The Best Way to Ruin the Future of Mankind

As I venture from one day to the next, quietly engaged in going about my usual business of being my helpful self, freely dispensing pearls of timeless wisdom, I find that I am frequently asked, by friends, acquaintances, neighbors, and strangers, this weighty question: "In your estimable view, which, of course, has been shaped by your wealth of knowledge and your wide experience in life, what do you regard as being the best way to ruin the future of mankind?" (Perhaps "frequently" is overstating the situation to a degree, but nevertheless, in all honesty I can distinctly remember having heard that particular question at least once or twice, maybe even thrice, in the last fifty years.)

My answer to the above question is always the same (and, I should add, is always delivered to my questioner promptly, with both a smile and a wink): "In my view, which can be taken for whatever value it might possess, the best way to ruin the future of mankind is to make absolutely certain that everyone keeps doing everything in the same manner as it is currently done, an ill-advised course of action which will, assuredly and inevitably, ruin the future of mankind." If one allows oneself an undisturbed moment to give it a bit of open-minded thought, one will quickly see, and will just as quickly accept, the solid, self-evident reasoning that firmly underpins my answer.

The one question that I am never asked after I have obligingly supplied the above answer to the above question is, "Within the ample context of your own broad perspective, which is deeply informed by your considerable understanding of things in general, what do you regard as being the best way not to ruin the future of mankind?" My answer to that one question would follow thusly: "All the available evidence leads me to conclude that the best way not to ruin the future of mankind would be for everyone to do everything quite differently from the manner in which it is currently done." I think most people will be inclined to agree that, in all fairness, nothing could be more true.

So there you have it: to ruin the future of mankind, or not to ruin the future of mankind. A fateful choice that we all must decide within ourselves. It is a stark decision that should not be dismissed out of hand, a decision that, to the hungry intellect of any serious thinker, provides a suitable foundation for countless hours of extensive reflection. Such reflection is an upright practice, a worthy habit to be strongly encouraged, and is a much better use of one's time than watching a fresh coat of paint as it slowly dries or weaving hair shirts to be worn by affluent polar bears who reside in arctic penthouses. In the meantime, are there any other questions?