Rome is Burning

"Sometimes I feel like the world is one big dumpster fire."
-Oneg In The Arctic

War, ceaseless wildfires, global warming, climate change, an endless pandemic, superstition, delusions, conspiracy theories, misinformation, cruelty, trolling, predatory capitalism, selfishness, narcissism, isolation, vapidness.. technological change and advancement yet the human inability to adapt, to grow, to improve morally and intellectually..

It is 2023 and yet in some ways the world doesn't feel any different than what it must have felt like in the days of the Inquisition. Humanity is still mentally primitive, childlike, naive and yet unlike children, so many are also cruel and uncaring, judgmental, apathetic, dishonest.. both with themselves and others, completely lacking in empathy and compassion for anyone or anything.

We still live in a world where all anyone seems to care about are money and status, conforming, and thinking oneself superior to others.

Billions of people believe in an invisible God and Jesus, have believed in these things for thousands of years, and yet there has still been no progress made when it comes to Jesus's singular commandment.. to love one another.

We had an insane, narcissistic president who is now officially a criminal who is responsible for millions dead because of his mismanagement of a virus, who incited racism in nearly half the population of the US and told the public to drink bleach. How can a criminal still be allowed to run for president, especially when they already attempted a coup? How do we allow such insanity?

Roe vs Wade was overturned.

How do we allow such insanity?

Everything is indeed burning. The world is on fire. It is Rome all over again. The whole world seems to be trying to go backwards in response to the exponential technological change.

Will we fall once again, like Rome did, into a new dark age?

Jack Parsons said,
"The guilt lies not entirely with the warmongers, plutocrats and demagogues. If a people permit exploitation and regimentation in any name, they deserve their slavery. A tyrant does not make his tyranny. It is made possible by his people and not otherwise."

History is like a broken record, eternally skipping, the eerie sound of nails on chalkboard screeching, resounding into the vacuum of eternity..

Samsara, I believe they call it in Indian philosophy. The illusion, the repetitive vice that is the world.

There is hope. But people have to hope again. We have to stop being apathetic. We have to feel, we have to care. To learn to cooperate, to stop feeling like our individual actions don't matter.

Despite the grim picture that has been painted, there is hope. Throughout history, humanity has faced numerous challenges, and has overcome them through innovation, cooperation, and a strong will to survive.

There are individuals and organizations working towards positive change, and their efforts should not be overlooked. From scientists working on renewable energy solutions to activists fighting for social justice, there are people who are dedicated to making the world a better place.

It's also important to recognize that progress takes time, and setbacks are a natural part of any journey towards a better future. Change may not happen overnight, but it's crucial to keep pushing forward and to keep fighting for what we believe in.

While the problems we face as a global community can seem overwhelming, there are things we can do on an individual level to make a difference. Whether it's making lifestyle changes, enlightening others, studying science or engineering and inventing things that change the world for the better and help solve our problems, or volunteering our time to support local organizations, every action counts. Even simply showing kindness to those we come in contact with and giving to those in need can make a big difference in the world.

(I wonder how the world might change if everyone did something like in the movie Pay It Forward.)

Ultimately, the fate of our planet and our collective future is in our hands. We have the power to create positive change, and we must use that power to the best of our abilities. As Buckminster Fuller said, we are the architects of the future, and it's up to us to design a world that we want to live in.

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"We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims."

R. Buckminster Fuller

Flowers of Hell. A song on violin I composed during the pandemic.