A review of John Michael Greer’s essay-collection book, Collapse Now and Avoid the Rush, provides a good summary of what is wrong about the post-apocalyptic industrial complex. The basic theme is that industrial civilization, based on short-term consumerism, is doomed and the turning point has already passed. There is little that can be done, and people are unwilling or incapable of taking action that would avoid or minimize the problem.

That Greer self-identifies as a driud is telling, given that little is known about the real druids. They left no writings and the Romans and Greeks, who wrote about them, were hardly unbiased observers. Presumably, the Ancient Order of Druids in America, of which he was Grand Archdruid, relies on mythology and his work betrays that approach. It certainly suggests a bias on his part towards an anti-modern lifestyle, which he appears to not only embrace but allow to influence his thinking. …