Catastrophe of the Soul
When we detonate the nuclear bombs we will weep, for we will not be ready, but we will have chosen. “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn.”
Two great catastrophes bear upon us, neither of which can be resolved by you or I alone.
The consequences of the first great catastrophe are temporal and singular. The consequences of the second are eternal and infinite.
The first great catastrophe is a destined human collective-action failure to resolve all manner of known catastrophic problems, of which the large-scale tragic consequences are temporal and singular. One reason that tragedy is inevitable in our lifetimes or our children’s lifetimes is because the seemingly simple solution to one known problem (ecological crisis) frequently triggers other known problems (tyrannical government and economic stagnation). Another reason that tragedy is inevitable is because the improved rational framework for engaging with catastrophes presented by Jean-Pierre Dupuy will not be adapted by entrepreneurs, scholars, statesmen, and other world leaders until it is too late. “Why was the bomb used? Because it existed.”
The second great catastrophe is a catastrophe of the soul, the consequences of which are eternal and infinite. You will not properly consider the trajectory of your soul until it is too late. Nor will I. Nor will our families and friends. We will fail to adequately contemplate and act to correct the eternal trajectory of our souls, despite the tools and time given to us.
Infinity. Nothingness.
The path ahead demands a courage that cannot be purely willed, but only prayed for, hoped for, and gifted to us by God. At the same time, the path requires a deeper rational and scientific rigor, enabled by a humility that can only be sustained by faithfully seeking understanding of the infinite creator God.
No Man is an Island, Entire of Itself
Without God’s grace and the help of family, friends and strangers – my soul and the souls of my wife, child, family and friends will be damned to hell for eternity.
Without God’s grace and the help of family, friends and strangers – the peaceful lives of my wife, child, family and friends will be lost early to disease, accident, disaster, nihilism or worse.
Without God’s grace and the help of family, friends and strangers – the products and businesses that I invest time and money into will fail by technical, financial or other means.
Without God’s grace and the help of family, friends and strangers – Bitcoin will fail for technical, regulatory or nuclear apocalypse reasons.
Without God’s grace and the help of family, friends and strangers – the global economy will enter stagnation and then depression, followed by millions of suicides and deaths.
Without God’s grace and the help of family, friends and strangers – our culture will become more distracted and more workaholic at the same time, foolishly disregarding that it is within the pursuit of leisure and mastery that many peaks of our previous civilization works came to be.
Without God’s grace and the help of family, friends and strangers – our culture will continue prioritizing legal contracts as a wholesale replacement for human trust and voluntary collaboration instead a tool with limitations, contributing to a culture of precaution and ressentiment instead of action, collaboration and forgiveness.
Without God’s grace and the help of family, friends and strangers – ecological failure will occur by large crop or ecosystem failure, leading to famine and millions of deaths.
Without God’s grace and the help of family, friends and strangers – a tyrannical global government will take away the human rights and liberties of citizens, preventing commerce and and committing inhuman acts in the name of safety and security.
Without God’s grace and the help of family, friends and strangers – Elon Musk will fail to get to Mars, and no one will be courageous enough to follow his plans, leaving humans on earth for centuries longer.
Without God’s grace and the help of family, friends and strangers – nuclear bombs will be detonated in many cities across the world, leading to widespread civil unrest and millions of deaths.
Without God’s grace and the help of family, friends and strangers – a strong solar flare will hit the earth while our magnetosphere is weakened, destroying most electronics and leading to widespread civil unrest, famine and hundreds of millions of deaths.
Without God’s grace and the help of family, friends and strangers – we will be unable to execute solutions to major civilizational catastrophes despite having solved theoretical and resource issues because we do not have enough humans in our communities due to the fertility crisis.
Becoming Children of God
Gazing into the abyss before us, what hope exists?
The hope of imperfect, faithful submission embodied in Noah, Moses, Job, Isaac, Ishmael and Mary, and then fulfilled in the past, present and future of Jesus Christ’s perfect loving actions.
Christ foretells of worldwide chaos and wars leading to a final Apocalypse, of which not even he knows the time: “about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Then he repeatedly tells us to keep watch, “Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming,” while also warning of many false Christs that will come before the true end.
It is by faith that we trust in the final apocalypse and redemption by God’s final judgement. It is by faith that we trust in his forewarning that many will be deceived by false prophets and many will choose not to believe, and thus some souls will not be redeemed despite our hopes, prayers
and actions to avoid this ultimate eternal catastrophe.
And, it is only by that same watchful faith that you and I can now pursue understanding and pray that our daily actions - although flawed and imperfect - may first be pleasing to God, second be serving to our communities, and third bring resolution to the catastrophes that befall us.
Forgive us Father, for we know what we have done.
Written in August 2024.
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