Since I can remember, there has been [i]something[/i] awful that is just about to happen. When I was a kid, it was the Cold War and the ability to blow ourselves to kingdom come coupled with eco awareness, the price of gas, and Vietnam.
The inevitable disasters have changed names and faces... sort of, but the fear remains. It's as if we feel compelled to have horrible consequences constantly in the forefront of our thinking. I'd be lying if I said I understood it.
What I find fascinating is what we seem to choose to be afraid of. Climate change, for instance. There are, I'm sure, things that can be done to be more ecologically friendly, but they do tend to require a whole lot of buy in at the individual level. So instead of actually effecting a change, there is a whole lot of discussion that has modest impact if any.
The whole process actually reminds me of the "Mother's Theory of Effective Worry" which basically states that "the more I worry about something I can do nothing about, the more likely it is to have a positive outcome". Yes, it is absent of logic, but it doesn't change the fact that Moms everywhere have done it. I've been known to do it and I'm not a Mom.
Right now, I am worried about driving to a meeting I want to attend this evening. It is snowing and I don't like driving in snow, but I really want to attend this meeting. I figure if I worry about driving in snow all afternoon, by the time I need to leave for my meeting I will have appeased the gods of snow and winter driving enough to insure that I will arrive safely at my meeting and will arrive safely home afterward. Does this make sense? No. Doesn't change anything though.
The only reason my worry isn't a front page headline is because (a) I am basically unknown and (b) the meeting isn't expected to impact a sizable population.
I understand your frustration with the seemingly constant fear mongering. Yeah, I get pretty bored with it too.
