Destiny

Destiny represents a complex concept

Destiny is defined as that which is predetermined. While this definition is not incorrect, it is also simplistic to a fault. Destiny actually represents a complex concept, and complexity is the domain of humans. Yes, other life forms exhibit their versions of complexity, but these are functionally simplified to primarily accommodate survival and reproduction. Conversely, the complexities of human intellectual processing have been developed and refined over a very long time.

While the complexities of human destiny are the inherent result of endless, ever more complex intellectual combinations over time, one of the most meaningful accompanying results is how we cope with these as societies and as individuals within these societies. Agreeing to what are good, questionable or unacceptable outcomes can be the bane of modernity. Even if we accept this reality of contradiction for what it is, it doesn’t alter the challenges of coping with the inevitable tasks of doing so.

Modern societies embrace endless combinations of change that exponentially create advancement opportunities for citizens around the world. Hundreds of technologies in multitudes of endeavors create better lives for so many. Many, but not all, citizens take these for granted and have very high expectations for their futures. This, in itself, is reasonable and desirable. But sometimes goals and expectations can raise ethical and moral concerns about destinies that will likely benefit some but also prove detrimental to others.

Societies can and will find themselves confronting issues that can or will create strong disagreements. I’m thinking particularly of those issues that seem to be tampering with some fundamental aspects of human existence. On a planet with a multitude of serious issues related to the basic functioning of the earth’s quality of life and even life itself, there are conflicts emerging between those who are facing a range of negative realities in coming decades and those who are more concerned with finding ways to increase human lifespans by years, perhaps decades.

Here are the realities. While there are more people living into their 80s/90s or even low 100s, they represent a modest percentage of planet inhabitants, whereas vastly more millions are doomed to far worse, shorter lives. Most of the now eight billion people on this planet are facing an array of large scale issues. The planet simply has run out of viable space to grow enough food for the current global population size, and the latest billion took only a half-dozen decades to come into existence. Birth rates actually need to be reduced significantly overall. Advanced economies average two to three children per family, or fewer, but the numbers are higher in too many developing/poor societies.

Human destiny has changed radically in the last two hundred years. All of the population growth and economic progress that has made modern life what it now is for many (but far from all) has also resulted in an array of significant problems. We actually know what it would require to slow and eventually reverse these issues, but how many want to actually accept the necessary changes. Perhaps not all of the changes are equally necessary, but some are absolutely critical. Climate change and population growth drive much of current critical issues.

Some say today’s current problems originated in the mid to late twentieth century, but this is a naive assumption. It actually began with the industrial revolution and has simply accelerated at increasing rates from there. The last three plus decades have simply ramped up the rates of change in increasingly negative ways around the globe. This “destiny” was inevitable. There is reason to believe these issues will increase far longer because the rates of mitigation are nowhere near what is necessary. Future generations will have increased technology but also increased quality of life issues that will be even more negative.

It’s very easy to ignore what doesn’t happen to one’s self — until it does. We all do this to varying degrees. Obviously differences in wealth, status, location and resources will affect how much we can mitigate circumstances. But in the long view societies need widely available mitigations because the successes of citizens literally determines destiny.