History's current beat.

[skip fox]

Things are heating up. From Egypt to Pakistan, bullets, bombs, and flames. It seems as though we are headed toward a brutal historical moment. At least I hope it will be only a moment in history's terms (say Fall and early Winter), and not the start of something big (and I don't even want to imagine what that might be).

But then I am generally pessimistic about a species which will gleefully run into oblivion singing "Our Own Major Extinction Event At Last!" while taking thousands of other species with us.

Perhaps what we are seeing on the world's stage, just as we see it in the eyes of the Rabid Right, are paroxysms of the human in the light (in the deep knowing) of what we are doing to ourselves as a species.

But then I listen to someone like Jane Goodall who seems solidly optimistic and I wonder if there might not be hope.

What do you think? I'd really like to know.

[Igel]

1. Ah. Another "the end of history" post.

At least Huntington was pretty much right, since he adopted a specific definition of history (one that wasn't his own, BTW). It's just that when people decided to change the definition that he used that he was suddenly wrong.

Rather like taking the old laissez-faire definition of "liberal" and trying to apply it in America in 2013.

History will continue. "We" thought the collapse of the Soviet bloc was a big deal--and it was to a lot of countries. We thought the taming of OPEC was a big deal. Men on the moon meant a new dawn for humanity. The rise of the iron curtain and Berlin Wall might mean the end of humanity. We finally defeated fascism--let democracy and liberty prevail. The Great Depression was going to destroy us all. The War to end of wars would make the world safe for democracy.

Perspective.

[skip fox]

2. The past can give you an accurate perspective on the present, until it can't.

The belief in the catastrophic effects of climate change is unlike religious or mystical beliefs or even historical speculative beliefs (if we do this, this will likely result, since we have to DO something, for one).

Climate change is based on facts and scientific projections, and though there are variations in estimates due to the complexity of the scientific questions, unless we stop doing something (which we show little indication of) then modern human civilization as we now know it will no longer exist for my grandchildren or their children).

I'm not a scientist, I'm an old professor and poet, but I've read Science weekly for years, and I am amazed at the data and frightened by the consensus of scientists and their observations/probings and experiments.

Then I look at a layman who pays fairly close to the news, especially (as an old DUer) to political news, and I basically see a percentage of intelligent voices being drowned out by ignorance and deception and unconsidered rapacity, the raging greed of the wealthy. My general appraisal is that the lemmings are not just headed toward, but racing to the abyss (whether that's the end of the species or, as my son believes, the end of modernity).

The only hope I see is for technological breakthroughs which will reduce the general warming of the planet.

(Classifying what people say like classifying people themselves and what they say is a way of distancing, of not listening.)