This is a difficult post to write. What I’m thinking flies in the face of many of my friends’ opinions, expert science, and the swelling tide of popular opinion.
Dare I say it? (I already have in the headline).
I could be wrong. But so has every other person, group, society that claimed to know when The End was near.
Now it’s science’s turn. To be right? To be wrong? Time will tell.
The argument against science: Civilization isn’t going to end. It’s going to change. Life as we know it is not going to end, it’s going to change, and that change is going to be for the better.
Fact is, it’s always been changing. For the most part, it’s getting better. Those parts of life you perceive as not getting better serve us by inspiring our acts to make those parts better.
“Life as we know it” is and always has been “life as we knew it”. You’re perpetually living in the past. Humans are hardwired in the past. Every perception you have of what is is milliseconds behind the actual happening. It is only when you think deliberately about the future that your perspective changes. There are other ways, but they take practice. Shifting perspective this way allows you to see what can be, what will be, if you maintain that perspective long enough.
Looking at what is isn’t very productive. Why not? The answers aren’t satisfying if you’re used to believing in what is. Back to the topic.
There are far more consciousnesses focused here than your human consciousness. The argument further suggests that, while some human consciousnesses are focusing on a future end of civilization, there are far more consciousnesses focusing on well-being, thriving, and improvement. Those consciousnesses include individual cells within those very people focused on civilization’s end.
What a paradox.
You may or may not believe what I’m saying here. It’s like belief in God: It’s personal. Like one’s belief or disbelief in God, time will tell. Another paradox: People seem to get what they focus on, so those who believe life is coming to an end may get just that. Only the “end” will be their life, not anyone else’s.