I no longer want to save the world
and why I’m much better for it
In 1986 I went to University to study applied and Environmental Biology.
I’d get asked “Why Biology” and “What are you going to do when you graduate?”
My answer “to save the world”. It was glib, but it was still sincere.
I know, save the world is more a slogan than a goal, and I‘m not a fan of slogans.
I still appreciate the intentions behind it, the implied kindness and the universality.
But there is a trap baked into those words. Because you cannot save the world.
I’ll start with you. To take it upon yourself to save the world is a ridiculous burden.
In movies, you see chosen ones who save the world with clockwork regularity.
But those movies just reflect and reinforce a culture that worships individuality and individual achievement, that downplays the interconnection that we all depend upon.
And Save?
Save the world is poorly defined. How would you know if you had saved the world? Or even if you were on the right track for it?
The world is vast, complex and ancient beyond any hope of real human understanding.
