I binge-watched a series on Amazon Prime a couple months ago called “Counterpart.” Something about it captured my interest and I am not sure quite what. It was a very “deep” plot with people interacting with better or worse versions of themselves from an alternate universe. Probably why it was canceled. Too much to think about. The plot involved a flu virus that had decimated one world while the mirror world in the alternate universe was not effected. Years after the pandemic a secret-within-a-secret-organization make plans to infect the mirror planet because they believe the flu had been a biological weapon attack. Concerning the real world, COVID-19 is not decimating our population; one to three percent mortality and the majority of those elderly or having other health issues.
The premise of the Counterpart plot was that humans are a flawed and self-destructive species. The bioterrorists wanted the gateway between the two worlds permanently closed because they believed in this nihilistic worldview and considered the mirror planets to be eternal adversaries with no hope of any good outcome. The similarities to our real world are disturbing to me now. Not so much when I watched the series- it was just interesting in a way I could not pin down. Now…
I have often written about the need for immediate action in regards to expanding humankind into space as a insurance policy for our species. The Survival Imperative as it has been called. I have stated that we are presently in a position to direct immense resources at establishing independent space colonies and that this fortunate circumstance may not last. The fragility of our world economy is now being exposed and the danger of tipping over into a new era of global conflict, a new dark age, is looming. The one opportunity we had to survive as a species for the millennia to come may well be gone if our technological civilization melts down. My view for years has been that as long as we have such short lifespans individually then we are certainly doomed as a species. Nothing showcases this more clearly than blatant calls for people to return to work because the economy is more important to our leaders than human life.
I have been on leave for the last couple weeks and in a location fairly remote from cases of the virus. Now it has spread here and I am returning to work tomorrow. My employers have historically treated their employees badly and I do not expect much consideration in regards to protecting us from infection. I am almost 60 and nearly died of sepsis last year and am still suffering the effects of that event, and my job also places me in contact with the public, so I am in a higher risk category. I have to go back or risk getting fired and have a family and bills to pay. No choice. How many in similar situations will die in the coming months?
I will not be posting much in the days to come, so good luck to you all.
Gary Church
Ice on the Moon 