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July 28, 2011
Is denial humanity's' most dangerous characteristc?
Homo sapiens, as we have come to call ourselves, could be at a tipping point in terms of popular belief about both our origins and ultimate destination as a species. I say that because we seem particularly blind to the threat represented by America's debt crisis, a global event that has been building for years, if not decades or even centuries. Yet at the eleventh hour, those with the authority- some would say responsibility- to resolve it seemed peculiarly incapable of doing so.Given the unprecedented increase in human numbers that occurred in the 20th century (and yet seems of such little concern to modern politicians and world leaders) the very complex global economy that has been both the enabler and a consequence of that population explosion should be an entity responsible leaders would seek to protect at all costs. However, as anyone reading American newspapers or watching cable news knows very well; such is not the case. With less than five days remaining before default, a workable solution seems further off than ever.
As someone who remembers the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in real time (it was the Summer between 8th and 9th grades) I am only too mindful of the fact that scientists involved in the Trinity test carried out less than 3 weeks before the actual bombing of Hiroshima were divided as to what might happen; some thought it could be a dud and a few feared a runaway chain reaction with catastrophic consequences. The similarity of the uncertainty of nuclear experts in 1945 and the extreme range of possibilities anticipated by economists resulting from our unresolved debt crisis next Tuesday could hardly be more ironic.
Assuming that neither extreme is realized, the overwhelming weight of responsible predictions seems to be that Americans will be hurt financially in the short term by (avoidable) loss of global confidence in our ability to pay our debts; yet that logic seems lost on the Tea Party minority in the House. Such behavior is not unusual for humans harboring powerful resentments. Indeed, responsible group behavior in the face of potentially dire consequences may the exception rather than the rule. One can make the argument that if we humans really did learn from our mistakes, there wouldn't be as many as history has recorded. On the other hand, we're still here...
In a similar vein, because I have acquired specific knowledge of how destructive our policy of drug prohibition has been with respect to cannabis, and how blind both American and International political leaders have remained to its shortcomings, I've also been forced to understand just how such anomalous circumstance could have come about.
The best answer at present seems to be our (human) capacity for denial, seems to be keeping pace with our equally strong capacity for self-destructive behavior. So far, at least, we've stopped short of total destruction. Let's hope that record continues; at least long enough to come up with an exit strategy.
Doctor Tom
Posted by tjeffo at July 28, 2011 11:42 PM