Billions of people are experiencing strange weather, rising prices, bad politics, and watching worse on the news. Sadly, there are a range of distracting responses similar to what I predicted in my first speech on the topic of collapse, back in November 2016. Despite that, there are many people seeking to integrate their awareness of the predicament into how they approach life from now on. That is why I updated and added to the Deep Adaptation framework of questions, which helps us explore how to respond. As the concept is used within hundreds of initiatives, people have their own ideas about how to deeply adapt, but I believe the upgraded framework is a useful and more comprehensive tool.
As I noticed more people feel anxious about disruption and collapse, I complemented the Deep Adaptation framework with two new models. First, is an approach to personal development, called the RECKON framework. It has been shaping the type of qualities and orientations we are cultivating in each in the peer mentoring of the Metacrisis Initiative (called metacritical mentoring). Second, is a set of 15 action areas, which I dub ‘rainbow prepping’ to emphasise how they enact a more positive orientation than many prepping conversations and initiatives.
Below I provide brief summaries of the concepts, as well as what I mean by societal collapse and the metacrisis. If you wonder if some people sound lost in the face of disruptions and bad news, then this post/email could be useful if you would send it to them. We will discuss the Rainbow Prepping approach in our next Metacrisis salon (meeting info follows at end).
Societal Collapse
A process of the breakdown of modern industrial societies is already underway, driven by ecological degradation and the internal contradictions of an expansionist economic system. As there is such overshoot and momentum, although breakdown could be softened and new systems seeded, the process can’t be stopped, and so collapse is an appropriate term. It does not necessarily mean near term human extinction, but that becomes increasingly likely without massive awakening and organising. See Chapter 1 of Breaking Together for a fuller discussion.
Metacrisis
A useful term for our global predicament, for some of our conversations, can be “the metacrisis.” The term points towards a deeper crisis underlying the myriad problems we experience today, in politics, economics, culture, health and environment. That underlying crisis is in the assumptions, values, beliefs, norms and habits of our societies. Therefore, the term metacrisis can invite us to consider what is in crisis within ourselves, which can be the beginning of deeper transformations. However, many commentators avoid that when they use the term to speak of a degradation of the traditional values and economic structures which privilege them, rather than realising that is what drives the disruption and degradation. See my speech on ‘the magic of the metacrisis’ for a fuller discussion.
Deep Adaptation
After becoming collapse aware, many people are inspired to change their lives and engage in a pro-social and pro-environmental manner. That involves working on adapting personally and collectively to increasing disruption, loss, and damage. Some people find the term deep adaptation useful to explain their approach. Some use the 6R framework of Deep Adaptation, which I developed, for their reflections and discussions. The term and concept became well known after my paper in 2018 with that title went viral. See the completed framework for a fuller discussion of the topics of Resilience, Relinquishment, Restoration, Reconciliation, Reclamation and Regeneration.
Rainbow Prepping
Preparedness for disasters and collapse can be reframed from defensive survivalism to a positive, collaborative approach. Unlike conventional prepping’s grim defensiveness, ‘rainbow prepping‘ emphasizes living kindly and cooperatively amid disruption. The concept offers fifteen action areas (organized as a mnemonic) spanning residence Resilience, Amusement sustainability, Income diversification, Neighbourhood involvement, Business localisation, Orthobiotic wellbeing, Water/food security, Practical skills, Relocation readiness, Ecological stewardship, Psychological wholeness, Political engagement, Information and interaction sovereignty, Needs simplification, and Gumption promotion. Rather than a burdensome “to-do” list, these areas form a “play list” inviting exploration. The rainbow symbolizes both hope after storms, connection between earthly and divine, and the celebration of diversity. It points to an approach to collapse readiness that maintains dignity, creativity, and joy even as the systems we depend upon become unreliable.
Metacritical Mentoring
Collapse-aware people need supportive spaces that honour difficult realities without delusional positivity or professional gatekeeping. Therefore, evolving professional and life coaching so it equips us to live within the metacrisis and is more widely available, is an important challenge and opportunity. Unlike conventional models assuming stable progress and individual optimization, Metacritical Mentoring foregrounds collective truth telling and liberation, emotional authenticity, adaptive capacity, and critical wisdom. Participants mentor each other as equals, welcoming difficult emotions like grief and dread as sources of insight rather than obstacles. The approach seeks to cultivate “heartfulness”—compassionate presence. The approach in the Metacrisis Initiative aims to democratize access by not relying on paid professionals. It also invites meta critique of the process itself, to empower the evolution of practices and models.
RECKON orientations framework
This is a personal development model of six orientations for responding meaningfully to the metacrisis and societal collapse. Reality-facing means courageously acknowledging difficult truths without denial. Emotional appreciation involves processing difficult feelings as sources of intelligence rather than weakness. Critical wisdom integrates logic, mindfulness, intuition, and critical literacy to see clearly and resist manipulation. Kinship responsibility recognises our interdependence with all life and future generations. Organic meaning releases attachment to progress ideology in favour of presence and participation. Numinous adaptability is the term offered for flexible identity adjustment while maintaining ethical grounding and embracing spiritual transformation. These RECKON orientations complement the 6Rs of Deep Adaptation, addressing how we respond, not just what we respond to, grounded in heartfulness and contemplative liberation.
For a more comprehensive list of the concepts I use in the field of deep adaptation, see the Key Ideas page.
Subscribe for $8 to join the Metacrisis Initiative
To then join the salons, community chat, and apply to join a peer mentoring group.
To end a paying membership, please cancel your subscription, not just unsubscribe from the email newsletter. To do that, click “Manage Subscription” at the end of any emails you receive. Sign in, using the email address you used to subscribe. If you never set a password, WordPress can send you an email from which to log in. Then go to your subscription settings to cancel your paid subscription. You will continue receiving free newsletter emails unless you separately choose to unsubscribe from that.
Then catch me elsewhere…
Discover more from Prof Jem Bendell
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.