Resilience in the face of danger

Today I read some bad news that stood out from the rest: Stephen Hawking predicts humanity can only survive on planet Earth for another 100 years. 

I admit I've been slow to be vocal about the importance of combating climate change (though that is not the only factor he takes into account). A few months ago I was walking down a thoroughfare in Newtown, making my fear of the end of the world known to a new acquaintance. I was hesitant to do so, as I intuitively felt it would be read as irrational, and her reception indeed pointed to such a perception. But I can't be silenced by people who would use my mental health status against me. Please click on authoritative articles on climate change when you see them. The only way humanity can leave a legacy on Earth is through the population waking up to the extent of the challenges we face. 

I'm likely to be dead in 100 years' time. But as I delve into literary classics like Faust by Goethe, I see much there to treasure, and many of the cultures we have cultivated over time would be worth building on by future generations - if only we can keep humanity afloat. 

I am not in immediate danger. I spend a lot more time worrying about how to move to Europe than when a storm mighty enough to tear my building apart will eventuate. But I still worry about it. Such destruction has precedence in Sydney. The structures that hold me, the world which contains me, is under threat, and I watch in horror as my mum denies climate change and my dad believes technology will triumph over nature. I don't want to be alarmist, but from what I see, those of us who are 'woke' are too few to enact the changes needed to avert catastrophe. This planet is so beautiful, there is so much for humanity to live for, yet we're mindlessly tearing it all apart. 

Faust was a gift to long-form poetry. I want people to revel in it long after I'm gone. And yet. It seems we're in the last chapter of history as we know it. Will we migrate to Mars? Who knows. In my life I've often carried around a sense of tragedy, and now I find myself swept up in a brand new one which is shared by the smartest people on earth. 

How to make sense of this? Should I start writing reviews on Amazon.com sooner rather than later? When it comes to geographic ties, I am lucky. Living in a developed nation means that I won't feel the worst of the effects of such phenomena as food scarcity. Oh, I'm sick of thinking about such dire things. I wish I didn't have to. But I can't close my eyes to the direction the evidence evokes. 

Self-care, self-care, self-care. Focus on the now, abilities in the now, get good sleep, eat well. It's not over till it's over.