Dear humankind,
I realize this is a lofty letter to publish in a student newspaper, given that odds are only 15 people will read past this very sentence.
For those of you who did, thanks! I’m sorry, but I’m about to burden you with a great responsibility. I hope you can handle it.
Here it is: Please stop it!
You see, guys, with the upcoming presidential election just around the corner and all of the horrible things going on in the world, I’ve heard more than a few people mutter that these events signify the end of the world.
Now what they mean by “end of the world” can mean a few things. It can mean Jesus (or the savior of your choosing) is coming. It can mean that some whack-job leader is willing to let off an atomic bomb — even though that is unlikely to kill off the entire world.
But mostly it just signifies the overwhelming negativity we all seem to hold in the human psyche.
With all of the carelessness we possess, with all of the grudges we hold against one another, with all of the scriptures we hold sacred (you know, the ones we’re openly willing to kill and die for) and all of the truly evil things we do, the world is sure to come to an end.
That’s called a self-fulfilling prophecy. Whether it is a true scripture-given prophecy — well, that’s up to you.
But it’s not really the end of the world we’re worried about, is it?
As we pump tons of garbage and waste into rivers and oceans, fill our land with things that take eons to biodegrade, drive around SUVs to just to run a few errands — the list goes on and on — it becomes apparent that it’s not the end of the world itself we’re afraid of. We’re afraid of the end of humankind.
As incredibly egotistical as it is, we’re not worried about the whales, bunny rabbits, rainbows and trees. We’re worried about us. Why else would we seriously consider the livability of Mars?
So for those of you who believe the “end of the world” will land you in heaven or your paradise of choosing, keep on doing what you’re doing, I guess — even though in my objective opinion those things seem to be severely sinful.
But for those of us who don’t believe that — which I’d venture to say is a good majority, despite poll numbers — let’s consider the alternative. Let’s continue to live life and make a few changes.
I know. It’s a crazy idea. I must be mad. Here are a few of my solutions to this problem:
Stop thinking the sky is falling. It’s not. And if you think it is, odds are it will, so stop it.
Stop thinking the person on the other side of the world is so foreign. In the grand scheme of foreign things, they’re not. We’re all in this together, and the sooner you start thinking we are, the better off we’ll all be.
And on the same line of thought, stop doing mean crap to each other just because another person is different. The whole point of being different — is to be different! So stop it!
Stop warming the earth, please. I know I sound like a preaching hippie, but hippies have some good ideas. Turn off the lights when you’re not in the room, bear a few degrees of discomfort during the summer and winter months. Maybe even walk a few places. It’s worth it.
The only thing more annoying than prophecy is self-fulfilling prophecy. If we don’t have to end the world, why should we? That’s the question for you to consider, humans.
Love always (and I mean it),
Christina
Our time has ended here, but let’s continue the conversation. E-mail Christina your best polar bear picture at christina.caldwell@asu.edu.
