1,161 words
Time of writing, April 7th, 2026
Though one hears the words “we live in unprecedented times” being uttered at increasingly varying rates over the last half-decade, most of those lips saying that sentence understand how true those words are. Yesterday, proved this to be the point on two fronts. The first being of millions of people shedding tears from a crater on the opposite side of the Moon being named after Commander Wiseman’s wife, Carroll, to sudden childish glee as a jar of Nutella float across the screen, to the American President non-chalantly threatening to end the oldest civilization and culture on the planet in an unjustified war riddled with war crimes and unseen atrocities.
Even I was in a joking mood
Our species is, in fact, undergoing an unprecedented period in its history, leaving most of the population ill-equipped to comprehend its significance. For most of our history, our various communities and nations were ruled by some form of autocracy where brute force and the threat of violence always loomed behind every decision one made as they went about their lives. Liberal democracies are only a recent invention, fully coming into their own after the atrocities of the two Great Wars, and after a period of comfort, we are starting to slip back to our devolved ways.
In the eleventh chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien wrote about an inflection point for the society of Middle Earth, where, after a century of peace, tranquillity, comfort and relative ease. In the morning, after a night of the town being terrorized by agents of Mordor, called the Black Riders, a local said in disbelief, “What are we coming to?”
“Dark times,” responded the mysterious character who went by the name of Strider.
Frodo’s inner monologue was not only apt for what they were going through, but what we in the real world are experiencing on April 6th, 2026.
Frodo was crushed by the news. How could they hope to reach Rivendell on foot, pursued by mounted enemies? They might as well set out for the Moon.1
Leading up to this incident, there were multiple points throughout where the Hobbits had come to a state of rest, taking comfort in song, food, and naps, all the while forgetting about the terrifying Black Riders that stalked and hunted them.
Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy continues to resonate deeply simply because it states and demonstrates how our innate human nature to, by default, sink into a resting state continues to haunt us. Humans, in reality, just like the immortal Elves, mortal Dwarves, Hobbits and Men in the works of Tolkien, only know of vigilance for a finite period after a traumatic period. Those who suffer from hyper-vigilance are often vilified within their own communities, not because they may be wrong, but because their defence mechanisms are disrupting the valued peace and comfort of the community. Poor Galadriel.
As I set my tray on the table, my eyes locked in on another’s whose screen-glared glasses were peering over the top of their laptop. Strange, I thought, to be working in a taco restaurant. He took one look at my taco and smiled sheepishly.
“I’m not an gringo who would order Mexican food and not order cilantro, my friend,” I responded immediately, knowing the reason behind his shy smile.
“Thank God. Can’t believe those idiots eat our food and then kidnap us and our children five minutes later,” he said, referencing the ICE raids, which were at the top of both our minds in that establishment.
It takes a shockingly high level of awareness and literacy to care about matters that do not directly affect you. The small discussion I had over my cooling taco was in Canada, not the United States, but we both felt the very real pressures from other populations having their rights stripped and being dehumanized.
For a society which has grown incredibly uncomfortable to sit in stillness, let alone with any discomfort, before moving on to a distraction in order to remain sane, it is more important than ever to sit with one’s despair, to wear it on our sleeves, yet still be productive members of society. If we act as if everything is ok, matters will continue to get worse. Those with smaller minds and dimmer hearts will continue to believe that the current course is the right one, when it is not, and their support for such heinous people itself is acceptable.
All this being said, there is one lesson that we should derive not from NASA, but from the European Space Agency (ESA). They will be working alongside the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), with the space weather satellite project, called Smile, which is set to launch on April 9th. In a climate of national isolation, led by the United States, the ESA is deciding to continue to collaborate with other space programs.
The lesson here is not to give in to binary thinking when it comes to dictating one’s reality and who you are going to work with. Setting the boundaries of acceptance as to whether another agrees with you on everything or not, in order to cooperate and collaborate with them, only sets everyone back. However, when dealing with certain pariah states, such as those that have recently invaded other nations, choosing not to work with them at any level makes sense. This lesson further illustrates how not to follow NASA’s example, which is ultimately prey to the US government’s whims.
Artemis II signals the end of the era in which NASA relies fully on itself for its missions. From here on out, companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and even Axion Space will rent out their astronaut suits. By choosing to go fully through the privatization route, NASA risks multiple points of operational failure, which is ultimately its biggest strength.
“I’m really glad that the launch didn’t go all ‘2026’ on us and go wrong,” I said to a friend who works in the aerospace industry.
“I was thinking the same thing. Thankfully, NASA still has discipline,” he replied.
How this lesson translates to terrestrial matters is entrusting one’s work to those who are literate in finance, science, and global affairs. They do not need to agree with everything you do, but having the general scope of reality within one’s grasp is a prerequisite that is rapidly diminishing among the population.
Just as Tolkien’s works highlight, our minds become crude and underdeveloped during periods of rest. Such minds have a limited capacity for the nuances required in solving our complex problems moving forward. When complexities arise, they tend to resort to the easiest and most self-gratifying option.
We are indeed living through unprecedented times, where our species is legitimately going backwards. Taking a cognitive nap during this period is a disservice to everyone who has fought so hard over the last eighty-one years for the modern world. Do the rest of the world a favour. Put down your phone and read an actual book and newspaper.
- The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien, page 234, Harper Collins 1994