Eve of Destruction?

Just to set the Mood.

Over the past several years, both on ATS, and in the Real World, I've been noticing a trend towards extreme pessimism about the future of man...

The premise is usually how WWIII is going to come. Nation after nation at each others throats. ...and given the power of the weapons that many nations possess, there is certainly a chance that mankind could end itself with a flash, and a bang, or many hundreds of them. Or some madman somewhere could release some horrific bug that could possibly make the Plague during the Dark Ages pale in comparison.

All this is possible...only a fool would deny this.

But...is it likely?

I think not.

Man has had this capacity for the better part of a century. A capacity to destroy his, our, world has been within our grasp for fifty years or more... Yet, here we are... We've come through, intact, crisis that make the current nonsense with Iran look like a schoolyard fight. Surely some of you remember the Cuban missile crisis? The Berlin Airlift? The Vietnam War? Korea? The whole Cold War? Suez? The world has been to the brink many times over the past few decades. The list is just less than endless.

The world hasn't blown up.

Every time someone, or multiple someones, did what it took to deescalate the situation. Did we come close? Scarily so in a couple of cases... Yet not quite.

That's not to say there won't be conflict. Barring a sudden Universal Brotherhood of Man breaking out, there's going to be conflict, probably bloody ones in all likelihood. But, horrific as these are, and will be;they won't end the world.

Children will still run and play somewhere. Men and women will still love, and be loved. Life will go on. Have a faith that along with all the evil in the world, there is good, too. Good that will ensure that our kind will continue on.

All the Doomsday scenarios are possible. True. But likely? No, I don't think so... Of course, only time will tell.

It will come like a thief in the night

It's a thoughtful subject. I was actually thinking about making a thread with a similar theme. There is some great change ahead for us, no doubt.

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
(Beatles)

reply to post by seagull


SnF for a solid text filled thread. A perfect example I hope our new members will take notice of.
An optimistic view indeed.
It saddens me to think of the many children around the world that won't be running and playing any more simply
because of the greed that sits in the lap of our rulers. It's simply disgusting to me and it dosen't allow me the same optimism and hope for mankind that you have. I was going to bring images, but I don't enjoy my pessimism.
I don't mean to bring you down. However there are two sides to every coin.

In my opinion, I would rather see the world blow up in one split second then have my children grow up in the world we see developing before our eyes.

They will be slaves to whatever government is in control, their lives spent getting by on the table-scraps of those who decide our eventual fate. They will be sent to fight those bloody wars and die for no greater cause than the greed of Men.

At best, their lives will be wasted, forever away from their families while they work to survive in another man's system.

No offense friend, but I'll take doom and gloom over slavery anyday!

reply to post by sheepslayer247


No offense taken.

Few, if any, which most assuredly includes me; thinks the world as it stands is perfect. But where there is life, there is the continuing hope that things will change. In order for that hope to become reality? That's up to each of us to strive for.

Slavery? To whom? Slavery implies a lack of choice. My friend, there is always a choice. You don't like what the world is becoming? Help do something about it.

I have a feeling that the multiverse is holographic, and that an aspect of what we define as our consciousness is present and experiencing reality throughout all dimensions. In that sense, there is a "judgement day" on one of the upper floors, and we are each on the hook for our own prosecution, and defense.

Occasionally somehow out here in 4D gets a whiff of their own private judgement day, and -- lacking the perspective of their own higher self -- become fearful that somehow they "won't make the cut." That fear replicates itself through the intuition, outward through the dimensions, and often becomes an apocalyptic vision, which the se'er is compelled to "create" in some way. Most are barely aware that their own 4D brainpan has concocted the details of their vision out of thin air.

They cannot understand that for all intents and purposes -- a human being is a specially designed filtering mechanism for the power beyond it's own cosmic sense of self. No matter how hard we try -- we can only express the frequencies applicable to our own life-force in 4D space/time. Meanwhile, above our heads, judgement day is already over, and "everyone" is "fine."

reply to post by seagull


It is a choice every single person has to make.

As our friend John Lennon said..
If there's No soldiers, there can be No war..
If the General have No soldiers to command, he won't be able to wage war.

Originally posted by MrMaybeNot
It will come like a thief in the night

Only to those not expecting a thief.

Originally posted by seagull
Just to set the Mood.

Man has had this capacity for the better part of a century. A capacity to destroy his, our, world has been within our grasp for fifty years or more... Yet, here we are... We've come through, intact, crisis that make the current nonsense with Iran look like a schoolyard fight. Surely some of you remember the Cuban missile crisis? The Berlin Airlift? The Vietnam War? Korea? The whole Cold War? Suez? The world has been to the brink many times over the past few decades. The list is just less than endless.

