3rd
Or Maybe We Learn to Fly
The future, as we all know, is mathematically hopeless and pornographically doomed. I’m hip to that. I just don’t think that’s the end of the discussion, so long as we’re all committed to waking up every day and continuing to breathe and stuff. In a world where new humans are inventing new solutions to new problems every day, I’m not interested in what you can prove using numbers from 2002 and models from 1978. Yes, perhaps Earth is Doomed — but What Do We Do Next?
I have seen the numbers and I don’t dispute them. Overshoot is a comprehensive and persuasive case. However, as Bucky Fuller mysteriously put it, “Universe is non-simultaneously apprehended.” Among other things, this means that the numbers are never final, or even very accurate. It also means we should have a better plan than stocking up on guns, ammo and canned food. We need a strategy more open-ended than shacking up in some armored tomb.
“Universe is non-simultaneously apprehended.” The Road is not a cautionary tale. It’s a death sentence. There’s no moral to the story, just a kick in the stomach from a talented old man. Of course, Cormac can do as he pleases, and Americans get the nightmares they deserve. But who believes in Karma anymore?
“We are surrounded by insurmountable opportunities!” - Pogo. The overpopulation meme is horseshit from rich people. I realize that Ted Turner thinks we need to reduce the human population by billions, but I actually disagree. We have the resources and energy to give a high quality of life to billions of people, as long as we’re honest about what “quality of life” really means. (Our God-given right to McDonalds access is actually not part of that package, for example.)
A Radical Change of Circumstances. That’s all this is — not so much the Armageddon that pop culture is trying to summon on down. We’re gonna be listening to Daniel Burd in 2010. This is an adventure, the best science fiction action flick ever, a motherfucking epic. We are not an extra in anyone’s disaster movie. We’re not going down with Someone Else’s Ship. We’re just walking down the road and conversating about building better futures. We are planning on kicking ass this year, and anyone is welcome to Join.
