Feb 23

I'm in an expansive mood today. One of those moods where my consciousness expands out to encompass everyone and everything and I come up with plans to fix everything.

Heh.

I know. Fucked in the head. Amirite.

I'm wavering on the edge of being pretty ill, but I'm not quite. On a hair trigger. I am trying - very hard - not to set it off, or do anything to plunge me into bullshit.

Be zen. Breathe. Listen to the heartbeat of the world.

See. Expansive mood.

Example.

The world has got worse. This is not my opinion. This is me observing the common refrain of the youngers. The planet is on fire. The rich get fatter. The poor suffer harder. People are living on the edge of being without a home, a job, a purpose. Politics are ever more corrupt, rationality further away, and everything is going to shit.

I don't disagree.

It's pretty crap.

There is a hopelessness about the modern world. I saw someone comment that "it felt like since the year 2000, everything was stretched ever thinner and getting worse every year". 

The amount of angst, misery, disillusion, depression et al it causes is pretty hardcore. The wheels have come off of our implied promise of Things Can Only Get Better.

But.

It doesn't have to be like that.

If everyone tomorrow got out of bed and decided, I am not going to be a dick. I am not going to be a dick to myself. I am going to help where I can. I am not going to be a greedy asshole. Or kick off a war. Or turn the other way when someone dies for want of food. Or take out my problems on everyone else. It would be a different world.

We have enough food in the world to feed everyone. We have enough resources in the world to provide for everyone. We have information and technology and capability to turn the planet into a utopia. Where no one suffers. Where those hurt get aid. Where those needing shelter can get a home.

We absolutely have that capability.

It's time for us to grow up. To become an adult. To move away from our petty squabbling childhood of atrocities and war and greed and bullshit. And understand who we are. The knowledge we have unlocked. That we not only have a responsibility to ourselves - to make sure we are all cared for. But also to the planet and all the varied and amazing life on it. We live on a jewel. In our solar system our planet is a sparkling jewel of uniqueness and teeming life not even slightly replicated anywhere else. And so far, we are unique in all the universe. We have not found anywhere else quite like our home.

We have the capability to destroy our world. Or preserve it. Given how unique and amazing it is, the responsible thing to do is cherish it ? We are no longer a child given to tantrums of destroying shit just because we are upset. Time to grow up. Understand our capabilities, our responsibilities. Provide for all. Nurture, document, preserve. Learn and grow. First for our world. Then out to the endless possibilities in the stars.

We are a part of the universe that has awoken. We are the stuff of stars, life breathed into chemicals, and given an awareness of everything that lies around. The universe reflecting on itself. This is me.

It's not as difficult as it might seem. Everyone justs needs to get out of bed tomorrow with a decision to do things differently. Not about tackling an impossible climb. Or defying the laws of physics. Or a superhuman response. No. As simple as just deciding, hey, lets not let those people drown because we are arguing about some bullshit border. See how easy that is ? Lets not let anyone die needlessly today. Does that seem hard ? Outrageous ?

There are those in the world that thrive on harm. For whatever reason they are driven to want more. Or get a kick out of people suffering. Dying. They can be full of jealousy or greed. And they will push hard to manipulate the levers of control to always keep it that way. And they are smart enough to know not to shout too loud about it. To cloud their actions in smoke, to confuse you, turn you around, set you off one against another. All so that in the end, they can continue to be greedy. Callous. Delight in others suffering.

There will always be those kinds of people. At best they need help. At worst. They need to be taken away from anywhere where they can do harm. You don't give a bomb to a crazy person. You take away the sharp things and stick them in a field of flowers. Away from everyone else.

But if everyone decided tomorrow, the world is going to be a different place. Those bad actors would become very obvious. Their petulance and their immaturity. Their need for ever more shit, and ego, and pride would be thrown into stark silhouette.

All it takes is for all of us to say, let's go this way, instead of that way. No more wars. Needless deaths. Isolate those few that truly would do everyone harm.

