Doomsday Clock: The Final Frontier
Hmmm, is the biggestdoomsday threat the draining reservoir of hope for the disenfranchised?
As if we needed one morething to worry about, the Doomsday Clockhas now been set at 90 seconds to midnight – the closest it has ever been tothe theoretical end of days in its 76 year history.
A bit of background incase you have not heard of this concept and your heart is racing at theimplication. The Doomsday Clock is ascientific concept which attempts to gauge how close humanity is to destroyingthe world.
It was developed by TheBulletin of Atomic Scientists – a group of atomic scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project which was the codename for the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. The clock isreset annually by experts on the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board and itsBoard of Sponsors.
The Doomsday Clock was originally conceived to measure nuclear threats.Along the way, the decision was made to factor climate change and otherexistential threats into the equation. The farthest away it has been fromtheoretical midnight was 17 minutes back in 1991. So we have in principle beenteetering on the edge for a generation.
The decision to move theclock forward 10 seconds this year was largely motivated by Russia’s invasionof Ukraine and the increased risk of nuclear escalation. But the continuingthreats of the climate crisis, and the breakdown of norms and institutions implementedin response to perceived threats liked COVID-19, were also factors.
Hence, the Doomsday Clock is a metaphor intended tospark conversation about critical scientific and associated issues. In thatregard, it is a very important tool to draw our attention to the state ofaffairs in society and how close we are to the no turning back threshold.
Aside from the threat ofcatastrophic events like nuclear war and the cumulative effects of things likeclimate change, I believe the DoomsdayClock has also become a measure of the state of discontent and loss of hopein our society.
The ranks of thedisenfranchised – those who feel there is no way forward for them and thatlashing out violently is their only means of expression – is growing rapidlyand incrementally. The evening newscasts report instances of these actsvirtually every day.
In the final analysis, Ibelieve it is this vulnerable and increasingly lost segment of society that isthe final frontier. Turning the DoomsdayClock back hinges on addressing their urgent needs and restoring hope totheir lives. For their acts of desperation may be what ultimately pushes theminute hand to metaphorical midnight.
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~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .
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