Pointless Destruction

With each news cycle, the specter of nuclear annihilation is thrust back into our collective consciousness. It seems that after eons of human civilization, the greatest achievement we can point to is our ability to destroy our own planet.

There's a certain adolescent logic to our hubris: “I can destroy myself, therefore I am.”

But not so fast: Actually, we hardly have the ability to destroy our planet. Arguably, we have the means to destroy all human civilization, and if we were really diligent, end all human life. But not to end all life.

Even with centuries of nuclear winter, life would surely continue, and it will relentlessly adapt. We can no more impact the fate of our one planet than a dinosaur skeleton can.

I have found this notion to be strangely comforting. No matter how ridiculous the affairs of people continue to be, our potential damage is ultimately limited to insignificance.

Related: Society.