This Is Not The End

We’ve stopped fantasizing about the future as a prosperous place. Think of the movies and shows we watch, if it’s in the future it’s usually post apocalyptic. Growing up in a doomsday generation, here’s what I’ve heard subliminally all my life: there’s nothing left on earth to explore, all the solutions that would save our world are out of our hands, we all know where this is heading, the world is at its end.

Wow, what a time to be alive. How does your nervous system feel reading that? Maybe I’m the only one who hears these thoughts,  but looking at social media and hearing conversations on the streets makes me believe I’m not the only one feeling this impending and inescapable doom. 

Don’t spiral yet, I am about to make my case. After years and years of wrestling with all these thoughts and fears, here’s what I actually believe: we’re going to be just fine. The world isn’t ending. Let me explain.

I’m a sensitive soul, a carer of tender and beautiful things. There are so many things that shout at me when I’m online that have me crying for the rest of the week. Some literally still keep me up at night. Here’s how I feel it’s phrased: If this doesn’t make you sick, you’re part of the problem. Me, crying on the other side of the screen, feeling validated that I’m a good person for being affected, only to have this video pop up in my brain and ruin my day for the rest of the week. Now here’s the pattern I’ve noticed about this style of marketing: I am left feeling helpless. I feel small and burdened, like I should have given every dollar I own- but altogether I don’t feel like enough. These problems are too big. The only thing you can do, as a good person, is to spread this message.

Alright, hear me on this. We don’t live in a perfect world. We do live in a world where suffering happens, where reality will break your heart and yes, some problems are very big. However, anything- anything that makes you feel less than the powerful person you are, is a bully. What I’ve come to notice is that although these posts and causes might be well intended, using fear and guilt as a motivator is a bully move. Making an entire generation feel small and hopeless? Bully move. 

Here’s the truth: you are a solution to someone’s big, big problem. You are a game changer. As long as you’re breathing, who knows what might happen next? We are more than the dollars we donate to causes that break our hearts. When we’re not crippled with anxiety over our existence, we dream. We problem solve. We ponder and play and see what happens. 

Now, what I’m not saying is stop being generous with your money, every charity and cause is a sham, stop caring about the world, focus on yourself.

Nope. Hard no. 

What I’m getting to is this: stop listening to, and agreeing with- and sharing things that make you feel helpless, and stop letting our culture catastrophize your future. Stop letting fear steal your power. Paint a new picture, what is the best case scenario? What if the world doesn’t end? What could that look like? We won’t be able to stop all the suffering in the world, but we can show up in our lives with hope. Maybe that can ease a bit of suffering in itself. 

I said the world’s not ending, and I truly don’t believe it is. On a practical side, there’s actually been a lot of encouraging developments and technology that can help solve a lot of world problems- the O-zone is healing (expected to be back to normal by 2040)- I don’t know what that means but it was a big deal when I was a kid. That was the first time I heard the world was ending. There’s also now an official way to de-salt saltwater, which is a game changer for folks who don’t live in areas with access to fresh water. There’s actually a lot of good news out there if you look for it, but sadly nothing goes as viral as making people think the world is ending if they don’t share this post. 

My song for this week is Step Out by Jose Gonzalez. I’ll be honest, not 100% what the lyrics are about but musicality has this adrenaline kick that will make you feel like you’re alive to do something incredible- and it’s true. Today is a great day to start believing you can.