Light dancing with darkness
A blog in strange times...
I am starting this blog from my apartment in Milan, during the days of the first peak of the coronavirus pandemic. With the spare time afforded by the lock down, I have finally been rid of all excuses to begin writing.
After discovering the world of podcasts a couple of years ago, I have been consuming as many as time permits. The internet has self organised into a gold mine of ideas, the kind which used to only be accessible by finding the right book or going to the right conference. There is now an abundance of discussions about science, philosophy and what it means to flourish in life. Listening in on them has left many half-formed ideas bouncing around my head. My aim for this blog is to explore these ideas, in a way that can be thought-provoking for others. However, I don't want to start without saying something about the current situation.
Darkness descends on the world
This the first time my generation has stared chaos in the face. After living a life of stability and comfort, more so than any other in human history, we have been hit with a cosmic blow. The events of 9/11 came close in their implications, but were bounded in a way that the Covid-19 contagion is not.
The vulnerability of our civilisation has suddenly been made painfully clear. Up to this point, it was difficult to believe that humanity, or even our way of life, could face existential threats. We knew of the existence of nuclear weapons and the possibilities for such pandemics, but, until now, these threats never felt tangible.
It is tempting to see the coronavirus as a monstrous entity, bent on destruction and misery. From another perspective though, it is just a small collection of proteins, packaged with instructions to replicate themselves inside human cells. This came about by pure chance, a specific set of mutations that resulted in a phase transition in replicability, allowing the virus to tear through humanity. The blind, unfeeling forces of evolution are all that is required to produce such a scourge. However, these blind forces are the very same that designed us. They are responsible for all the meaning and love in the universe. Embedded in the laws of nature there is a dance between light and darkness. A flame in the night, which can produce both transcendental beauty and terrible suffering.
A shimmer of hope
Now is the time for humanity to wake up from its complacent slumber. We have demonstrated our potential as a species, but must come together to meet the challenges presented to us. There are many on the front lines of the pandemic doing just that. However, the majority of us are confined to our houses. We should take this time to reflect on our true values. We do not have to accept the values of individualism, pushed onto us by those with vested interests. We can instead turn to love and comradeship, the only effective weapons against the maw of chaos.
In itself, this coronavirus does not represent an existential threat. But we should heed this warning blow. We cannot afford to bicker amongst ourselves, or sacrifice our souls to the gods of technological progress. Now we are a truly global species, our only hope for the future is to come together, united by our appreciation of the beauty inherent in human life.
Notes
The Effective Altruism movement is a great community of people seriously thinking about how to address issues of existential risk. A recent podcast from http://80000hours.org gives a great summary.
For a more in-depth exploration of a similar theme see Meditations on Moloch by Scott Alexander.
For those struggling with anxiety, this podcast from Tim Ferriss with Jack Kornfield, a renowned meditation teacher, gives ways of dealing with it.