On Millennials and Millenarianism
It’s interesting, and (verbiage-wise, a little ironic) to see a streak of millenarianism among the Millennials!
“Millenarianism is the belief by a religious, social, or political group or movement in a coming fundamental transformation of society, after which ’all things will be changed’.”
. . . to which can be added: ‘all things MUST be changed’ . . . by us . . . and soon . . .
It’s naivete to think in millenarian terms. The article below says: “The world quite literally depends on us winning a political revolution. We have a decade to transform the US economy to stave off climate catastrophe, and Bernie Sanders has the only agenda to do so and the only mobilization strategy to get it done.”
The ONLY . . .
We know of many religious sects that have a tendency toward millenarianism, but when I was in the Marxist movement I noticed some of the same thing. “All of human history hinged on the outcome of the German communist revolution of 1919,” for example. It ALL would have been different if Rosa Luxemburg had lived! or if Trotsky had prevailed over Stalin in 1924 . . . etc.
https://jacobinmag.com/2020/01/bernie-sanders-presidency-political-revolution-election
- — — — — — — — — — — — — -
Yes, the situation is critical. But the millenarianism and catastrophism we are seeing are misguided. And very naive. We are facing a crisis of civilizational trajectories that have accelerated over a period of five thousand years. My own perspective is that it will take a thousand years to “turn the ship of state.” The number of species will decline during this period (what James Howard Kunstler calls “The Long Emergency”). The population of humans will slowly come down to some sustainable number. Our lifeways will slowly get back to something resembling basic natural reality. Ecological limits and balances will be restored. That’s the way nature works. Gradually over time.
Yes, it is good for us to start consciously and deliberately moving in the direction of social and ecological responsibility. But let’s try to avoid naive millenarianism and catastrophism.
