How We Survived: What History Has To Say About Disaster
"The “mood of the nation,” in 1972, was so overwhelmingly vengeful, greedy, bigoted, and blindly reactionary that no presidential candidate who even faintly reminded “typical voters” of the fear & anxiety they’d felt during the constant “social upheavals” of the 1960s had any chance at all of beating Nixon…. All they wanted in the White House was a man who would leave them alone and do anything necessary to bring calmness back into their lives…. I think there’s always that pendulum action in American politics, and I expect Nixon to run into trouble in the next few years. Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72"
Of course, not all disasters are environmental or biological. Humans are profoundly good at creating their own trouble, even when it seems as if other perils are merely waiting on the other side of the door.
People of all ages have had to endure political and social chaos. There are the world wars, obviously, which currently stand at two. There is the seemingly constant rise and fall of governments. Someone marches in, deposes the old leader with talk and guns, sets up a palace, and perhaps lives just long enough to see a crowd pull down a statue or two.
Even in America, where the most patriotic of our citizens like to talk about how it is “the land of the free” and “the greatest nation on earth”, we have lived through our own catastrophes. The Civil War very nearly killed us, physically, culturally, and politically. It was only thanks to tremendous luck in battle and leadership that anything resembling the United States survived the conflict. Even now, you may travel to rural parts of our country and wonder if the spirit of the war still lingers there.
And there are terrible presidents, of course. Where should we start? Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan helped set the stage for the Civil War. Herbert Hoover likely exacerbated the Great Depression. Richard Nixon, though politically gifted, ruined his reputation through corruption and the Watergate scandal.
Carter’s presidency was beset by crises, invasions, and environmental disasters. Reagan ignored the AIDS crises until it was almost too late and presided (knowingly or not) over the Iran-Contra affair. George W. Bush will be remembered for his apparent bumbling and entry into two costly, painful wars in the Middle East.
Yet, we persist.
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I am not trying to soothe you. I am not trying to convince you that current events are unimportant, or that you can simply shrug your shoulders at catastrophe. In all of these examples, many people died. The survivors had to deal with the grief and strangeness of their new world. None of it was easy.
But humans are still here. We are, for better or for worse, a tenacious specious. Yes, we may be heartbreakingly shortsighted and cruel to our fellows. After all, many of us have an unfortunate, innate tendency towards selfishness. We often unlearn it only through hard work and difficult lessons.
Should we take comfort in the dogged persistence of our species? Before you let the grimness of this whole enterprise overtake you, look at the reactions to all of these terrible events. Think of all the brave people, the kind ones, the tough ones, who resisted during times of war. Look for the people who stood up and told the truth, even when it was inconvenient or dangerous.
Think of the ones who nursed the sick. During the plague years, there were still those who buried the dead with love and respect. Look for the storytellers, who carried on the legacy of those who passed. Think even on the remains of our human ancestors, of footprints left in the ash and art painted on cave walls. The nameless ones, long gone, managed to leave something of themselves behind.
Even when something looks truly dark, we have so far managed to make it through and, dare we hope, work for something better.
Next: Trump, Russia, And The Dossier Of Doom
If we possess the capacity to inflict evil, then we also hold within us the ability to heal, to love, and to remember. If the events of 2016 and beyond make you cringe with fear and regret, think back on our history, and take heart. Yes, we will all need to be brave. We will need to ask exceedingly difficult questions, both of others and ourselves.
The way ahead is likely rough. It is certainly unclear. Have faith, however. It’s going to take much, much more than this to obliterate humanity.