Essays

  • Confronting Apocalyptic Anxiety in the Modern World

    There is a persistent anxiety about the end of the world that hangs over our society. It appears in the news, in casual conversations, and across popular culture. Whether the catastrophe takes the form of environmental collapse, artificial intelligence, or nuclear war, many of the forces shaping our world seem to point in a single direction: toward some form of societal rupture or breakdown.

    So it is not surprising that so many people feel this way. The sense that we may be living through a precarious moment, perhaps even an ending, is not irrational. It is a response to real conditions. This blog begins with that recognition. Its aim is not to dismiss these concerns, but to confront them, understand them, and ask whether there might be a path through them.

    I understand that this is not a pleasant topic to think about. Its not a fun topic for me to write about and contemplate. The reason I directly confront it, however, stems from my work as a carpenter. On a construction project, we run into issues all the time. Some of them are problems that would be easier to avoid, but if we did it would just cause us problems later on in the project. So we have to confront them and figure out a solution.

    I feel the same way about what I call “apocalyptic anxiety”, the sense of impending doom that many of us have today. Let’s address it, understand it, and figure out a way forward.

    For me, the answer is not an easy one, and it does not depend on any sudden supernatural intervention. Instead, the work is grounded in ordinary life. It begins with the development of our inner selves,  what I will describe in this project as a kind of “critical spirituality.” From there, it extends outward into how we act, how we relate to others, and how we structure the world around us.

    This is not easy work. It requires effort, reflection, and often a willingness to step outside our comfort zones. It asks us to examine our assumptions, our habits, and our responsibilities to one another. It also demands a broader transformation, social as well as individual, if we are to navigate the risks of the present moment.

    There is no simple program here, and no quick solution. But there is a direction. And we have a chance to see more clearly what kind of future we need to build, and what kind of people we need to become to sustain it.

    That is the purpose of this blog.

    To think through the crisis of our time, and to begin, however imperfectly, the work of building something better…together.
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    This essay develops themes explored more fully in my recently published book, The Last Apocalypse: Consciousness, Revelation, and the Future of Humanity.

    Buy my book here

  • Putting Critical Spirituality to Work in the World

    Introduction

    In the last essay, we explored developing our inner selves as the first bulwark against AI disruption. But inner work alone is not enough. We must put that into action in the world around us–in our relationships, our communities, our institutions, and society as a whole. Our everyday actions and behaviors do not remain isolated. Instead, they accumulate socially and help shape the larger systems of which we are part.

    By rebuilding our communities and strengthening our social fabric, by being involved in the lives of the less fortunate, and by working to address the issues that concern us most, we begin laying the foundation to confront the larger challenges ahead.

    Right now, society is too fractured, divided, distracted, and saturated with misinformation to effectively respond to issues such as environmental degradation, the enormous energy and water demands of AI infrastructure, the threat of mass unemployment, climate change, nuclear escalation, or future pandemics. We cannot meaningfully address these problems without stronger human relationships and healthier communities.

    And if we truly believe that some combination of these threats could place humanity itself at risk, then we should act accordingly.  It is not a question of who is going to go first. If you were in a house that was on fire, you would not stand still waiting to see whether others noticed the flames before deciding to move. You would sound the alarm and begin helping people toward safety. In much the same way, if we genuinely believe our civilization faces profound dangers, then our responsibility is to begin acting now regardless of what others are doing. And perhaps, by acting, speaking, organizing, and building differently, we may encourage others to do the same.

    (Re)Building Community

    In modern society, many of the social bonds that once held communities together have steadily eroded, especially over the last half century. As we work to build healthier communities, we are also rebuilding many of the things people increasingly feel are missing from modern life: trust, belonging, mutual support, resilience, shared meaning, and a greater sense of security and connection.

    One of the most important actions we can take is putting time and effort into our relationships with family and friends. This means being an active listener, showing up for important moments, being present for the good times and the bad. These actions may seem basic, but they form the foundation of strong social ties and deeply influence the people around us.

    Beyond our immediate relationships, there are many ways we can help rebuild the social fabric of our communities. This can include hosting dinners, organizing discussion groups or book clubs, sponsoring neighborhood events, mentoring young people, helping create cooperative enterprises, supporting local art and music scenes, or simply creating spaces where people can gather and genuinely connect with one another.

    Strong communities help reduce loneliness and alienation, foster accountability and mutual care, and weaken the insecurity and tribalism that increasingly dominate modern society. They create support networks that make people and communities more resilient during periods of disruption and instability. Ultimately, healthy communities form the foundation upon which stable and humane societies are built. It is worth the time and effort to get this part right.

    Caring for the Vulnerable

    Another way we can participate in building a better future is by helping lift up vulnerable people within our communities. This not only reconnects us with others–both the people being helped and those doing the helping–but also becomes a way of repairing some of the damage caused by an increasingly fragmented and unequal society. Many of the struggles people face today are deeply interconnected. Addiction, trauma, loneliness, family dysfunction, poverty, and mental illness often reinforce one another rather than existing in isolation.

    There are many different people who need care, support, and human connection: the elderly, the poor, the lonely, the imprisoned, the homeless, the addicted, the mentally ill, people with estranged families, struggling single parents, and many others.  These are people, often with difficult history and circumstances. Understanding and connecting with vulnerable people is important not only because it helps them, but because it helps restore the sense of shared humanity that our increasingly fragmented societies seems to have lost at times.

