Lessons from the Sinking of the Titanic
Imagine being one of the passengers on the Titanic during its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City. I'm not talking about being one of the first class passengers with a rescue boat reserved to them, but second or third class. What would you do when you realise that the ship has hit an iceberg and is about to sink?
Most people probably would just panic and try to get off like rats from a sinking ship. Others would curse and swear at the designers of the vessel and the shipping line, because of their negligence, greed and the injustice, not to provide sufficient numbers of rescue boats. Or they would go on about their recklessness, choosing an unsafe course for the sake of breaking the record of the fastest voyage across the Atlantic. Some would even go as far as suspecting a conspiracy, an attempt on the life of one or more of the passengers, or simply a case of insurance fraud.
What other options do you have available? You could act like one of the gentlemen portrayed in the Titanic movie and go down in style, listening to nice music and getting drunk. For some reason, I really like this option, but unfortunately, it isn’t available on cattle class. Or you could hug your loved ones, tell them how much you love them and pray to God for a miracle. Not a bad one either, and way more dignified, but you - and your loved ones - still would not survive.
What could we really do without ending up dead? One option would be to arm ourselves with a group of like-minded people and seize one of the scarce rescue boats. You might want to justify this violent approach by saying it’s unfair to reserve rescue boats only to the privileged first class passengers, but is that really the fault of the very passengers you are depriving of their rescue boat seats? What is more, the authorities will probably hang you or throw you into a dungeon for the rest of your life the moment you set your foot on dry land.
I have something better to suggest. You could build your own rescue boat. Remember you are one of the passengers in cattle class. There are bound to be items and skills around that can be used to build some kind of float that keeps you above water until rescue arrives. Maybe you are not exactly a do-it-yourself kind of a guy or you need help to get it done. What you must do then is to get other people to stay calm just like you and work together on your life-saving plan.
My readers probably get by now where I am heading. Yes, the situation is grim and it’s getting worse every day. It’s easy enough to tell yourself that Armageddon has already started and we are all doomed, but what good comes out of doing that?! If you have already made up your mind that there is no escape, the least you can do is go down in dignity and – if you can afford it - do it in style. Personally, I prefer using our amazing brains to find a solution in which we don’t end up dead or as zombified slaves. The least we owe our ancestors, who made countless sacrifices so that we will live, is to die resisting, instead of being weak and trot to the slaughterhouse like a flock of sheep. And by resisting, let me make that perfectly clear, I don’t mean read and write defeatist articles that only make people feel worse.
We must work out a plan that ensures our survival in freedom and dignity. We need to develop an electrifying vision that inspires other people to work with us. This goes far beyond being upbeat in the face of gloom and doom. It’s about leading mankind on a path to survival. I couldn’t imagine doing anything more rewarding. It’s real hero stuff.
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