Happy Halloween!
The End?
It's scary out there.
In more ways than one.
Earlier this month, defectors from the cult of AI have gone to major news outlets to share a "substantial probability" that that AI could "kill us all". OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also said "AI will most likely lead to the end of the world".
In some blogs I read, I've heard the current times called "The Polycrisis." There are too many chaotic events overlapping and the speed of the chaos can only accelerate until the world just simply implodes.
Happy Saturday.
It's no coincidence that I'm sending this to you on Halloween– a time for celebrating the dark. Halloween is a holiday where we're reminded of the ephemeral nature of life.
Of The End.
For the record, I don't believe that human extinction is coming in the next 4-10 years. But whatever does happen, I do think it's a good thing to be reminded of our limited time here. I think the end of the world (or at least the end of our own lives) can be a helpful way of reframing how we engage with the world.
This month, and specifically today, I want to go Apocalyptic.
The end of the world.
But let's have fun.
Dark but with some lightness.
I want to bring some optimism and hope. Maybe even a smile.
It's going to be ok.
Leave your axe, gas mask, and anti-zombie gear in your bunker.
Come out for a while.
Let's play.
Assume Forever
As part of the protests in France, a group of hackers got into the refrigeration system of a grocery store and turned to temperature up to 50°C. They cooked everything.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars of food, wasted.
My friends in Paris tell me stories of looting and lawlessness. Protests across the world often devolve into chaos. People start feeling alone and anonymous, and therefore unaccountable. So they breaking the rules.
When it feels like the end of the world, consequences don't matter anymore. In the midst of the chaos, they're thinking about survival. When the government collapses and social structures are in flames, it's everyone for themselves.
––hold that thought, come with me for a minute––
One of the unexpected side effects of becoming a parent is thinking about the future. I believe there must be a place for my kids to grow up and thrive.
The world must go on.
Part of that is teaching my kids values of interconnectedness.
Caring for people that are hurt.
Generous to those in need.
Helpful when we can.
Respectful.
Humble.
Kind.
These are lessons or taking care of everyone.
And in crisis, these values matter most.
Because we want to live in a world where people help each other. Where we look out for each other with generosity. Because we never know when we might need it.
––ok let's bring it home ––
If we believe the world is ending we act selfishly. If there are no consequences or accountability, nothing matters.
But, let's think like a parent instead. If the world must continue, then we continue practicing our values. We continue to uphold the rules, to be decent and prioritize humanity.
We share generously.
Openhearted and kind.
Because that's what we want, too.
The world becomes better just because we want things to keep going.
Let's assume forever.
Am I the Bad Guy?
I really wanted to introduce my kids to The Muppet Movie.
I was set on it.
Determined that tonight was a Muppets night.
And my kids pushed for The Lego Movie. Begged.
I softened. The kids won.
Everything is awesome.
The premise is about a kid who wants to build and create with Legos, destroy and rebuild. But his dad wants to build perfect cities and glue them together permanently. The glue becomes a metaphor for anti-creativity, anti-fun, and anti-childhood. And (spoiler alert) when the dad realizes that he's actually the bad guy, he softens.
The boy prevails. They play.
But for most of the movie, the dad, Lord Business, thinks he's the good guy. He does what he believes is best. But he's creating a world that makes people unhappy and suffer.
Everyone thinks they're the good guy.
Everyone thinks that what they're doing is a good choice.
Think of the most horrible, evil person you know right now.
(Wow, ok that was fast)
A hard truth is that if you had their life experiences, you would likely come to believe that what they were doing was right too.
You just have a different experience that points to the opposite.
I sometimes joke about being a parent– that whatever we're doing we're messing our kids up. They'll be in therapy for years. We just can't see how right now.
I know I'm making mistakes right now, likely making someone's life worse because of my choices.
I'm the bad guy in someone's story, even if I'm not able to see it.
But when I do, I can change my mind.
Being a strong leader and a role model for my kids means showing them I can empathize.
I can admit wrongdoing, and own my mistake.
Changing my mind when I have better information is a sign of strength, maturity.
And, contrary to popular belief, a sign of strong leadership.
"Because I said so" is not a rule in our house.
"Because it's brave to change your mind" is.
It's not the end of the world
You're probably not going to be a millionaire or get famous from that thing you're working on.
But it's not the end of the world.
We may not be able to save the Pinta Giant Tortoise from extinction.
But it's not the end of the world.
We didn't make the deadline to reduce carbon emissions and keep global temperatures under the 1.5° increase.
But, actually, it's not the end of the world.
It's easy to think that we've lost the war on climate change. We can't reverse things. We can't fix and make it go back and all 100% better.
So we might as well stop recycling and thinking about sustainable energy and voting for politicians who care about these issues. Right?
But actually, it's NOT all or nothing. It's not a lost cause.
We can continue to work and make improvements.
Just because we can't reach the 1.5° temperature increase, doesn't mean we can't try and get it lower still.
Just because we didn't reach our goal doesn't mean we should give up.
All is not lost.
There is still ground to reclaim. We can do better.
We can make progress without admitting defeat.
We can still compost. Eat vegetarian. Vote. And contribute to reversing the effects of climate change. We can still care about the Giant Tortoise, Golden Toad, or the Japanese Otter and support conservation.
And you can still work on that thing.
Even if it won't make you rich. Or famous.
It still matters.
The world is a mess but it's not all garbage.
It's not the end of the world.
Keep going.
Post Script - my friend Jeffrey who writes a similar, greay newsletter called The Bridge coincidentally wrote just three days ago, "We’re not living at the end of the world, but we are living in a time of change." It’s worth checking out.
Revelation
There's a lot of choices in my life that have been big.
Transformational, even. Life-shaping.
Working 100 hour weeks?
Quitting a job with nothing lined up?
Moving to a foreign country?
Getting engaged ?
Having kids?
Starting a business?
I'd call them each a mini-apocalypse. Not in the sense of catastrophe or that the world ended (although I suppose poetically, they all signified the end of something).
But in the original meaning of the word, apocalypse means "an unveiling of things not previously known; which could not be known apart from the unveiling."
Getting married?
It's the apocalypse.
Advice alone is simply not enough to inform a decision to act.
The only way to learn the lessons ...to really know... is to just experience it.
Then, all will be revealed.
I hope you have a mini-apocalypse today.
Maybe even something in this refrigerator is that for you: a little unveiling that makes something new, known.
Let me know.
Refridgeyalater,
Jake
Hey! It's not over. A couple quick things:
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A few topics I cut from this month: The War in Afghanistan as a metaphor for Star Wars, Humans vs Robots and the future of design, Armageddon both the movie and the origin of the word meaning the Mountain of Meggido where the kings would gather as a final confrontation before the end of the world
The Email Refrigerator is a monthly delivery of essays, poetry, imagery, and thoughts, written and curated by Jake Kahana. Why a refrigerator? Well, it's where we look for snacks, a little freshness, and where we hang the latest, greatest work. And besides, "newsletter" sounds like spam.