Nihilism

 Some might consider me a nihilist.  After all, I consider the grand extinction of humanity to be very likely resulting from the growth economy we have now, and a massive human die-off of more than 50% (and probably more like 90%) inevitable in the next century or so.  We've already seen an age-defining extinction and decimation of non-human species, which will only get worse the longer the human "experiment" continues.  And I don't hold out any hope for the endless stream of techno hyperbole that crosses our screens: "Singularity.  AI.  Quantum Computers.  Crpto Anything.  Mars."  The age of tech actually making things "better" is long over, and even if it did, it would only bring on overinflation and collapse of the growth economy sooner.  Look at the server farms being built for Crypto and AI.  Look at the globally expanding manufacturing and mining of toxic metals.  Now tech is intended to build a more comprehensive overlord, while holding up feel good promises.

Only a no-growth society can make sensible choices.  As long as human society is programmed for growth and not sustainability tech will always be an amplifier of destruction, not a savior.

Given that such horrific outcomes are near inevitable anyway, what's the point in doing anything?

That is where I break in many ways from nihilists.  Firstly, I don't consider anything to be inevitable.  Everything that happens is the result of vast numbers of causual "contribution."  To get right down to it, everthing that happens is influenced by everything within a time-space lightcone.

So what I just did moments ago, contributes to the global reality in some tiny measure within seconds, and perhaps more than that later, etc.

So the future is not some determinate thing, it is something I contribute to, along with everyone I know, and know of--including those whose "contributions" I might well hate.

People like me are contributing less to the political outcomes of the world at this moment than many others.  I'm no Trump, Biden, or Netanyahu.

(But my hope remains, like Hari Seldon, people will be reading my words to form their understanding of this time and since.  And so in some form, my contribution may be much greater in the future.  I am also hoping that future starts while I am still alive and not too far from now.)

And regardless of the likelihood of success, I am fully responsible for my contribution and should am for it being a good one, at least overall. Perhaps the best I can make it, but within balance of my life as a while, not 'sacrificing' myself (for something unlikely anyway, the prevention of human and animal suffering and extinction, etc).

I may have little choice, for example, but continue to do business with corporations that violate my ethical ideals.  But I can try to reverse that effect with other measures including contributions, purchases, donations, protests, organizing, and speaking.

What we need is an ecologically rebuilding communist society to clean up from the collapse of the growth economy.

So, anyway, it was with that in mind that I read this description of Soviet Nihilism, which I'm not sure about.