The Human Extinction series continues. Briefly, the threats to our very survival which we face over the next century or so are, according to those who have studied them and much to my horror, not very unlikely. In HE4 I described why I find this issue the most one to work on: Because the fate of life in the universe may be at stake.
That we may be able to play a role in such a huge matter is, as one commenter at HE1 wrote, "all so absurd". However, if we're going to take sound steps to avoid it, we must overcome this feeling of absurdity. Here, I'll draw on my own personal experience to try offering suggestions for how we can do so.
HE Meta
The Human Extinction series so far. Don't hesitate to drop comments on these too.
For now, the DK tags for the series are humanity and extinction.
search for both humanity & extinction tags - Find other related diaries (Currently also returning some unrelated diaries. Suggestions, anyone?)
Overcoming the sheer, complete, total, utter, ludicrous absurdity of trying to prevent humanity's extinction and thereby possibly save the fate of life on Earth, in the universe, and perhaps beyond
We're used to "The end is near" chants coming from the unhinged on the sidewalk, not from serious scholars. Well, times have changed. (See the bottom of HE1 for reading list of serious scholars' work on human extinction.) That this might actually be something we need to deal with is ridiculous, but if we're going to pull it off, we're going to have to surpass all that and get to work. I'm no psychologist. I don't even read psychology research (or at least not much, and nothing of use here). However, I do have my own personal experience. In the absence of anything better, that'll have to do for now.
When the topic of human extinction found me (and it did find me, as opposed to me finding it; I was presented the topic from people at the Felicifia Online utilitarianism community- see the post Existential Risks), my first reflex was to dismiss it as silliness. This is not a widely discussed topic (some specific threats do get some attention, but not remotely as much as they deserve) so I assumed the chances of us going extinct any time soon must be quite negligible. But when I was presented with the conclusions (read: grim) of what serious studies of the matter have been done, I could no longer dismiss the talk as silliness.
When I first realized the hideously large stakes involved, and that, just by being aware, I was now in a position to make a difference, I was, I'll admit, thoroughly overcome with anxiety. This is, more or less, saving the world. The stuff of movies, but a movie this isn't. Yowsers.
So how did I get over it?
Time helped. Quite fortunately, few things have the capacity to grip our minds so thoroughly for extended periods. That first week (now several months ago) hit me hard, but I calmed down eventually. I won't say such feelings never hit me anymore, but the situation's certainly more under control.
Writing helped. Like many here I presume, writing helps me get a better grip. Even this here post helps me out. I've got a few article drafts floating around that may never see the light of day but were at least worth something just for while I wrote them out.
Community helped. Having a few others to chat with about the situation and recognizing that I'm not at all alone was huge. Indeed, part of me reaching out to this site instead of just writing for a more formal publication (which I am also doing as well) is, since the site is interactive, the readers (read: you) can more easily connect with the existing community. I also write here because this is largely an activist community, and I'm looking to inspire activity, not passive awareness.
But more than anything, it was moving from mere acceptance of the situation to what can actually be done about it. As long as I'm constructively engaged, I'm not so consumed by the anxiety. Indeed, the most difficult moments have been the quiet ones when I had nothing to do but ponder the absurdity. So I think a key is to avoid getting stuck in a rut of inactivity. It's like the species of shark that must keep swimming in order to avoid drowning. (Apparently not all shark species need do so- see this.)
Will any of this work for you?
I don't know. I'm no psychologist or otherwise expert on these things. But I do know that overcoming the absurdity of the task is an important piece of this puzzle that is helping ensure our survival.
Some other thoughts
That we get this feeling of absurdity strikes me as a sign that we have not lost our minds. Which is good. We need all the good people we can get working together on these problems, as there is much to be done.
Lastly: In general, I'd really like to think that everything will inevitably turn out fine, that we can just relax and enjoy life and not have to worry about things, whether it's humanity's extinction or smaller matters like non-global war or regional poverty. Such is never the case, however, in a democracy, which depends on the engagement of the citizenry. We all know that here very, very, well, perhaps all too well given the tumultuous times these last few years have been. (I think calling these years "tumultuous" is reasonable regardless of one's own ideology.) Seeing so many here and elsewhere rise to the occasion and help point our government and broader society forward has been an uplifting experience for me- thanks.