No worries

I don't think I'm actually an overly pessimistic person, although some would probably say otherwise. When considering the near-intermediate term future prospects for where humans and our environment seem to be headed though, the problem is that I find that it's increasingly difficult to maintain hope that things look pretty positive overall in the unfortunate face of the increasingly mountainous piles of evidence that they in fact don't. This has resulted in a few discussions that go like this:

Ben: Hmm, it actually seems like we're pretty stuffed here.
Other person: We'll be fine.
Ben: But what about these mountainous piles of evidence that we won't be? Some of the topmost manila folders are are already sliding off the pile and falling down and landing on our heads.
Other person: Well yes, but as a counterpoint to the mountainous piles of evidence, I present the following: nah, she'll be right.

If you ask people to extrapolate on "she'll be right", you might here about how technology etc will sort the problems out (and on that, here's a very good article that points out it's as silly to romanticise the future as it is to romanticise the past), but it's still basically "she'll be right". While I'm not personally immune to the apparently awesome power of "she'll be right" either – it's presumably what keeps me carrying on with life as usual rather than heading out to my plentifully stocked high-ground bunker/shelter/fortress somewhere – it's not taking the edge off the doom quite like it used to these days. I think I'm building up a tolerance. About the best I can manage now is "She probably won't be right, but you know, maybe she will, if we get lucky somehow?" And that's probably not even as confidence-inspiring as I've made it sound. (Tell you what brings the dubious-looking future of humanity into suddenly sharp perspective: having some children who you love very much who will be participating in it.)

I guess I'm glad the "she'll be right" people are still out in force in a way though. Global levels of "she'll be right" are probably a huge contributor to the ongoing lack of meaningful action and likely spells disaster, but perhaps in a way that's preferable to having more of that other type of conversation I have about this occasionally, which goes like this:

Ben: Hmm, it actually seems like we're pretty stuffed here.
Other person: Sure does. Have you seen the piles of evidence?
Ben: Yeah, so mountainous.
Other person: They sure are. And they seem to indicate we're pretty stuffed, if even just these foothill piles are any indication.
Ben: Yup. Certainly seem to be, indeed.
Other person: ...so stuffed.
Ben: Doomed, even.
Other person: Mmm.
Ben:...yup.
Other person ...but how about that local sports team, right?
Ben: Oh, man! Those guys are the sportiest.

Still, she'll be right. Right?

Excellent win today, Black Caps.