Great Numbers? Great Fear? Great Irrationality?

Or else: The Darwinian year moves toward its end!

In the year 2009, I was able to tackle the matter of evolution to some extent. I heard and read great numbers.

Here are some examples.

  • Two billion years ago, the earth first had an environment where life could exist.
  • 1.8 billion years ago, the first forms of life existed.
  • That means the development from “unanimated” to “animated” only took 200 million years.
  • Humans first evolved maybe around 200,000 years ago. It is a matter of definition.
  • Language, literature, and a little culture and technology probably started 20,000 years ago. That, too, is a question of how you define it.
  • I might live to the age of 80.

From my perspective, two billion, 200 million, 200,000 and 20,000 are forever. These are purely virtual numbers. I can neither touch, nor taste, nor feel them.

Talking about people, we also use great numbers.

  • 7 billion people live on the planet earth.
  • 1 billion of them have less than a Euro per day to live on.
  • Talking about money, the numbers are even higher.
  • We spent 5 billion Euros for the wreck premium alone.
  • The current state deficit of the BRD seems to be around 2,000 billion Euros.

Nobody knows how much will be added to this number over the next few years. Maybe 100, maybe 300 or 500 billion. Or the third trillion?

And on a world-wide scale, the number is probably in the next dimension.
Due to this entire deficit, nothing will be left for structural change, which “basically” should have priority. And those who are responsible continue dreaming of growth, which is supposed to solve all the problems. If it were not so sad, it would be hilarious.

Like time, money is virtual. You cannot even eat it. That means it probably does not make the slightest difference if Germany has a federal deficit of 2 billion or 5 billion.

Consequently, I wonder why we are afraid the world banking system might suffer a breakdown. All you would have to do is come up with a new currency, like the Deutsche Mark after the war. And everybody would have to believe in it. Then all would be well again. After all, everything is just a matter of belief – at least that is what I keep being told.

But I am also surprised to hear people with “real” fear, like of the pig or bird infections. Or of no longer being provided for in old age or of losing our “medical” or “social” standards. Or that there might come a day when nobody will be able to go anywhere by car any more, which, for some of my contemporaries, is a horrible idea bordering on the unthinkable.

A new fear I admire is that of suicide terrorists who swallow an explosive capsule and then detonate it on the “Wiesn” with their mobile phone. But luckily, this year’s “Wiesn” is over. So at least nothing can happen there now.

Meanwhile we forget that we are all collectively suicidal terrorists.

No, basically, I am not afraid. I just believe in evolution to regulate everything. I (or rather, I do not) wonder how evolution will deal with all this money, no matter if it is on the “plus” side or on the “minus” side. Will anybody still be there judge us 2,000 years from now? Or even 200 years from now?

RMD
(Translated by EG)

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