...if man is still alive, if woman can survive, they may find.
Well, Zager and Evans may have been a little optimistic in their timing, but their predictions are not unfounded. Some have come to pass already, test tube babies and cars built by robots. Even computers that do our thinking or at least make our thinking more effortless, almost thoughtless.
If we do survive until 2525, what will historians write about us, the greatest civilization? Will they write of how we built our civilization by committing genocide on those we found living in the new world? Will they tell how we built great wealth for a few on the backs of those we enslaved or those who sought refuge in the land of opportunity?
It is not that some dreams were not realized, but for many they toiled with little reward. A great society where many barely receive enough to survive day to day, while a few take more than they could consume in several generations.
How will they portray the second-rate actor who convinced a nation to blame the victims? Was he just a pawn in a game controlled by others? Will there be any historians left to write of how gluttony ruled, of how, in just a couple of short centuries, we used up all our resources created by nature over millions of years?
We can only hope they will be writing of a great awakening, but the masses who hold the keys seem to be asleep at the wheel as we race down a dead end street. I will continue to be hopeful, no matter how bleak the outlook, our desire to survive is instinctual.
We live to pass on our genes, but what is lost to many is that we all share this common desire, from humans to apes to plants to bacteria. And all are part of the story of life on earth, none any more important or necessary than the other. All are needed if we wish this story to continue.
I don’t believe humans are the only ones capable of empathy, we see in nature acts of altruism for the sake of future generations. But among humans, empathy and altruism seem to be limited resources. Are humans capable of learning empathy? If so, we better get learning soon.
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Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with kossacks who are caring and supportive of one another. So bring your stories, jokes, photos, funny pics, music, and interesting videos, as well as links—including quotations—to diaries, news stories, and books that you think this community would appreciate. Readers may notice that most who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but newcomers should not feel excluded. We welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well. |
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