Yesterday I learned about the movie "Leave the World Behind" shortly after seeing breaking news reports of the PRC probing critical infrastructure. After watching the movie, while reflecting on the implications of what it seemed to be saying, I was reminded of a story which starts around 2005...

After relocating to Austin from North Texas I discovered someone named Alex Jones on a local radio station. He was a little abrasive and it took a while to get used to his style, but some of the things he talked about caught my attention. Despite being right about some things, I eventually stopped listening to Alex, for the same reason he had health issues over the years. Seeing conspiracies in everything is not a healthy way to live one's life.

I am not naive, conspiracies do exist, but how helpful is it to spend our lives focused on those things? What does that accomplish? There is a 60 year old comedy which may answer that question...

(click image for interesting background about the movie)

The movie clearly illustrates what I believe all sides in our numerous conflicts are dealing with, we ALL have Dr. Strangelove characters advising leadership of our respective countries. It's not that the people within any particular government want to destroy those on the other side of an issue, or people in another country. The problem is that people who have developed a habit of seeing the world as a zero-sum game, have convinced those they are advising that the other side wants to destroy them, and therefore it's imperative to be ready to do the same.

When we look for conspiracy, we see it everywhere, even when it's not really there. As a consequence we sometimes inadvertently, and sometimes not so inadvertently, create enemies so that we can act out a dark drama that we create. And sometimes, those dramas serve no purpose other than in some way benefiting those who perpetuate them. Personally I think that very few of the things currently considered to be global crises really are, most are simply someones unprocessed shadows, mixed with a healthy does of self-interest for good measure.

Click image for video clip

People here just want meaningful work and a positive and hopeful future for their children, just like people everywhere. Chinese business people want to sell us stuff, and consumers here want to buy what they are selling. And visa-versa, it's the same everywhere. Why are we listening to people who haven't processed their own inner shadows, thereby creating more enemies in the process? The amount of creative potential, human effort and national treasure spent on the cold war could have instead been used to make the world a much better place for everyone. And yet we are still here, repeating the same behaviors, with no end in sight.

George C. Scott

How the future unfolds is up to us. If we believe that Apocalypse is inevitible, then that might just be what we get. But is it?

Maybe the prophets of so many ancient texts saw the future that COULD be, and tried to warn us about it, so that we could CHANGE COURSE. Maybe that is the test we are all being given. Are we going to pass that test, or do we take the easy path, following our shadow selves into the abyss of totalitarian self-destruction?

Perhaps in the future we can do things differently, ensuring that people who think war of any kind can lead to peace and prosperity get therapy instead of a seat in the war room and a megaphone. However, at this point we should certainly be aware that taking their advice can only lead to the kind of outcome which makes having a bomb shelter seem like a good idea...