It Just Might Take A Few Hundred Years To Conceive, Engineer, and Follow Through On That Idea
DAY 5
In my last blog I presented a list of possible doomsday scenarios which lead to this question: If “doomsday” is a mere 1000 years away (for discussion sake let’s assume it is) is there anything we could do about it today?
In the movie 2012 the world’s governments decide to keep the impending doom a secret from the people. They reason that if they tell “the people” then anarchy will breakout. They believe that with the limited time they have that they can only save approximately 400,000 people. So they hand pick those who will make a significant contribution in the new world. The rest of humanity is subject to the cataclysmic doomsday events. In our world that would mean that over six billion people would be doomed.
So… what would happen if the world embraced the idea that global disaster was near? If you knew that the world was going to end in 1000 years would it make a difference to you today? There are only two answers.
You might be tempted to think that 1000 years is a long time and in that much time our descendents will certainly figure something out. So let me ask the question another way to demonstrate the difficulty of the problem, the scope of the solution, and the resources needed to solve the problem.
What would it take to move six to eight billion people off this dying planet to the relative safety of a new extrasolar home? Assume that we leave no one behind… all six billion go.
It just might take a few hundred years to conceive, engineer, and follow through on that idea.
In former years we could not even begin to ask such a question. Prior the twentieth century such a possibility was just the figment of some odd person’s imagination, the stuff of science fiction. The only response to the crises I have described was to accept doomsday, the destruction of the Earth as the final chapter in human life. In deed that is the opinion of some even today. In the movie 2012 we see vignettes of families tenderly embracing each other in the face of doom, they were fated to end that way.
But not so now. Literally developing before our eyes today is the possibility, though it be remote at this time, nevertheless there exist the possibility of traveling beyond our own solar system to relative safety. Further more, given time, we can conceive of the possibility that every person, indeed all six billion of us, can participate in this project together. What a phenomenal idea! How transforming would that be?
If you knew that there was a chance, even a remote chance of providing safety for your children’s children would you help?
Of course you would!
But… how could YOU help NOW? The proper response is not “how?” but “we must!” Feel the urgency, it is real!
More next time. Until then… here is your daily spiritual exercise. You are spectator at a soccer game cheering our team on. Our team is behind, but there is still time and we could win. What will you do, from the sidelines, to help our team win? Part two: How can you help people around you win, today, in the game of life? Answer these questions and send me your response.
I love you – Bryan Martin
In the movie 2012 the world’s governments decide to keep the impending doom a secret from the people. They reason that if they tell “the people” then anarchy will breakout. They believe that with the limited time they have that they can only save approximately 400,000 people. So they hand pick those who will make a significant contribution in the new world. The rest of humanity is subject to the cataclysmic doomsday events. In our world that would mean that over six billion people would be doomed.
So… what would happen if the world embraced the idea that global disaster was near? If you knew that the world was going to end in 1000 years would it make a difference to you today? There are only two answers.
You might be tempted to think that 1000 years is a long time and in that much time our descendents will certainly figure something out. So let me ask the question another way to demonstrate the difficulty of the problem, the scope of the solution, and the resources needed to solve the problem.
What would it take to move six to eight billion people off this dying planet to the relative safety of a new extrasolar home? Assume that we leave no one behind… all six billion go.
It just might take a few hundred years to conceive, engineer, and follow through on that idea.
In former years we could not even begin to ask such a question. Prior the twentieth century such a possibility was just the figment of some odd person’s imagination, the stuff of science fiction. The only response to the crises I have described was to accept doomsday, the destruction of the Earth as the final chapter in human life. In deed that is the opinion of some even today. In the movie 2012 we see vignettes of families tenderly embracing each other in the face of doom, they were fated to end that way.
But not so now. Literally developing before our eyes today is the possibility, though it be remote at this time, nevertheless there exist the possibility of traveling beyond our own solar system to relative safety. Further more, given time, we can conceive of the possibility that every person, indeed all six billion of us, can participate in this project together. What a phenomenal idea! How transforming would that be?
If you knew that there was a chance, even a remote chance of providing safety for your children’s children would you help?
Of course you would!
But… how could YOU help NOW? The proper response is not “how?” but “we must!” Feel the urgency, it is real!
More next time. Until then… here is your daily spiritual exercise. You are spectator at a soccer game cheering our team on. Our team is behind, but there is still time and we could win. What will you do, from the sidelines, to help our team win? Part two: How can you help people around you win, today, in the game of life? Answer these questions and send me your response.
I love you – Bryan Martin
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