Wondrous End Times

From where the old man sits, it seems these first decades of the 21st century abound with endless reams, nay volumes of published material I would classify as futurology. One way or another, almost all seem to predict the imminence of some apocalyptic event within the current one hundred year period.

The current collection bases those forecasts on science and technology, which has already made such rapid strides in recent years. Many seem to follow in the trend of the two books I reviewed on February 22 last in the issue entitled Terminal or Rational Century? The author of The Rational Optimist suggested the advances already achieved, thanks mostly to the benefits of harnessing fossil fuels, were already making our species “gentler and kinder”, but all the scientific data quoted is unable to claim any effective change in human nature. Considering the ongoing wars and rumours of wars in our day, I see little evidence of such gentleness.

From week to week I have the impression that world trade and whole competing economies depend on the success or failure of some new gadget or gizmo that allows the millions to play games, talk to each other or in some way change the way we live. For the old man the changes accomplished are ever more rapid, vapid, confusing, debilitating and frustrating. The “friends”, who so rapidly can increase in number on the new “social networks” sometimes reveal facets of fascination, but I have not yet found a way to improve existing relationships in that way.

The wonders of quantum mechanics, nanotechnology and biotechnology may lead to a way for our species to determine its own evolution into a form of human robotic android that can adapt to the environmental damage caused by us and by the vagaries of time and space. Yet we may well run out of the needed energy and money to find the “black swan” that will bring about the true green energy to replace fossil or nuclear energy to save the billions unable to adapt. In the meantime, the natural processes of time and space, generally with chaotic unpredictability will continue beyond our control. Will this century then, as believed by many, whatever our wondrous achievements, or perhaps because of them, be the end of our species and our world as we know it?

Imminent “end of the world” stories have always been there, haven’t they? Certainly for the writer of the Revelation in the New Testament and for many others both before and after him of every belief, the end of the world was indeed imminent, for they died as we all will. For the rest and their progeny, however, we have gone on. Humanity has survived previous ice ages, global warming, continental shifting—all kinds of cataclysmic events, and one way or another I suspect a substantial number of our current billions will survive the current dreadful prospects for our kind without much changing our nature. My longing for peace and stability has been and continues just a dream.

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