Resilience is the key word to the survival of mankind. "Be prepared", a saying we drummed into our young people during their early boy scout days It is a concept we generally employ after the fact. Gates are installed at railway crossings, usually after a serious accident, where a road vehicle succumbs to the mighty power of a mega-ton engine and its 100 or so rail cars. Guarding the crossing makes common sense, but only after the need becomes obvious, such as a family destroyed in the 'accident waiting to happen'.

A most interesting book, The Upside of Down by Thomas Homer-Dixon, highlights the major ecological stresses this planet is facing:

- population stress, with emphasis on relative growth rates between rich and poor societies,

- energy stress based on increasing scarcity of conventional oil,

- environmental stress from worsening damage to our land, water, forests and fisheries,

- climate stress from changing makeup of our atmosphere, and

- economic stress, and the ever-widening income gaps between rich and poor people.

Homer-Dixon emphasizes energy stress. When energy is scarce and costly

everything we attempt, including growing food, obtaining resources such as fresh water, handling information and defending ourselves becomes harder. The author despairs of society evoking the changes needed for survival until catastrophe strikes. Resilience is the only option left, i.e. being prepared for the inevitable.

Being in a society deep in powerful vested interests real change is not going to happen without a sharp push or shock from the outside. Denial is easier than action. The only way to cope with the inevitable is to build resilience into each and every system critical to our well being.

I am amazed that for a society obsessed with insurance protection we have opted for efficiency rather than the basic philosophy of 'be prepared'. Industry has found "just in time production' is cheaper than stock piling basic resources in preparation for a rainy day. Hence a General Motors strike in the U.S. resulted in plant closures in Canada within hours for lack of parts. At one time, the forest industries acquired a pulp mill's annual supply of pulpwood, cut overwinter, floated downstream in the spring, to be stored in a mountain of raw material. The cost of tied up money changed everything. Trucking pulp logs from forest to mill met mill requirements on a daily basis. A trucker's strike or a road washout meant camp closure. Industrial efficiency! Lack of resilience!

Hurricane Katrina wiped out New Orleans and much of Louisiana . Scientists had warned of levee failure years earlier but since severe hurricanes only occurred about once a century, current inaction saves millions of dollars. In fact failure to act cost massive loss of life and billions of dollars damage. A lack of resilience. Perceived efficiency. Ancient structures have survived centuries of disaster because engineers knew nothing of efficiency, hence overbuilding with wide margins of error.

Two momentous events occurred late in 1959. My fiancee arrived from England during ice storms which hit North York. Power was disrupted, trees fell under the weight of ice, roads were like glass. Society was under extreme stress for days. (My comment at the time was not well received. Anne arrived and it took the nation 3 days to recover!)

A more recent stressful event was the 2004 black out. Through no credit to us we suffered no hardships in either. Cooking was fine on the barbeque. The fireplace and a year's supply of firewood ensured adequate warmth. Kerosene lamps and candles met lighting needs. A chest style freezer, where cold air sinks to the bottom, results in no thawing of frozen foods. In 1959, ashes from the coal furnace reduced the hazards of sheet ice on the driveway.

On a personal basis we were well prepared for the worst. Government action is needed to ensure the same resilience at a national and global level. It still would be preferable for society to wake up and make the changes that are obviously needed. Fat chance!