The Brussels-Kazan Membrane: An Opalescent Swan Thought Experiment
we find ourselves herenow at the edge of a civilizational “shitshow.”
two days ago, i started running a thought experiment in my mind: a “Black Swan” scenario that breaks the current rules of how we think about the world. i’ve been contemplating the unthinkable: the European Union applying for membership in BRICS. let’s call it the Brussels-Kazan Axis.
this isn’t a prediction. it is a sensor reading of a system that is running out of steam.
For decades, the EU has been the world’s “moral compass,” a project built on the old settings of the Western alliance. but as the US turns inward—consuming its own energy rather than radiating it: the protective skin of Europe, our “membrane,” is beginning to shake. the way we handle money and energy is no longer serving Life.
The Trap of Choosing Sides
right now, we are stuck in a “multipolar trap.” we feel forced to choose between a fading Atlantic partnership and a rising group of nations in the Global South.
this is a “Mindset” problem, seeing the world as a game of winners and losers. a “Heliogenic” civilization, one that acts like the sun, doesn’t just pick a side; it creates a boundary that allows for growth. it’s about being “exothermic,” meaning we generate more value and life for the world than we take from it.
The Physics of the Shift
if we look toward Kazan as a theoretical partner, the data tells an interesting story about our survival:
Industrial Oxygen: our industries are “hypoxic” starved of the energy oxygen they need to breathe. turning toward new partners is an attempt to restore that breath.
The Green Resource Gap: our “Green Deal” depends on materials like lithium and cobalt. most of these are currently found inside the BRICS network. we can’t build a new world if we are cut off from its building blocks.
A New Financial Pulse: we could integrate the Euro into new digital payment systems. this would be an “exit to planet” a way for our societies to trade and create value without being dependent on a single, aging financial system.
if we treat money as a flow of energy rather than just numbers in a bank, this move is about realigning our sensors with the reality of what the planet actually needs.
Walls vs. Membranes
my contemplation of this scenario suggests that such a shift would be a massive shock. it might even cause a split within Europe between those who look West and those who look East.
this tension happens because we still think in “masculine” ways: using hierarchy, force, and walls. a more “feminine” way of scaling would see this not as a breakup, but as a maturation. nature doesn’t use rigid walls; it uses membranes. a membrane is a skin that is strong enough to protect what’s inside, but smart enough to let the “good stuff” in.
we are at the edge between the “herenow” of energy crises and the “thenthere” of an economy that actually works with the planet.
this Brussels-Kazan thought experiment isn’t about “joining a club.” it’s about sensing a transition. we must ask ourselves: does our current path serve Life? does it help us thrive, or is it just helping us manage our decay?
to live up to a higher standard, we have to start building membranes instead of walls. we have to recognize that “the other Others”, whether they are in Kazan, New Delhi, or right here in our own neighborhoods, are part of the same living system.
we understand this. we are sensing the shift.