We Live in Interesting Times (It was like that when we got there)
The so called ‘Chinese Curse’, “may you live in interesting times”, though likely not of Chinese origin, means someone is wishing you tough times or hardship – warring times most likely.
Here we are. You, me and your uncle Bob. We didn’t create this mess. Why is it our problem? The answer should be clear by now that it’s our problem as if we ignore it then the bad stuff will happen – see the graph above with all the simple addition. Whether we want it or not, deserve it or not here it is and we are the ones who will decide if mankind is/was smarter than a fish. We are the ones who will decide if the Earth is to be a utopia for life which includes our descendants or not. Are we collectively smart enough to avoid breeding ourselves to death?
Think of all that we are proud of in our species – Ludwig Van’s glorious 9th, Isaac Newton’s laws of classical physics, The Internet, The Beatles, eggs benedict (yea, I said it), Albert Einstein’s discovery of relativity *and* quantum mechanics, space exploration which is now beyond where we thought our solar system ended when the crafts launched (only to now find that there’s a lot more out there than expected), The Internet but this time it’s in your pocket via your smart phone – if we go down in filth and squalor from simple over breeding then those things will be overshadowed by our embarrassingly simplistic failure. Are we, those of us alive and reading this ready to play that role in our epic story? Or are we going rise up and show that we really were all that as a species? That we may not all be Einsteins but we’re at least capable of using one of our most important inventions ever, communication, to manage a planet at the most basic level and not do something completely stupid? I sure hope your thinking the correct answer here – and if so, well, by now you know what to do – join us today else prepare for facepalms from your children, whenever that may be.
Unfortunately, photos of Albert E. doing a facepalm seems to be about the only thing Google doesn’t have so you’re just going to have to use your imaginations for that.
To the teenagers reading this – I’m sorry but this is even more on your shoulders than your parents and their parents. More up to you than it is the leader of your country. This is because you have likely not yet reproduced many children. Please do not count on your elders taking care of business – the Earth needs for you to understand this message. For the older generations reading this we need to do all we can to get these kids positioned to make it happen, we need to start the conversation and try and get things in place for them and above all else we need to accept that there will be less young than old when our turn at retirement comes and we will need to care for ourselves and not selfishly opt for today’s kids to soon become adults who will breed large numbers under us to maintain us in our golden years.
Who will be left to blame if we fail to control our numbers? The folks in the previous century who grew from 1.5 to 6 billion in only a hundred years? I picture them being given plausible deniability in far future texts and we, the 21st century as the folks who saw clearly what was happening and either decided to act or to think only of ourselves. We will be left to blame most likely. It’s just how it is. Anyhow, the 20th century and all of its excesses are now so much water under the bridge. We need to sally forth and forge a new way. On the bright side, if we succeed it will surely be us that gets the credit for having proven humanity more than barely sentient meat with reproduction, food and entertainment only on its mind.
Rather than dwell on any perceived unfairness of our living at the end game of millennia of breeding let’s use this opportunity to grow and to fix so many wrongs. We can do this if we agree to want to; if we can force this conversation to start. Let’s face it – it’s going to happen with or without humanity’s consent, but I sure think we can all agree that the means by which it will happen without our taking care of it ourselves will be far less comfortable than simply not allowing for large families.