I just couldn't help noticing that many of the posters here, perhaps myself included--I'll let others make that judgement--come to bemoan that things haven't quite worked out the way they had hoped. I'm not talking about personal issues, but in the larger realm outside ourselves, whether it be politics, space, philosophy, science, or history.

Commentators on both sides of the political spectrum complain the other side is taking over, the space nuts are furious their pet programs are neglected, or even ignored, and others whine that we are approaching the end of history or the beginning of a new age of stupidity..."If only those idiots could just see it!"

Maybe its just a selection effect caused by the nature of the forum; those who find things going their way or are satisfied with the way events are unfolding may feel no need to celebrate that. But those who feel an opportunity is slipping away are frustrated (there's that word again!) and impatient of the conspiracy of fools around them.

Everyone makes his contribution, or provides some resistance, some more than others, but the net result is out of anyone's hands. History rolls along with no one in charge. There is no more purpose to civilization than there is to evolution, it is not a directed process, it's a stochastic one. We may think we see patterns, but even they are rarely evident until after the key events are over.

So the debaters and the observers come here and challenge one another, draw lines and form alliances, agree or disagree depending on the issue, but it doesn't really matter. Things will no doubt work out, and no doubt, they'll probably unfold in unexpected ways. And even those few exceptional individuals who do make a difference, either because they were extraordinarily talented or just in the right place at the right time, or both, usually have an effect very different than the one they originally intended.

I'm not saying we should disengage and just go with the flow. Helping to make things happen is an affirmation of our consciouness and a recognition of our role as individuals and as social animals. We all have a right to be here, and I think we have an obligation to try and make a difference. I'm just saying we should also be aware that the world does not revolve around us, or our community, or our age, or our vision of the universe. Learning to reconcile these apparent contradictions and to live our lives with that understanding is a worthy goal in itself. Sometimes just surviving to tell the tale is a noble end, even if no one listens.