May you live in interesting times is often said to be an “ancient Chinese curse.” It is, however, neither Chinese nor ancient. Regardless of its origins, it is easy to see why living in interesting times would be considered a curse. What makes “times” interesting? The answer, of course, is change.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
Rudyard Kipling
Kipling’s advice is focused on an individual’s staying centered in the midsts of chaos. It is probably advice we all need at this point in history. Of course, the only thing that makes this point in history different from any previous point, is technology. Improvements in technology have increased the speed of everything, including change. We have always had wars, of course, and, at various points in history, more than one war was going on at a time. In many ways, human history is defined by the wars that have been fought. The weapons of war have evolved even as technology has evolved in other ways. My sense is that human evolution has not kept pace with technical evolution.
Humans, and human political systems, have not evolved at a pace equal to that of technology. More people are smarter and better educated than at any previous time in history. Unfortunately, intelligence has too often been weaponized: we (humans) too often use our big brains to build bigger and more deadly weapons. We also, of course, use them for other things, including advances in science, medicine and other technologies. Science and technology evolved as much to provide military advantage as to foster understanding of the world. This needs to change. You have probably heard the song, Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. The concept transcends its religious focus.
My sense is that those of us who are morally aware have the obligation to make choices that will best serve to promote peace on earth. It isn’t always easy to know, of course. We—humans—are currently facing a wide variety of challenges, from wars (especially in the Mid-East), global climate change, pollution (of both air and water), human migrations (with people leaving war zones and seeking food and water), and radically uneven distribution of wealth. The problems are too numerous and global in scope for any one person to do much. Nevertheless, we do well to do what we can, starting with being nice to those with whom we disagree and reducing waste to the best of our ability to do so. Recycle what you can. Buy energy-efficient products when you replace, remembering Mahatma Gandih’s saying, “Live simply so that others may simply live.”
That doesn’t mean you need to take a vow of poverty or forgo a big-screen TV. After all, we live in a consumer-oriented society in which some design, manufacture, market, and install big-screen TVs so that they can also simply live. And that’s a major rule: we live in a cooperative society. We need each other—not only those we call friends and colleagues, but also those we may think of as enemies. A long time ago, a singer-song writer named Tom Lehrer wrote a song titled “National Brotherhood Week.” Here he is performing the song back in 1967:
Tom Lehrer wrote the song 50 years ago. In some ways, we have made progress since then. In 1967 we had “pockets” of post-racial racialism, and those pockets have expanded. The pockets are bigger and more numerous, but they are still pockets. More neighborhoods, schools, and professions are integrated, but there are still a lot of places every bit as segregated as some of the worst segregation in the 1950s.
Back in the late ’60s and early ’70s, many of us were hoping for more progress more quickly than we have been able to achieve, but at least we can see progress. The same is not the case with some of the other major problems we face. Air and water pollution are probably worse now than they were then, but that may be more a matter of perception than actuality. It’s hard to measure where we are with war and war refugees. Again, it’s hard to tell whether things are better or worse than they have been previously.
When we look around at everything that’s happening now, it’s easy to sink into despair or righteous indignation, feeling that nothing can be done that would make a difference, or blaming others: “It’s their fault,” or “If it weren’t for those people….” When we have those thoughts or feelings, we need to remember Kipling’s advice and focus on what we can do that will make a positive contribution to our mutual progress.
In some ways, we should celebrate living in interesting times. Interesting times afford us the opportunity to grow intellectually through problem solving and to grow spiritually through expanding understanding and compassion. As the poet John Keats said, we need “a world of pains and troubles to school an intelligence and make it a soul.” Living in interesting times provides us with the education required to develop, not only intellectually, but also spiritually.