VS the PAST

The future, by definition, has not yet happened but nonetheless constantly beckons our speculation.

The past has indeed happened, but we continue to speculate anyway, wondering what really did happen. Sometimes, it takes decades to figure that out, because there were so many versions of what seemed to be the same things.

The reason both future and past are similarly obtuse to us is that there are so many variables in both puzzles that it is nearly impossible to see the big picture sharply and clearly enough to make the tough big decisions with a high enough degree of confidence to put the last pieces in place without forcing them into where they do not belong.

We know that Earth was – in the not so distant past — a ripe target for largeish asteroids, the after effect of which radically reshaped evolution on our planet by wiping out dinosaurs and probably opening the door to man.

Very recently, we have had a possible glimpse of the future in a news piece about a pretty large new asteroid, still a light year or so away, travelling at 34,000 miles per second!!! Its trajectory was calculated to bring it near Earth.  “Near” in galactic terms is defined to be within about a million miles. That trajectory surely will be revised several times as it gets closer. Let’s hope the miss will grow wider.

What happens if it narrows? What happens, if it finally looks like it has found a new home.

Then the question begins to change – ‘which way will be Earth be facing’ when we meet — putting China or the US in the direct path? Can we negotiate with China?

The past, of course, informs the future in two ways. It can predict the probability of outcomes for different events. For example, a wisdom shared with young men years ago was to get a glimpse of your girlfriend’s naked mother in her dressing room and that is what your prospective wife is likely to look like in the future?

 And, it can suggest remedial steps before the fact. If the mother in law to be doesn’t measure up, try again!

I do not know about you, but I would like to ‘ensure’ that I and my whole family be at the epicenter of a collision with the new asteroid.

Given the span of life of humans today, it would take many hundreds of new generations before life, as we have come to know it, could possibly be resumed.

As you can see it is possible to get peeks at the future in various ways.

The riskiest ‘asteroid’ or mother in law out there today may be the 2020 election.

We know it will hit and when.

Conventional wisdom now is telling us Trump wins, because he has a solid and aroused base. And the Democrats still can not figure who they are and who they want to take on Trump.

While we all are squirming with fear, horror and uncertainty, we should keep reminding ourselves that the real historical facts favor the Democrats this year despite impressions to the contrary notwithstanding.  No President in history has been reelected with an approval rating of less than 50%.

We also know that because of the electoral college there are only five to seven States that will make the difference. Who the candidate is, of course, important.  Trump is very much a ‘love him or loathe him’ package — but the get out the vote effort may be more important, which lends itself to real money, which will be available.

So, with our peek at the future, we can see that there is something very real and affordable to do STARTING NOW!

GET OUT THE VOTE in a big way in those very States.

Whether he is the candidate or not, I believe Bloomberg will invest heavily in that process.

Perhaps, after saving our democracy from King Donald, he will turn his attention skyward and make sure the asteroid flies happily away!

But, if King Donald prevails, bring on the asteroid.