do is to initiate the withdrawal process today. Others will join you sooner or later. The Earth Blog ([...]), which he founded in 2006, is a good place to start. Footnotes 1. Foxhole, Dartington: Green Books, 2009. 2. Op. cit., p. 221. 3. Op. cit., p. 197. [...]

Times Up! presents answers and solutions to save our planet

Times Up! is a carefully documented narrative of collapses in nature caused by disastrous interventions caused by human beings not aware of the importance of keeping ecosystems balanced. Moreover it provides a radical solution to our predicament, unthinkable to those in power. It is not just a book with warnings, it's also a book with answers A compelling book you start reading and can't stop. Just like Jim Lovelock, an iconic figure in British science, Keith Farnish's warnings target mismanagement of Earth's resources and the lack of understanding of the dramatic changes happening to the environment of the planet. The earth as we know it is vanishing. It is moving inexorably to a new degraded state. The idea that we can "save the planet" by reducing carbon emissions is only one action among a coordinated set of attitudes to be adopted immediately. As members of a technologically advanced society we bear a special obligation towards protecting the natural environment and raising ecological awareness. On a global level we must adopt a prophetic and redemptive voice towards the end of a cycle that's doomed to affect us globally as we already bear witness to it. The many ecological initiatives from around the world are just a uncoordinated effort so far in order to address growing environmental concerns affecting the environment. Keith Farnish points out very accurately "if we...include unpredictable factors like the incidence of catastrophic flooding and storms, the outbreak of war or civil unrest, the sudden unavailability of energy supplies that feed every system in Industrial Civilization, or any other factor that can increase the sensitivity of a population, and you can be hurtling straight into the drop zone quicker than you can say, 'I want to get off '. And this is certainly not idle mathematical speculation: human civilizations have undergone collapse after collapse, in almost all cases with the post-collapse society left as a shadow of its previous might." I would add that Prince of Wales has recently delivered an impassioned plea for the world to unite in the fight against the "terrifying" effects of climate change and in this sense is just echoing statements made by Keith Farnish. HRH Prince Charles said "The damage is becoming irreparable and the consequences are terrifying - rising sea levels, spreading disease and environmental refuges on an unimaginable scale." and you can read it all in detail at Times Up!. For all reasons Times Up! is mandatory reading if we are conscious about the real danger knocking on our doors and also as a deadline warning if we still hope to be rescue from a catastrophe that is already unfolding before our eyes.