They say there is no truly original thought remaining to humankind; that all advance, all innovation, and all potential for creativity is reduced now to the derivative, the mash-up, the remix, reboot, and of course “re-imagining”.
I cannot challenge the assertion, how to manage it when proof of a negative state is beyond us? But I can suggest the need for a shift in perspective on the matter. We do not, I think, need new thought so much as we need to get working on a consensus for coexistence as a species of diverse genetic traits, competing for potentially scarce resources on this, our planet.
The various debates and arguments on the validity of climate change as “a thing” are, I think, pointless diversion and distraction from a logical and reasonable stance that accepts what it cannot disprove, dismisses what is disproved, and understands these two are the only requirements for getting to a solution.
Example:
- We can prove with significant, peer-reviewed evidence that the global climate IS changing.
- We know enough about planetary systems to know it is possible for humans to negatively impact the mandatory, planetary system’s ability to balance itself.
- We know enough about the possible, negative outcomes of such imbalances to know they are not conducive to the continued existence of humans (climate change is an existential threat).
- This being the case, the only matters worth discussion are those that advance our understanding of current state, models of range of tolerance, and both introspective and retrospective recommendations for immediate, mid-term, and long-term mandates to minimize humanity’s planetary impact… environmentally as well as ecologically.
Sadly, this is not a thing humans are very likely to be able to manage, thanks to our inherent tribalism, our cultural and societal insecurities and taboos, and our seemingly evolutionary boundary against transforming our many cultures to a pluralistic, pan-ethos that could support the level of coordinated effort needed to achieve ‘escape velocity’ from the current, downward spiral of blind denials and competitive self-interest layered like the towering buttes over cities, countries, corporations, and communities.
I would be so dearly delighted to be proven wrong about it. But it seems the probability field has been collapsing for some while in this blink that is our shared history as humans… our insistence upon organizing around our differences rather than our similarities is, I think, evidence as well as indictment that even the think-tanks, academics, and philosophers cannot deny (for all each are known to decry).
When I consider that humanity as a species is, to the best of our knowledge, unique in this universal expression, it makes me feel urgently motivated as well as anxiously angry and sad to watch as it seems even our foundations and fundamentals are failing us.
I feel powerless. My voice is too strident. My biases are no less intransigent, but they are considerably bloodied and inevitably fall to focused, personal effort (empathy and research). I am an imperfect thing. I am a woeful hypocrite at the best of times. I think it’s built in obsolescence for our dearest dichotomies… the moment you find someone who agrees with you on every point, but for entirely different reasons or, preciously, because it accords to logic and reason, that moment is death of dichotomy. (Well, for the iteration.)
To see the younger generation so closely mirroring my own, even as everyone continues to lose their minds over labels and stereotypes, it is heartening. I feel so much responsibility, even as I realize I could not possibly be more powerful in this regard than I am in all the others.
The worst criticism that comes my way seems to be, “That’s too much work” and, occasionally, “No human can live up to that.”
It is the latter that I hate to hear most.
It may well be true that no human can live up to it, whatever “it” might be defined as in a globally cooperative economy and ethos. But that’s only true now. If we work at it, teach our children why it matters and how to work at it, too, this will change… over time.
We need, I think, to get back into the mindset of investing in the future of humanity and our home planet. We cannot rely upon escaping to another planet and, even if we could, the core problems will move with us.
The challenge is to overcome and survive. As a species. The human species.
My hope is that this concept will grow and spread and, bluntly, save our future. We need to talk about things like:
If we could create our perfect, human culture and society, what would it look like?
If we had to rebalance the human population to assure our planet’s health (thus, our survival), what would that look like?
If we had to significantly reorganize ourselves to support global, cooperative standardization of quality of life – around pillars of human need and aspiration – what would that look like?
Personally, I want to see Africa bloom again.