The time is now

This time this post will be about some thoughts that I have had for some time, but are become more frequent and disturbing. It’s quite hard to put them into concrete words since they are my own thoughts and its part of my life philosophy.

No matter what your origin and beliefs are, almost everyone agrees on that we have one chance, one life, one opportunity in our current form. If you are Christian, Muslim or Jewish, there is an afterlife, but that isn't on this planet. Buddhism and Hinduism believe in reincarnation, but in another form of life. And atheist believes this is it. No matter what you or others believe in, this is all you get. This is our only chance in this world and in this form. Even if you return in another form, your knowledge and experience from another life is gone. No one can claim that they have the knowledge from another timeline that has been experienced in first hand (reading a history book isn’t valid). To understand this is, what I would say, extremely important for each and everyone on this planet.

Continuing and assuming that you, the reader, agrees with me. Now, that we have established that we get one life and then its game over, what to do with our life? The answer to this differs from everyone depending on their current situation also depending on the timeline. In short term the answer from a Swedish person might be something like this “Finish my education”, “afford buying a *insert random unneeded item here*” or “try to get laid” or something like that. However, asking a women in Congo who is experiencing their ‘civil’ war (I don’t like using the term civil war, war as war, might be fought differently, but the result is always the same: a lot of death and destruction) the answer would be more like: “try to mourn my slaughtered husband”, “avoid being raped by the military” or “try to scramble some food for my children”. Two extreme differences that generally shouldn’t be compared to each other, but everyone is somewhere between the extreme consumption or basic human survival.

Long term goals also varieties between people, depending on their social-economical situation. How often do you think a person in the western world (excluding USA) has a life goal of surviving past age of thirty? If we exclude the unlucky people who has a terminating disease the number is most likely close to zero or at least low enough to be ignored. The stereotypical answer is more or less: “Get a good education”, “get a good job”, “marry a good person and create a happy and decent family” and “have a circle of good friends”. There is, and it is very important to point out, absolutely nothing wrong with these answers but they aren’t, as I see it, enough.

The world we live in is unfair. This is how it is. Some are lucky to be born in a wealthy country and can enjoy most luxury our world has to offer. And some are unlucky to be born in a war torn and poor country and barely has food for the day. No one can be blamed for where they are born, it’s one of those few things in life we have absolutely no control over. Also no one can be blamed for living the typical life where they are born. Far from everyone has the ability to be in the constant flux of change and adapt to the new science and knowledge. However, some knowledge isn’t new and has been in existence for as long as humanity. This is the fact that some people barely have enough food while others have an abundance of it.

The problem roots in the human ability to distance them from what doesn’t directly affect them. This is easily seen as people are unmoved by disasters which happens on the other side of the world. Not that mourning for the dead in for example Africa would make any difference to the victim whatsoever. But it illustrates how we humans work, for it is hard to see past your own nose, your own circle of life. However, it is of highest importance for people to try to go past it, to try to make a difference with the injustice that is in effect of our world. For if everyone worked at least a little to make a better world, there would be dramatic changes. And this is what I want to have added in the stereotypic norms of a good life goal: a genuine wish to make a better world. Be it in its own society, the one next door or on the other side of the world; it makes little difference where, as long as one work for a better world.

But it is hard, it’s very hard. I truly want to make a difference, but due to my place, here in protected and ice cold Sweden I can so easily distance myself from the world. I can shut out the world and enjoy my life with those people I surround myself with. This is precisely what I done for so many years now, but I grow weary. The time for me has come; I cannot live like this much longer. I am going to make a difference.

Save the world – or die trying.