George Orwell was an optimist

As a species, we have come a long way. It all started with a stone age. Then after a bronze, iron, industrial and plastic period, we stumbled into an information age. All of which illustrates that it takes a great deal of time and concerted effort to comprehensively fuck up an entire planet. But whacko! Here we are.

Sixty thousand years ago we ambled out of Africa, slaughtered all the other twigs on the family tree, and commenced exterminating the megafauna. Ten thousand years ago, after finally running out of mammoths and giant sloths, we settled down, multiplied like bacteria, and began distressing the environment in a more systematic and comprehensive fashion. Culminating, as indicated earlier, in our current all-singing, all-dancing, corporately-sponsored, information age.

Nevertheless, while we might be in the middle of a massive extinction event (etcetera), we have finally – and luckily – progressed from knowing very little, through knowing quite a lot, to being able to choose between any number of new and exciting realities. We are now a truly sophisticated (if seemingly suicidal) species.

George Orwell was an optimist. We have discovered that you don’t need a bureaucracy to reinvent all of history and morality when the socials will do it for free; and in a thousand interesting and vibrant colours. As a result, despite our quite obviously disastrous trajectory as a species, we nevertheless get to choose from a myriad of different ways of totally ignoring all the disheartening facts that abound. Which is helpful. If you turn the volume up enough it even drowns out the sound of the sirens.

Which is to observe that in our information age there are now a thousand ways of artfully pretending that we are flying, not plummeting. All that is required is for one to cultivate a suitably modern (ie, pathological) outlook.

In earlier epochs the focus of existence was mainly on food, sex, shelter, and not being eaten by a sabre-tooth. Then we got fixated on food, sex plus iron, bronze and/or plastic stuff. But all of that nonsense has now been set aside. Self-esteem is the new currency. Which is an exciting and entirely appropriate new ethos for the information age. When the most important thing in the whole world is how you feel about yourself, then the impending destruction of an environment, or a society, or even an entire planet, is neither here nor there. Rather: do you feel comfortable in your own skin? You do? Then all is tickety-boo. Sex?

Having adopted a new modern facade it will at once becomes apparent that we are not the problem. You are a wonderful person. That is undeniable. I am pretty fab too. So obviously, it’s all down to other people. Horrible nasty unknown people who we cannot influence or even contact, if we wanted to. And we don’t. They are best ignored. There is little that you or I can do. Plus, there are any number of far more interesting issues to worry about.

It might not be an ideal solution but it certainly works. Which brings me to the subject of ‘the News’. Most local TV bulletins reduce it all down to being very scared of young people, migrants, and Palestinian terrorists. As well as anything new. This generally provides for a manageable load of relatively mild anxieties as well as some dandy talking points. If you prefer to read a newspaper then you might like hating immigration or even active climate change denial. While these are niche realities, they still manage to service a heck of a lot of clients who prefer to emote rather than think. Each to their own.

Morning TV, of course, is also a good choice for those with very little intellectual bandwidth to spare. Consistent use can lead to almost complete torpor, which seems to be the desired effect for many. Then there are the socials. This realm of interaction simply requires time and emotional commitment. Other people have already done all the thinking. Just pick a side and react. A whole world of mayhem and crusading awaits.

However, if you are new to the modern ethic then I suggest that it is helpful to focus closely on just one or two of the major empathy swamps. Perhaps Israel or America. They provide for some all-encompassing narratives that will serve to crowd out all other considerations, for days at a time. Another option is to just keep up with the news about Trump and his merry band of heartless rich lunatics. This alone will provide enough mental static, on a daily basis, to be able to almost completely ignore the water lapping at your doorstep.

Additionally, if you are of a religious inclination then the world wide web can cater to a wide variety of delusional activities and behaviours that are News-ish. But once you are hooked you will hardly notice the difference. Are you interested in an exclusive cult? Or perhaps you want to dress like a Mormon? Or even engage in open defiance of an American Pope? All these factors will influence your world-view and may require the purchasing of subscriptions.

Finally, there is a shortcut for those who came in late. I suggest that you just pull up a chair, google ‘Epstein’, and commence reading. Pretty soon you will be actively advocating for the demolition of our entire planetary system. It makes the impending destruction of civilization in its current form feel like we are doing the rest of the universe a favour.

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