And in that world you can get to be what you want to be. We have long outgrown our need to live hand to mouth. To struggle against the elements and natural disasters. We have surpassed our origins, we have learned so much, and crafted ever more clever tools to help us to survive. To the extent we no longer have to worry about any of it. If that was our childhood, struggling to survive, learning how to reliably feed ourselves, avoid famine, avoid disaster, how to respond quickly and capably, then we are now an adult. Still young maybe, still learning how to properly adult, but we are definitely an adult. Capable of utter destruction of ourselves and all around us, or preservation of ourselves and all around us.

We have got to a critical stage in our development. Where if we continue to behave like a child, we will end up destroying ourselves and our planet. We need to accept the responsibility of who we now are. Something more than where we started. Some of it is scary. Adulthood always is. Responsibility always is. But the opportunities and wonders are limitless. This world can be a paradise, a utopia. It's just a choice we can make. Not hard. Not impossible. Do we want a paradise, or a hell. And not choosing at all, ignoring our responsibility, is a defaulted choice for a hell.

The upshot of all of this, is that there is a tremendous well of hope there. Life, the world, does not have to be shit. It can be a thing of wonder. Right there. Right now. We have that capability. Do not fall to the idea of an inevitability of everything turning to shit. There are other positive paths out there. Very. Positive.

We have the capability as a species to be one of the most amazing things ever. Learning. Preserving. Documenting. Spreading into the depths of space as we go. Truly the will of the universe made manifest.

It's also within our capability to disappear in a rage induced tantrum, squabbling over a grain of sand as we bite and gnaw on each other, and destroy this unique life bearing rock we stand on. That's the responsibility of being an adult. We have the capability of an adult. Now we need the wisdom to realise who we are.

And it starts, with each one of us. Tomorrow. I will be a better person. Don't let the fuckers get to you. There will always be those people. Fucked in the head. If you let that one crazy, demented, greedy shitbag alter your behaviour. End up copying them to out compete their bullshittery. Then we are all lost. Their example is not one to follow. It is one to resist. Do not let their shit, become your shit. Do better. Fuck those guys and lead by example.

There will be those that tell you it can't be done. Because of this. Because of that. Vested interests scared about disturbing the status quo of the shit conveyor. Happy enough on this road to hell. Do not upset the apple cart on its path into the depths of the fire. Often enough those people will be rich. Or powerful. Or artfully indoctrinated by the rich and powerful to be their mouthpieces. Thats ok. They just need to get there themselves and realise the simplicity of everyone just deciding that, for instance, needless deaths are a bad thing. Lets fix that. Healthcare for all. And for those that cant get there. Those few. Who perhaps like seeing others suffer ( and it is a few, not the majority ). They need to be looked after. Isolated. Not given the tools to hurt others. We do the same for the truly mentally broken. Serial killers. Murderers.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

The single takeaway from this is. There is room for hope. Do not despair.

See. Expansive mood.

I can't tell if I'm nuts or just ultra sane. Or if theres any appreciable difference. Advocating for everyone to be fed, and get access to adequate healthcare in todays world is tantamount to being a demented psych patient. Heh. Eh, I'm probably nuts. I'm ok with that. It seems like a nice kind of nuts to be honest. There are worse things to be.

To sign up to my How To Fix The World and answers to Life, The Universe and Everything stream remember to drop a like and hit subscribe and go to my patreon page ! ( This, in case it wasn't obvious, is sarcasm ).

Sometimes I think starting a new "religion" would be a good idea. An actual. Decent one. Not predicated on sky daddies. Or killing your heathen neighbour. A modern one. Based on treating people with respect. And caring. Less a religion, more a positive philosophy. A movement. An ideal. A new model that transcends any religion, or monetary policy of capitalism or communism or whatever. Something for the 21st century. And our responsibilities and capabilities. That incorporates our understanding of the world, the universe, of ourselves. And promotes wellbeing.

Borkism. Ha ha. Come join the cult. It's nice. We have cookies. And learn to care about people.