I have now embarked on my seventieth year of life. I have had a thirty-one-year career as a public school teacher. I have been married for thirty years. I have three grown children. I wrote and published 25 books. You would think that as my life nears completion, I would have answers to some of the big questions. I do not. I do, however, know enough to ask them.
- Is mankind and his (or her) civilization going to survive?
- Will AI computer programs destroy us rather than help us?
- Will aliens a board 3I Atlas destroy us rather than help us?
- Will the massive caldera under Yellowstone Park explode as a super volcano and wipe out life in North America?
- Why are so many of the big questions about destruction and dying?
- Why is the Pumpkinhead President not dead or in prison yet?
- Why is art important, and why is my art a defining part of me?
- What comes next if the world does end?
- Why does any of this matter?
So, let me take a stab at some answers…
- Probably not. Humanity’s civilizations have broken apart or been destroyed before.
- AI programs are still fairly stupid, though smarter than certain American voter groups. If they kill us, it will be a side effect, not a goal.
- The alien things are almost too massive to be mere hoaxes. Science fiction movies suggest it will not end well.
- Skip this one for fear of not enough relevant details.
- Because old people think a lot about dying. No passes possible on this one.
- You’ve seen the smug smirk on his orange clown face. He’s too big of a criminal to get caught in the act.
- Art comes from the soul, and it makes it possible to shape your entire life and its meanings.
- A Vogon Insterstellar Bypass will be built.
- It probably doesn’t matter, and my answers are all wrong anyway.
There we go! Solved it!
Catch a Falling Star 