The world hasn't blown up.

You're right, the world hasn't blown up.

However, you should notice how sad it is that we've had the capacity to destroy the planet for about 70 years and look at all the times we've already come close to using it. 70 years is not a very long time, and you just named 7 events where some major stuff could definitely have happened. Almost once every decade.

Let's put it like this... probability is NOT on our side in the long run.

Although I agree with the OP, we are facing a new challenge in the global power shift and the world economy. This is somewhat uncharted territory. There are many scenarios that could play out from those two examples.

I would also like to add that mankind used thousands of nukes during the cold war, so we didn't exactly come out unscathed. None were used on population centers, but the historians here know how unbelievably close we came to that. It's really a miracle that it didn't happen.

There will always be scenarios to be concerned about. However, I would implore people not to base their existence on "what ifs". Life is too beautiful and short to live as a prisoner to fear.

reply to post by seagull

Slavery? To whom? Slavery implies a lack of choice. My friend, there is always a choice. You don't like what the world is becoming? Help do something about it.

We are slaves to those that have the power to manipulate the world to fit their needs. One man with money and power can achieve much more than an entire movement of poor Men with just the goal to be free.

Tell me how free you really think we are, and what choices we really have.

Do something about it? I have been trying for years!

I vote, I don't vote. I go left, I go right.

I voice my opinion, I shut my mouth.

The only thing I haven't done is run for office myself and that's because I cannot afford to do it!

In my time on this Earth I have done just about everything to "do something about it"! For the first time in my generation, there was a movement to make change the #1 priority....and they are cast as dirty liberal hippies that just want more welfare and free college.

The movement for change is being rejected.

"Doing something about it" has all but blown up in my face!

'World has not blown up';
Correct, but a bunch of Lunatics, known better as 'Scientist's', have sure given it a swing. When the 1st Nuke was exploded the scientist's later admitted they , Did not know if the chain reaction was going to be limited or endless. In plain they pushed that 1st button knowing not if they were about to end things 100%.

At present we have another bunch of Scientist and physicist below ground level in Switzerland. They built a massive Low Hadon Collider to continue their atom smashing fantasy. At present they are trying to develop a Black Hole. Suppose they are succesful ??? How do you stop a Black Hole ???

So yes, Time to salute Barry Mcguire and his previous prophecy Nice header OP

This says it all, we have always been a warring destructive world. We have always had the ability to destroy each other, Mother Earth will still be here no matter.

Do I have faith, some days.

reply to post by seagull


While I enjoyed the idea behind your thread (that we've come close to destruction but somehow have always avoided it) - and your optimistic point of view - I feel differently about all of this.

Personally, I think that, so far, we have been lucky.

Very very very lucky.

I try to live my life week by week. With that mentality I have been very happy with my life and myself. Tho the world around me is crumbling down, If I do not wake up tomorrow, then I can at least die happy! Even just that thought makes me happy

reply to post by seagull


of course... in those same 50+ years that nothing had escalated to a major global conflict or a cosmic near-extinction event... we did not have a Supreme Leader in Iran, and his dutiful President Ahmadinejad
actively participating in actions that are designed to cause chaos and strife among the peoples of the Globe...
for the reason to prepare the way for the emergence of the 12th Iman, the Mahdi...
and Iran to actively engage the Great Satan & the Little Satan (as the Iranian leadership labels the USA & Israel respectively)


in any proposition the chances are 50-50...
so logic negates both the pessamistic stand of a global calamity as likely to happen
and the optimistic view that a calamity is 'unlikely'


some factors have changed in the equasion...as noted

Nothing has ever been created my mankind, and not used for selfish gain. It is not the technology, it is the use of the technology.

Today we have enough nuclear weapons to destroy all life on earth 40 times over... every squar inch... it only takes once!

We will survive, as will Earth, but your prediction will proove false in a matter of months. Luckily God has a plan.

reply to post by prepared4truth


The operative phrase there is we've had the capacity to do so, as one member put it, and accurately, I might add; many, many times over. Yet we haven't.

For all the hatred that abounds in this world, we've muddled along managing, maybe by luck, maybe by grace, or maybe, just maybe, an ability to know that we must not take this last step. Because we know that that last step is a step into an abyss.

Yes, I know this is perhaps an unrealistic portrayal of our worlds state. But I've also seen some bad times in the world. I remember the seventies and eighties. I remember seeing bombers taking off from SAC bases near my home, and even at that young age, I knew what those planes were (air force brat...).