Extinction Event

in slow-motion.

Photo by Ian Battaglia on Unsplash

What if we are witnessing our slow-motion species extinction? We are surrounded by gaping holes in the social fabric that was already threadbare and worn before the pandemic, and which is now barely visible. If it’s not the virus that pulls us into the black hole of extinction, then it will be us, ourselves.

For some hyper-local evidence, let’s talk about the insanity of Seattle four-way stops. We all learned the “right of way” rule at some point, but my fellow Seattlites seem to have forgotten it. Every day I find myself muttering “that’s not the way it works,” as I navigate the morass and mumble unpleasant words to the drivers who blow through the stop signs. The social contract has collapsed in these neighborhood intersections; it’s a small example, but I think it is indicative of greater forces at play.

We don’t see each other, we don’t see how we are connected, and that our actions have far-reaching effects. Either that, or we don’t care.

It’s n…