Min-Maxing the Apocalypse.alpha

How would we know, when we live in a "dystopic reality"?
On the one hand side ... we wouldn't ever live in one because those are usually fiction that probably exagerates the one or the other thing to make a point of sorts. On the other, if we ever found ourselves in a world identical to that of dystopic fiction - that argument would be mute.

But it's not a "true or false" argument either. Or an argument. It's a consideration that can be expanded upon.


But so, what would it mean to live in a dystopic world? Taking all the exagerated warnings from fiction, like ... how many have not yet ... taken shape in one way or another?


Turns out then, that the real driver behind dystopic realities ... is capitalism, or its abstract superior: The lust for power.

Agree? Disagree?
I mean, for a moment I was like: It's so easy (cool) if I didn't have to explain that. Supposing that we're all like-minded on the matter. But, to be a little more direct, we should maybe call it neo-liberalism as opposed to just capitalism.


[Funny: Am just watching Terminator Zero on Netflix. And the dates they give for when these things unfold are all in the past and I think that the past didn't look like that! Emphasizing, in a way, that it's only fiction.
But it makes me think. Ignoring for a moment that we - I assume - don't have the technology to build actual terminators, it doesn't seem far off, that a machine could perfectly automate itself to such an extent - and in all of that, it wouldn't need money. It would run an entire economy just to build killing machines; And not the "cheap" kind I'd have to assume.]


But well. What is this 'Apocalypse'? It'd be good to know, because fighting against something that isn't even real is like a huge waste of time.
I find that the huge sentiment of resignation might be something to think about. There's a lot that ties into it - like how it's unclear whether we have too many unfilled jobs, or not enough jobs to go around. Does nobody want to work anymore, or is there just not enough work to begin with?

I have a hunch. And that's what I think is going on, regardless of what evidence for it there is or isn't.
I think I even wrote of it at some point. For once, I don't think that the economy "scales well". There is what I think is called the "square-cube law" - or something like that. It's generally brought up when talking of enormous creatures like Godzilla or the corresponding Giant Mechas.
> The square–cube law (or cube–square law) is a mathematical principle, applied in a variety of scientific fields, which describes the relationship between the volume and the surface area as a shape's size increases or decreases.

The general idea is that within a system there's a certain balance that depends on a variety of factors - and when it grows, some things need to grow more than others to maintain that balance.

And that's also why we get conflicting narratives over what the problem is, might be, will be, so and so. Are we too many people? Are we not enough? Do we need to work more or do we need to work less?
And the thing seems to be, that "the organism itself" - the human collective if you so will - leans towards the latter; And that upsets the basis of a lot of things this civilization is built upon.


The issue, as I see it - at least for my interests, objectives and such - isn't for me to find a way to motivate "the youth" back into work. Like ... I sympathize with them since we at least in the abstract have a shared enemy.
No, it is to motivate the right kind of work - based on which everyone else may, little by little, find their place in this new society.


The Terminator sage provides an interesting backdrop. The plot implies that an AI considers us unworthy of existence. And an overlord like that, might to some people just be a kind of savior. For whatever steps up to lay flame to this world ... is merely turning the page.
And it's weird, that one of the most successful shows in recent years, has been of a bunch of people that are constantly at odds with each other and the world around then while more and more turn into Zombies. Zombies ... of all things. And that might just mirror what's in people's hearts. Maybe even more literally so.

I mean ... I made an off-handed comment recently of how I maybe should practice crying. An iteration on that is ... this rhetorical question of how I ... with my 40 years ... having grown up in this world ... could not be so utterly jaded, desensitized, that my being is like trained to suppress emotions?

This is all somehow part of reality. I'm sure a lot of people can intimately relate with this. We see the cliff ahead of us ... and so, nobody wants to make the first move. Because still, somehow, we hope to see the aftermath. As in: To be alive for it.


And huge ... how to put it ... veil of darkness ontop of it all are the various Religious beliefs that have some kind of "final event" in their Lore. Judgment Day, Ragnarok - whatever.
It's like ... what hopes for the future do we really have? I have to be honest. Back when I was little, my Grandpa used to talk of how important it is to save up for later. Also, to work as to have money for retirement. And some part of me ... and I sure wasn't old enough to actually understand it ... was sure that I wouldn't need it. That somehow something would happen - and it wouldn't matter.
Hmm ... was I little? Or am I ... confusing things?

But have been carrying this sentiment for a long time. And the way I see it, I'm not alone. And I don't know what anyone could do about it. That might just be what makes the younger generation like ... inherently not giving any fucks anymore. Not that they're lazy or such - just ... it also feels like a game of make-belief to act as though this economy is like ... what we want for our future. Or what our future is going to be.
Self fulfilling prophecy? Well, not quite. You'd have to squint hard and ignore quite a bit to narrow it down to that.


Anyway. Min-Maxing. I've never been a fan of it. To me it feels cheap. It's like when I hear "best in slot". Makes me wanna throw up. It's endemic of a culture that's like conditioned into some kind of tunnel-vision, supported by an army of nay-sayers that like to say: "Jack of all trades, master of none". It's all ... so terribly "beside the point".

And maybe I'm biased because I'm bad at it. Though, what does it mean to be bad at min-maxing? The whole point is literally to focus only on one singular thing. Nonetheless there is some wisdom to it. Like ... whenever the situation isn't actually that simple.

The fact of the matter is that one has to analyze the situation, figure out what they want or need - and then go for it. Maximize what's important, and minimize the rest.


But so, what's important?
What's the situation?


While initially I had some thoughts about what we could do economically, a lot of those thoughts have sinced basically evaporated. But it doesn't seem to matter right now.

What matters more, at any rate, is to at first understand the Apocalypse. Some might think it's weird that I'm trying to think of this in terms of a better tomorrow, of our own making, rather than preaching the second coming. And maybe I yet have to learn something, but maybe there's more to it. I mean, I don't feel like I'm getting it wrong.
But yea. So, take the Book of Daniel for instance. Here we read of a statue and a rolling stone. The rolling stone rolls down a hill, smashes the statue and from its rubble emerges the Kingdom of God. That is a very simple and straightforward narrative. Well, and this stone - yea, while I have had my hands in it a lot - that ought to be expected if that stone is a metaphor for something that would at any rate involve human effort. And yet, what got it rolling, that's beyond our control.
And like so, that particular narrative works for us.

Next we can look at the other books that provide a narrative - and like so we could be thinking of Armageddon. Maybe hoping for the conflict around Israel to escalate so God has to do that intervention that's gonna taint a third of the earth in blood - or something like that. Or whatever.
I mean, I suppose people like to equate the rolling stone to the Gospel - but how is that going to smash the statue, when the overarching narrative suggests to just ... "wait for it".

Like, for what?

And like so I have a suspicion. What if ... some of the prophecies have been altered? At least for the Revelation it's not unlikely, given that it isn't - if the scholars are correct - as old as it should be for us to be able to trust it blindly. And so, what if someone had established an idea of what the prophecies predict, that has us expect something that is counter to what should happen?

How to tell?


Well. It's actually a stupid question.
Because ... if we just waited for some catastrophy to fuck us all over - what made us the good guys again? Like, if it was bad or evil to try and make the best of things ... I don't get what all the gospel talk is really about. I mean, if it ought not to change something in us - something that makes us better people - what's it there for?


And that's like ... the first step. The rest ... well, I suppose ... depends on which way we take it.