Dealing with existential nihilism

[Brian37]

My opinion of our species is that your hope will only work out if punctuated evolution is possible-- that a single mutation or rapid evolutionary stage can introduce essentially a new species.  I don't know whether this theory holds any scientific weight, but it seems to me that in extreme circumstances-- for example, with ice caps melting and snow being scarce, it seems likely that the color of polar bears could change to brown in just a couple hundred years due to massive pressure from the environment and really harsh selection rules (with also very high compensation for those with early variation that benefits them).


Perhaps a more likely source of punctuated evolution could be an artificially forced culling of stupid and violent through disease or direct genetic modification.

Right now, the problem is that those who COULD save the world are responsible-- they are less power hungry, reproduce less, and so on.  We've clearly, with the election of a fucking orangutan to maybe the most powerful position in the world, and I suspect it's because Americans on average are genetically unable to think and make rational decisions.

Bummer, my response didn't get added on for some reason.

To repeat quickly and sloppily, I wonderif the Orangutan, and the move towards isolatiionism and even the disregard for climate change, is that some people sense that there is a standard of living bubble that is about to be popped.  So like squirrels gathering nuts before the winter, the voters asked for a circling of the wagons as they recognize that resources are likely to get tight in the near future.  Of course, killing off the poor is also part of the plan, but the poor don't seem to realize that.   But practically speaking, if you view humanity as in dire shape, there is some evolutionary sense to selecting Donald as the leader.

This is the deep rooted group survival evolution in our species. While compassion and sharing are also an attribute that fosters cooperation, unfortunately so does greed. 

But this is also why I hate both Che supporters who want to end "capitalism" and at the same time GOP/and economic Ayn Rand Libertarians "fuck you I got mine" Neither realize that "capitalism" IS NOT  a form of government. There is not one nation friend or foe that does not invest in the global market. China allows western private companies and capitalize off selling cheap products to the rest of the world. Saudi Arabia's Royal Family owns oil companies, banks and invests in the global weapons complex. Gadaffi was a billionaire who owned stock in GE.

You could argue that any asshole who gains power wins, even Hitler won for a short period of time. Evolution does not care unfortunately if cruelty or compassion win. It is ultimately up to humans to chose what we do.

What most people don't understand is what Sagan did, what empathetic people do. It doesn't matter who we are, what nation we live in, or how rich we get, or how powerful we get. Our successes are always short term in cosmic time. We falsely see, for example, the Ancient Egyptians as famous. Outside historians who have degrees in their 3,000 year dynasty, how many can name every single one of the Pharaohs of that entire time?

We need to collectively sooner rather than later start accepting our place as temporary and that we cannot exploit our planet faster than it naturally absorbs our pollution. We cannot keep going faster than nature's ability to recoup what we extract. 

All the riches and power in the world will never make anyone immortal.