The World has ended any number of times in it's history. I guess the biggest blow was when the Earth was hit by a Mars sized planet a zillion years ago. We've been having a Helluva time ever since.
Most recently about 70,000 years ago there was a volcanic decade that wiped out most of life on this hapless planet. The lack of sunlight, and the toxic air reduced Humanity of the time to perhaps 5000 individuals.
I've recently read where some smarty pants think we were down to just 500 or so women able to bear children. This is very likely where the "Adam, and Eve" myth came from.
(As for where the "Free Lunch" myth originated...well research continues.)
I bring all this jolly stuff up just to point out we're been through a lot, and still have managed to be around. We're sort of the roaches of mammals. There's no getting rid of us.
Which brings us to the main topic of our little visit today. Basically the recent "Re-Medievalization" of world affairs.
Though we mostly live in an interconnected complex Civilization. There are huge swaths of this warming planet that have been enjoying the benefits if having their heads hacked off.
...and hacked off for rather trivial reasons.
"Trivial" to us in the First, and Second worlds. Eh the dear old U. S. of A. being a new member of that Second World tribe. Still we have pizza cable, and loads of Hydrogen Bombs we can 'never' use...and everyone 'knows' we can never use them. So they might as well be ice cream cones sitting in the summer sun for all their usefulness.
'But I digress.
The People in the cage are Women, and Children waiting to be burned alive. Their crimes are varied though mostly religious, and tribal. They're Coptic Christians traditional Muslims girls, and woman that can read that sort of thing.
Identical scenes were common in Medieval Europe albeit with a slightly different cast.
However the above is happening in the highly complex world I mention. We're a species that have so far sent two count'em "Two" ships deliberately out to the Stars...the Voyagers. Google them.
Our science is almost magical. We've walked on the Moon we have robots driving around Mars. That, and millions of both stupid, and useless apps for our assorted devices we plug into ourselves.
It seems we're many things at once. Yes were Starfarers, but in the Amazon rain forests we're still cave bleeping men. In Africa parts of it we're pre-lithic hunter gathers. Also in Africa, and the middle, and far east we're ruled by feudal Medieval Warlords of varying degrees of sanity.
All this while you, and I hide behind our very locked doors in fear of post-industrial barbarians.
Not the 21st Century I was banking on. See attached images of dear old George Jetson, and assorted tomorrow land fantasies.
Alas a lost future.
Though mind you the One Percent, and most certainly that 1% of the 1% are doing just fine in our lost world plastic underwear, and jet packs.
Us we got stuck somewhere in the late 70's early 1980's or so. This when income stagnated, and the American Middle Class...the largest, and coolest in all history was slowly strangled to death.
I dunno maybe India or China will take the crown for the largest though not likely coolest Middle Class.
Anyway this is where we are now. Yeah yeah some smarty pants social scientist could do a better job. However I got to the point...we're fucked. ...well at least for now.
Social stagnation chopped off heads the collapse of public education stupid wars the climate turned decidedly against us...yeah pretty bad.
However there could be a somewhat happy ending.
We're roaches remember we survive anything. So odds are we'll survive this screwed up era like all the others. There is as unlikely as it would seem,...HOPE.
Still I really wanted that mythical 21st Century our folks promised us, and which we totally fucked up.
Anyway I'm in the middle of making dinner so I'll be back latter.
Btw, Good Passover, and Happy Easter. I went to a swell blow-out Seder at an old pal's home. The Davis's...loves ya's!!
It was seriously swell. Wonderful folks all over the place, and great eats. The reading of the service was very moving, and hilariously funny too. As only old Peaceniks could make it.
So there are 'still' good, and Holy things around...this is where that "Hope" thing comes from. We believe in a Future no matter what. For mammals we have a really very good though seriously weird sense of humor. That, and we tend to survive the worse crap anybody cares to throw at us.
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