David Worboys – Life is in great shape

Are things not in great shape at the moment? Are we not fortunate to live on planet Earth? Isn’t the early twenty-first century a great time to be alive. Of course it is. But with a little fine tuning, things could be even better. It could again be the Paradise that God created.

However, a few minor challenges need to be addressed.

First, we are in danger of wiping out our entire planet within the next dozen years or so. The advance of climate change could precipitate massive death and destruction through flooding, storms, heat, aridity and pollution. Entire cities and even islands could be submerged in water. Huge structures could be blown away. Wide areas could become uninhabitable and uncultivable owing to intense heat and lack of rain. The signs are clear enough already.

The advent of Artificial Intelligence could affect every kind of security. It could exterminate entire populations and criminally access the investments held by banks and major fund holders, as humans may have surrendered control of everything to technology.

But, apart from these two concerns plus the transgender threat, things aren’t too bad, are they?

Well, our world would be a better place without aggression, violence and hatred. The gruesome destruction and suffering unleashed in Gaza and Ukraine is allowed to continue unchecked. There are threats to world stability by China and North Korea. Gun crime in the US and fatal stabbings in the UK have reached epidemic levels. The spectre of Trump remains as a threat to democracy and world sanity. Okay, but we can’t have everything.

Weather apart, the UK is a pleasant and accommodating country to live in. It would be even better but for a few minor shortcomings. As if Brexit were not enough, there are crises in the health service, the economy, the police, the judiciary, education, transport, immigration and strikes. Scandals rage involving the water companies, British Gas, the Post Office, HS2, Covid and Rwanda. There are increases in shoplifting, potholes and prices.  All this under an immature, image-obsessed leader who appears incapable of answering a question truthfully or listening to advice.

But things could be a lot worse. At present there is only one war in Europe and there are still about two million Palestinians who have not yet been murdered or maimed for life by Netanyahu’s IDF. Taiwan and South Korea are still free and functioning, while the banning of Zombie knives in the UK is under discussion.

Many species of flora and fauna have so far survived extinction and there are stretches of river and ocean that are still largely transparent and unpolluted. The existing Amazon rain forest still exceeds the area destroyed.

And it gets better. Mankind is still in control of Artificial Intelligence – at least Elon Musk is – and it is humans who are finding ever more ingenious ways to perpetrate fraud and theft. Not automatons.

It all seems in pretty good shape.