Welcome to the Anthropocene

The Anthropocene is the name of the present stage of the Earth’s geological history in which human activities have so transformed the environment to warrant a new epoch. The previous epoch, the Holocene, has encompassed the whole of human history, up to now.

The Anthropocene is what we are all, now, living through. The stage is set for the play life and not just our own, but every aspect of life on earth, that will be a part of this experience: ecological, spiritual, intellectual, sociological, political... Make no mistake; this is the Anthropocene and you're a part of it.

The Anthropocene may not be what we hoped for but it’s all we’ve got. As a reluctant adopter of the term, I have spent a large part of my finite personal resources to stave off as much of what it implies as possible — the worst ravages of which are yet to be understood and, potentially so complex as to be unknowable prior to experiencing its irreversible effects. There is a sense of being locked in a struggle with something intimate, self-inflicted, simultaneously preventable and inevitable, if not in kind, then at least in degree. Which, in this case, is everything.

I had, up until November 2016–despite knowledge to the contrary, lived as if I were still in the Holocene. As the world continues to act accordingly, as far as I can tell, up to the present. With this blog and it’s initial post, I accept that I am living in the Anthropocene and declare my intent behave accordingly.

Having said all of that and having accepted the world as forever changed. I declare, here, my intent to live the rest of my life seeking always to find the best, most positive aspects of this strange new existence and to hold steadfastly to the best of the past that remains, yet reserve the right to let go anything that no longer serves us. A pragmatic approach is the only sensible path forward.

Pragmatism is the kind of thing that defines itself, but a word on the goal I have in mind for it might be in order here. I do believe in the ultimate success of homo sapiens. I also believe that the only true laws are physical but beyond that there are evolutionary imperatives and that morality is one these. The ultimate evolutionary imperative, however, is survival–not as an individual, but the genetic information that binds us together.

I believe that humans will survive. I also believe that to survive the population will likely shrink. This is not, necessarily, a physical requirement so much as a result of the current international culture. Some may argue that the culture of short-term individualism is inherent in the human condition. Although this debate affects the longer term prospects of societies, the current moment demands we avoid the argument altogether and simple admit that, in the medium term, to survive,  we accept that this is a cultural fact and move forward to assume that individual sacrifice for collective survival is not in the cards.

Proceeding from this assumption, I accept that there will be struggle and turmoil over resources for the foreseeable future, likely beyond my own lifetime, and that the current environment is one of abundance in comparison. This compels me to use the abundance currently on offer to secure a more stable future for as many as possible, as soon as possible.

Insert quote about caring for close relations, extending to as many as possible. This has led me to pivot my mindset from knowledge accumulation to skill development. Partly this is a natural result of the stage I am at in my life, going into mid-life, I have started to ask the question, "what kind of ancestor do I want to be?".

My answer is; "a capable one".