There’s Always Something

Don’t Worry, We’ll Be Okay

B. N. Dent

WHY IS IT THAT, THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF HUMANITY, we have always held a fear of the impending apocalypse, often regarding it as a certain end? Why can’t we just be content with the way things are and hold hope for the future of our own lives in addition to the longevity of humanity? 

Historically we can observe the persistent prevalence of this phenomenon: Biblical views of the apocalypse are expressed in the book of Revelations, ancient Greek authors envisioned the annihilation of the world, during the reign of the Roman empire there was a belief that the world would be reborn following a global cataclysm, and the list goes on. It’s somewhat astonishing how fixated we are on the potential demise of our species, especially in a world that encourages open-mindedness. The rationale behind this obsession that we entertain, can be answered by looking into our evolutionary path as a species as well as the underlying emotional and cognitive processes of our brains. 

From an evolutionary standpoint, along with a variety of other mammals, humans have been able to thrive due to our better-safe-than-sorry approach to survival. This mechanism has impacted the way we operate in that we are always looking for danger, and if it is not visible, we will create virtual projections or speculations of the most probable imminent danger. Our perpetual preparation in response to these projections has indeed enabled us to be ready for potential threats. However, in certain instances, this attribute has resulted in excessive or irrational readiness. In the case of the Aztecs, for example, human sacrifices were made to provide nourishment for the Gods. For if the gods were left unnourished, the sun would cease to rise, and the world would end. Now, maybe the Aztecs were right, and since their demise in the 16th Century, up until now, there have been people who have been regularly making sacrifices to prolong our existence. But let’s face it: the odds suggest that hasn’t been the case. And I think that these unreasonable fears, stemming from our evolutionary cognitive processes, are reflected in contemporary Western society where our heightened level of security on a day-to-day basis has created the landscape for apocalyptic fears. 

The prevailing apocalyptic concern today revolves around the prospect of our world becoming uninhabitable in the near future due to population-inducing resource depletion and intolerable temperatures caused by global warming. But given our historical track record with apocalyptic concerns, should we really cave to this fear?

Let’s look at the first issue. The main apprehension surrounding overpopulation is that, in time, our levels of resource production will not be sufficient enough to keep up with the rate of population growth, and as such individuals will not have access to necessities such as, food and water, thus leading to a large portion of the population dying. Although this has been observed on smaller scales, present fears of this taking place across the globe are predominantly Malthusian in nature and ultimately incorrect. When I say Malthusian, I’m referring to ideas in alignment with 18th Century British economist Thomas Malthus.

Malthus was best renowned for his theory relating to population growth which essentially stated that population growth, would inevitably outpace agricultural output, ultimately resulting in famine and other catastrophes until the population was reduced below a sustainable level. However, the Malthusian model was wrong, predominantly on account that it failed to consider the inherent level of adaptability present in humans. When applied to less intellectually advanced biological organisms, the Malthusian model finds success. For example, when mould is placed in a petri dish containing agar, the mould will multiply until it has consumed all of the agar, and then it will die. However, due to the innate level of adaptability present in humans, we are able to create solutions to problems of scarcity and ultimately further the prominence of our race. It was in this regard that the Malthusian model influenced Darwin’s theory of natural selection in that limited resources place pressures that force species to adapt, with only the fittest prevailing.

Thomas Malthus after dropping some mid theories.

With respect to global warming, there is no denying the objective statistics that demonstrate an increasing trend in global temperatures over the past century, and it is clear that the ramifications of failing to reduce our carbon emissions and the subsequent effects of global warming would be disastrous. So, in assessing the roots of our current apocalyptic fears, there are both irrational holes and logical points of concern. If we want to truly thrive in the future, it is imperative that we exploit the most valuable commodity of them all – human intelligence. Our world has 8 billion people, meaning that there are 8000 people who are 1 in a million, and if we are able to use this collective intelligence, there is nothing we can’t overcome. So stop worrying. The sun will rise tomorrow.