Home /All Footprints / Are We Lighting Our Own Matches? My Fight for Existential Safety
Are We Lighting Our Own Matches? My Fight for Existential Safety
Dec 13, 2024 · 3 min read
When I was eight, the movie "2012" was everywhere. The world was buzzing with doomsday theories, and growing up in a religiously conservative environment, it was practically gospel. Everyone I knew believed some form of apocalypse was inevitable, predestined by fate, as dictated from above. Frankly, the idea that some divine hand would just flip the "destroy" switch felt absurd to me. It sparked a lifelong obsession: what real threats could actually end our world?
Science fiction was my escape, my way of understanding the world. One night during a family vacation, a rerun of "I, Robot" in a strange hotel room showed me a terrifying possibility: what if machines, not gods, became our downfall? Where would that leave humanity, or any sentient being for that matter? The idea of a machine rising against us felt far more real than divine judgment. That was a fear I could actually grasp.
Later, Kafka's "The Trial" resonated deeply. It's about a man trapped in a bizarre and illogical system. That feeling of being stuck in something you can’t understand and control fully, something you can't fully grasp, reminds me of how I feel about the way technology, especially AI, is developing. What if we end up living in a world run by machines we can't understand, and can't stop?
My brain connects things in strange ways. I've always been someone who questions everything. I don’t know when the term “existential risks” entered my vocabulary, but I’ve been battling “the system” my entire life. From challenging school curricula to smuggling communist literature into boarding school (and getting expelled for it), to advocating for human rights, climate action, and workers' rights – I've always felt compelled to fight for a better world for all sentient beings. When people tell me it's not my job, I respectfully disagree. It's everyone's job. Since I was a kid, my great-grandmother always told me stories about how unfair the world was. The Dutch colonialism, the mass killings 1965, the raw injustice she witnessed, still echo in my brain. I know countless others share this feeling: the world is fundamentally unfair, and no amount of religion or platitudes can justify it. We can't wait for a savior. We must be the change.
Initially, I thought politics was the answer. Then activism, law, therapy, even philosophy. But I've realized my strength lies in being a creative generalist, tackling problems with unconventional solutions.
Recently, I watched "God's Favorite Idiot," a hilariously underrated show about a ragtag team fighting the apocalypse. God says in the show, "There's no use putting out a fire if the homeowner keeps lighting a match, is there?" It hit hard. It crystallized my focus: existential safety. That's why I'm pouring my energy into reducing existential risks and building Existential Safety Movement. Our mission is to catalyze collective action to ensure humanity survives this decade. If we succeed, we can pave the way for an unimaginably flourishing future for all sentient beings. Simply put, we're trying to make our world better.
We need your help. Sign and share our petitions/pledges, offer advice, help us with funding, and join our team.
If you're tempted to criticize those of us in the “arena” fighting and trying to make the world better, or believe that suffering is necessary, I ask you to pause and reflect. It's hard enough to fight for a better world as it is. If you're going to say something, try to be kind and helpful. Often, people criticize because they don't understand. Think about why you're criticizing. Are you trying to pull someone down? Check yourself for crab mentality or tall poppy syndrome. If you want to have a useful conversation, follow the rules of civil conversation. Personally, I welcome constructive feedback. You can send me your thoughts anonymously (I keep track of everything people said to me.)
If you're curious about my personal "doom" timeline, my p(doom) number, take a guess and send me your reasoning. Maybe I'll reveal it :d
Either save the world or not, cheerio!