A Summary of the Last 100 Years of Human Existence Presented by the CIA
From Todaycollegetour
I swear to God, I used to be a romantic. Do you remember that? I believed in happiness. I was so naïve, it’s embarrassing. So, last week you suggested that I consider the reasons that I do live on, right? You encouraged me to look at the beauty in my life and to become intimate with the “beauty” in the world. It’s been years that I’ve been alone now. So, I had to do a little research to look for the bright side. You know what I came across? A summary of the last 100 years of human existence: presented by the Central Intelligence Agency website. (Pushes hair over ear, and pulls out a paper to read)
Clears throat… “Globally, the 20th century was marked by: (a) two devastating world wars; (b) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (c) the end of vast colonial empires (then even more cynically) I guess they weren’t counting America here; (d) over 50 additional smaller wars resulting in millions of human deaths (e) the Cold War between the Western alliance and the Warsaw Pact nations; (f) increased concerns about the environment, including (g) loss of forests, (h) shortages of energy and water, (i) the decline in biological diversity, and (j) air pollution; (k) the onset of the AIDS epidemic; (l) the ultimate emergence of the US as the only world superpower…(suspiciously) hmmm…. (m) The planet's population continued to explode, and overpopulation became a danger in many parts of the world: growing from 5 billion in 1988, to 6 billion in 2000. (n), territorial disputes vary in intensity from managed or dormant to violent or militarized; (o) undemarcated, indefinite, porous, and unmanaged boundaries, encourage illegal cross-border activities, uncontrolled migration, and confrontation; (p) ethnic clashes continue to be responsible for much of the territorial fragmentation around the world; (q) regional discord directly affects the sustenance and welfare of local populations, often leaving the world community to cope with resultant (r) refugees, (s) hunger, (t) disease, (u) impoverishment, (v) deforestation, and (w) desertification). And (x), for the 21st century, the continued exponential growth in science and technology raises fears, particularly with respect to the development of even more lethal weapons of war.
(Sarcastically) – Thank God we have such a long alphabet! Hmmm, I can’t understand why I wouldn’t want to live in a world like our beautiful planet has become. Humans are such sweet animals.
PISSED NOW (PAUSE) Since I have recurring nightmares, and constant tormenting thoughts, and basically no friends around here, let me add my ideas to this laundry list of disaster: History has shown beyond a shadow of a doubt, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that anything and everything that a man or a woman can build in this lifetime, anything physical, will be utterly and completely obliterated, obliterated to the point of meaninglessness, obliterated generally to the point of never having even existed 1000 years later. Nevertheless, almost every activity we undertake, all actions in the human race, are based on building things to be obliterated. We build our career, our nest egg, our house, relationships. Meanwhile, we turn our attention to faith to comfort us from these grim facts. But faith in what? History shows that the most faithful commit the most faithless acts; killing, slaughter, murder, almost every war has been in the name of faith – pick your religion, pick your poison.
(Pause – moves from angry anguish to truly sad) If you have children, you pass along this sad gift of life to the next distracted, self-absorbed, human generation. Hopefully you love them well because God knows, I know, without that you’re really fucked. I am not asking for answers. I know you can’t possibly have them for me. But I refuse to simply ignore the reality with which I am faced, as though it does not exist. (PAUSE) So, I find myself here with you week after week, and again today, meaninglessness is knocking at my doors, death awaits. (Delivered so sad) So tell me Doctor, truly, what is the point?
