The world is ending soon. So what?
What are you afraid of? Or rather, what do you fear? The first question can be answered with shallow responses likely following the lines of “the dark, heights, spiders, etc.”. The second prompt, however, poses more of an existential question. What do you fear? Nowadays it seems like there is a lot to fear. My brother fears the world will not recover from the climate crisis, I fear technology is dehumanizing people, and my sister fears dying in a mass shooting. Each of these fears are not yet realized, but lie in the uncertainty of the future.
Uncertainty
The future is scary. The fact that in last century, and more so in the last few decades, we have harnessed the power of rocks from the earth to put us all online, interacting in a single space is both empowering and horrifying. Despite all the good that’s come with it, we have begun to blur the lines between human and automation, allowed the news to report everything bad happening, and forced mass consumerism abusing the earths resources. It’s all getting worse at unprecedented speeds. With all of the options we have created, the question seems to change from “if” to “when”. When will our existence, our power, and our humanity become obsolete or destroyed?
What can you do?
There is a term in psychology called Locus of Control. Your Locus of Control (Internal or External) is determined by how you perceive your impact on the events that happen to you. Is the life you lead up to destiny, or are you in control of life you create? To navigate this state of impending doom, it seems easier to believe in a higher power. Whether it’s out of fear or faith, a belief that what happens is out of your control can comfort the feeling of dread, but also lead to a life not fully lived. I think it’s important to understand what you can control, and what is out of your hands. Fearing the future does not serve you in any way, just as dreading the past does nothing but waste your time. Still, it’s hard to live fully in the moment when you’re bombarded with bad news piled on top of bad news. You can kick, scream, vote, and donate but the fact of the matter is you’re not going to stop oil mining, school shootings, famine, technology, and everything else threatening the end of the world; you’re just not. It’s good to be hopeful for the future, and even better to help issues you believe in, but blankly worrying about things that are out of your control is a futile game that does nothing but waste your time. For the sake of your sanity, you must realize and let go of what you can not control, and instead focus enjoying the time afforded to you, however short you think that may be. People waste so much time worrying about how they’ll lose their life, that they forget to create a life they’d fear losing.
Tweet“If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do” - Joss Whedon
