Throughout my life, I've encountered many many many problems.
Friendships. Relationships. Judgement. Family. Career. Life. Death. Purpose. What to eat for dinner.
These are the things all young adults go through.
And as I thought through all these concerns, it was clear that some have obvious answers, while some feel sooo obvious that it has no answer.
For an obvious answer example, let's talk about friendships. I found a clear answer: a small set of friends > having too many friends. It's simple to be a good friend by being curious about their lives, and it's nice to message someone when you think of them. I was historically bad at this but I definitely improved throughout these years.
As for the no-answer problem, the first thing that comes to mind is purpose. It's a question that's inherently unclear unless God himself descends from the skies or the ChatGPT AI overlords finally reveal the answer (42).
I believe that facing and overcoming these kinds of hardships is what gives life meaning, and historically, that's how humans have lived for millennia.
However, I've recently been stumped by a different kind of crisis that feels like an entirely new meta layer on top of the challenges I mentioned earlier, and I wonder if this is something that resonates with my readers too.
Early last year, I fell down the rabbit hole of Collapse, the idea that our world is on an irreversible path toward climate catastrophe and could drastically affect future generations (even as soon as within our own lifetimes). Unpredictable weather could make mass agriculture unsustainable, rising sea levels could trigger mass migrations, and food shortages might lead to social unrest. Goobie and Doobie, a YouTuber I enjoy, recently covered this topic, which inspired me to finally write this post. (I wrote about Collapse a few months ago but never published it as it felt too bleak, and I wasn't sure what message I wanted to share)
And yep, I know. It's a negative and frustrating view of the future. I've sat with it for a while, but collapse feels like the most logical direction the world is heading in. Wars and conflicts seem to suggest that most people, especially world leaders, are focused on a completely different set of issues that feel almost childish in scale compared to collapse. It's hard to stay aware of threats that don't affect us immediately, but this one carries truly dire consequences.
For me, two big questions come out of collapse: one practical and one philosophical.
First, the practical. How do we reverse or at least slow down climate change? The answer is pretty straightforward: consume less, emit less, and care more about the balance of the planet. Easy. Climate change solved. But not really. None of that is likely to happen and you probably already know without a need for a long explanation.
Which brings me to what I actually want to talk about in this post:
If you knew the future (your future, your kid's future) was pretty much fucked, how would you choose to live?
I feel like there are two ways to approach the idea of Collapse:
- **The surrendering: **Oh, we might be fucked. Oh well. Might as well live the life I want, keep consuming, and continue the same behaviors that got us here in the first place. Climate change is out of my hands, so it should be out of my mind. This doesn't really affect me now - not my problem.
- **The persevering: **Oh, we might be fucked. Ok. Even if there is nothing immediate I can do, let me do my best to take care of the planet and the people around me. Maybe that means cutting back on meat and goods consumption or sacrificing some quality-of-life comforts.
Truthfully, I've always leaned closer to the surrendering archetype. I've lived a good, comfortable life without really considering the implications of many actions that come with the privilege we have in this era of human society.
But over the past few years, as I've grown more into myself, I've started to understand the kind of man I want to be and the future I want to create for those around me.
So, my conclusion?
I want to try to lean into being someone who embodies perseverance. I want to be more conscious and appreciative. More than anything, I hope you can see that in me. I want to pay it forward as much as I can.
Thank you for reading!