I read a wonderful book a couple of years ago titled How to Survive the Apocalypse: Zombies, Cylons, Faith, and Politics at the End of the World. It begins with this statement: “The world is going to hell.” The author proceeds to examine the prevalence of apocalypse — cataclysmic destruction and nightmarish end-of-the-world scenarios — in contemporary entertainment (books, film, games). I highly recommend it.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30294952-how-to-survive-the-apocalypse
The other morning I was heading west at about fifty miles an hour toward the hospital where I work as a chaplain. Behind me, the sky was changing colors magnificently as the sun pushed over the horizon.
But what if I did not know that was what was really happening? What if I believed that the world was coming to an end? The atmosphere could be catching fire! An alien spacecraft might be firing a massive death ray at Earth! On a more local scale, what if a volcano was shooting lava into the sky over New Castle?
You might be laughing at my speculations (that’s good), but I am capable of minor versions of this doomsday thinking much of the time. I am expert at telling myself stories that turn strangers into threats, make news commentary into absolute truth, and expand fleeting glances into whole chapters of unfortunate conclusions.
Apocalypse sells tickets. If done well it can challenge viewers and readers to “fight the future.” But while a gripping story has to have serious conflict at its core, recent fiction seems dominated by dark plots, fatally flawed characters, and total confusion about what is good and evil. The tide is riding high for speculative fiction that holds out little hope for mankind’s survival much less its thriving. Some even envision a universe that has gotten past humanity, as if it was a virus in an otherwise healthy cosmos.
For a long time, I lapped it up. But I found that the human heart can’t make it on a diet of fear, cynicism, and despair. I have recently discovered a movement that is calling for “utopia, not dystopia.” I just web-searched the phrase “optimistic science fiction”. Here’s a quote from the first site in the list:
“Science fiction is a genre filled with endless possibility, which makes it somewhat baffling that more often than not, all of its roads lead to grim places. Stories featuring militaristic regimes and global catastrophe are far more common than paradises. This is primarily because storm-tossed waves make for more dramatic navigation than placid lakes — but as everyone knows, still waters run deep. Utopia, dystopia’s lighter twin, can be just as gripping and provocative.”
Yesterday – just before the price went up – I bought my weekend pass to Starbase Indy 2019. This fan-driven convention has met in Indianapolis since 1988. It exists to celebrate and seek the future envisioned by Gene Roddenberry. Roddenberry created Star Trek in the 1960s – a time of great upheaval, division, and cynicism. He was a talented and successful screenwriter, but his real vision was of a future when humanity had transcended old conflicts, wounds, and fears. He believed we could fashion a world of post-scarcity, in which men and women were empowered to pursue more worthy and lofty goals. As time passed, Star Trek’s different incarnations captured the imaginations of millions of believers around the world. I know they captured the attention of our house.
I signed on to the upcoming conference because I enjoy the stories, characters, and gadgets that make up the narrative. But I also believe in its portrayal of the power of human optimism. Star Trek has always been about the crucial human choice to do the right thing. There is massive power there, especially when the wrong (or evil) path is so much easier and convenient to take. The stakes are incredibly high and have been so since our first poor choice in Eden. Conferences like this are places for thinking people to consider the opportunities afforded by the humble and yet determined pursuit of knowledge through science – a science that is as humbled by history as it is determined by necessity.
My point is not to convince you to become a Trek fan. My hope is that you will believe that the deep waters of intentional human existence empower a future that can and will be good. Dark days may lie ahead, but that doesn’t mean that the future will only get darker. We have a lot of conflict to resolve and issues to face, but that only makes the story worth reading/living. I like to think that whatever role I might fill on the Starship Enterprise of life, I would serve in confidence that my Captain, First Officer, and the rest of the bridge crew are putting their strengths together to win the day.
Engage! Make it so!