Capitalism has failed. Financial meltdowns, bailouts, corruption, monopolization, scandal after scandal, a climate crisis and a planet dying from a toxic industrial society. Far from being at our peak, our current civilization is at one of the lowest points it has ever been. So-called "progress" has wiped out thousands of species, poisoned our food, disconnected us from the land, each other and our own humanity, forced us to work longer at more tedious jobs and has imprisoned and enslaved more of us than at any other point throughout human history. And still a large number of us choose to turn away from the elephant in the room and go on with their lives, pretending like everything is okay. But the bubble is about to burst.

Reality check. Where does our privileged lifestyle come from? Who grew the food you're eating? Who made the clothing you wear? Whose lands were violently colonized to build the houses you live in? Where do your basic necessities come from? We can try to buy local, and that's a good step, but most food grown in Ontario is harvested by migrant workers who have been shipped in as temporary workers with no rights whatsoever.

We need to radically diminish our consumption patterns and prepare for the future, because this system is in its last days. There is a growing unrest and frustration with global capitalism around the world. People are waking up to the very real fact that while this system is on shaky ground, the future is up for grabs.

We are at a pivotal moment. Do we keep eating the genetically modified poisons that corporations process, package and ship all over the world, or do we reclaim our food by connecting with local farmers, starting gardens and learning how to gather wild foods? Do we continue to live urbanized or suburbanized consumer lives or do we reconnect to our land bases? Do we stay on the work-toshop treadmill or do we start valuing our lives enough to minimize the work we do by engaging in as little shopping as possible?

Do we allow corporations based in our cities to exploit humans and this planet in the name of profit, or do we intervene to stop the pillaging? Do we build more super-prisons or do we tear down existing ones? Do we put up fences around our own meager properties or do we dismantle private property altogether in the name of total liberation? Do we continue greasing the machine or start corroding it?

We are at a crossroad. One direction leads to famine, slavery, fascism, wars over dwindling resources, ecological collapse and ultimately mass extinction. The other direction leads to community, self-organization, freedom, basic needs for all, a healing planet and the survival of our species. But it requires struggle. The people in power who are murdering our planet while enslaving millions around the world will not give up their power willingly. They'd rather see us all die than disperse their power. But we've got one chance, the fate of the world lies in the balance, and the future is up for grabs.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.