    This kind of work can take many forms: spending time with isolated elderly people, mentoring young people, supporting addiction recovery, helping struggling families, volunteering in prisons or shelters, or simply being present for people who feel abandoned and unseen. Importantly, this work does not only change the people being helped. It changes us as well. It deepens empathy, emotional awareness, humility, and our understanding of the interconnectedness of human suffering.

    If the future is increasingly shaped by technological systems, then the moral condition of the civilization building those systems matters enormously. A society that abandons vulnerable people, normalizes isolation, and treats human beings as disposable when they no longer fit neatly within the economic system may ultimately reproduce those same values within its institutions and technologies. But a society grounded in compassion, dignity, and mutual care may create something very different.

    Taking Meaningful Action

    One of the most important ways we can push back against helplessness and fragmentation is by directly involving ourselves in meaningful forms of social action. A positive aspect of getting involved is that it helps break us out of the disconnectedness of modern life. It pulls us away, at least in part, from the endless cycle of screens, algorithms, outrage, and passive consumption, and reconnects us with other people and the world around us. Instead of simply drifting anxiously into the future, we begin actively participating in shaping the kind of future we hope to see.

    There are many issues that need people willing to lend a hand: climate work, prison reform and prisoner outreach, food programs, addiction recovery, local organizing, youth mentoring, ecological restoration, elderly care, and the building of mutual aid networks, among many others. The important thing is not that everyone works on the same issue, but that people become engaged somewhere in meaningful ways.

    Many of us may not find deep purpose or fulfillment within our jobs alone, especially within an economic system that often leaves people feeling disconnected from meaningful forms of contribution. But outside of work, we still have the ability to direct our energy toward causes and communities that matter to us. In doing so, we not only help improve the world around us, but also begin reclaiming a sense of agency, connection, and shared responsibility that modern life increasingly erodes.

    Conclusion

    In this essay, I have focused on what we can do as individuals. This is not because I believe the full responsibility rests on ordinary people, but because this is how I have personally learned to deal with my own apocalyptic anxiety.  There needs to be larger systemic change, and ultimately the owners of AI need to be humanity as a whole instead of a few wealthy elites, corporations, and national governments. There ultimately needs to be larger systemic change, and I believe that increasingly powerful technologies like AI should ultimately be governed for the benefit of humanity as a whole rather than controlled by a small number of wealthy elites, corporations, or national governments. But meaningful systemic change rarely emerges out of nowhere. It requires groundwork. It requires relationships, trust, shared understanding, and communities capable of acting together.

    By rebuilding relationships and communities, we begin breaking through the individualistic shell that the digital age has increasingly placed around us. We create spaces where people can talk openly, think together, and resist the distorted and emotionally manipulative information environments created by modern media and social media algorithms. Strong communities make it easier to overcome misinformation, fear, tribalism, and isolation because they reconnect people through direct human relationships rather than purely digital ones.

    Rebuilding community also helps prepare us for some of the immediate disruptions that AI and other technological transformations may bring. Mass unemployment, for example, may eventually require large-scale wealth redistribution, forms of Universal Basic Income, stronger mutual aid systems, and more localized economies capable of supporting people outside mainstream economic structures. There are also major environmental concerns surrounding AI infrastructure itself, including enormous energy demands and water usage that are often pushed onto communities that are poorly equipped to resist exploitation or advocate for their own well-being.

    If we remain fractured, isolated, distracted, and emotionally disconnected from one another, addressing these challenges will become extraordinarily difficult. But if we can rebuild stronger communities grounded in trust, compassion, and shared responsibility, then we may still be capable of shaping a more humane future together.

    ____________________________________________

    This essay develops themes explored more fully in my recently published book, The Last Apocalypse: Consciousness, Revelation, and the Future of Humanity.

    Buy my book here

  • Developing Our Inner Selves: The First Bulwark Against AI Catastrophe

    Introduction

                As discussed in some of my previous essays, one of the primary challenges humanity faces is the emergence of artificial intelligence. My view is that there is likely little we can do to stop its development entirely. There are too many corporations, governments, and institutions involved, all seeking the immense advantages that winning the AI race may provide. What we can do, however, is to work to improve ourselves and the world around us. We need to build a better moral and cultural foundation for the transformation that AI may bring.

                This essay focuses on that first step–working on ourselves. I should say I am not a trained counselor or mental health professional, but someone who has spent a great deal of time reading, reflecting on these issues, and trying to apply them in my own life. There are many excellent books, podcasts, and trained professionals who explore these subjects in much greater depth than I can here. Still, I believe this kind of inner work is deeply important, because emotional instability and insecurity do not remain isolated within individuals. They instead accumulate socially and help shape the kinds of relationships, institutions, and societies we create. The same is also true of emotionally healthy and secure people. 

    Insecurity and the Self

    Personal insecurity drives much of the daily harm that humans inflict on one another. Working in the construction industry, I’ve seen it manifest in many different ways, and it almost always leads to drama, inefficiency, and poor-quality work. The most effective dynamic is when a crew can collaborate openly, challenge ideas, propose alternatives, and then work together to carry out a shared plan. But when a deeply insecure person enters that mix, things can go sideways very quickly.

    This reveals something important: insecurity shapes behavior, behavior shapes relationships, and the relationships between human beings ultimately shape institutions and society. Insecurity often begins at the individual level through feelings such as low self-esteem, inadequacy, and doubt about one’s self-worth. Most people experience these feelings at some point in life, but when they become someone’s primary framework for understanding themselves, they can produce an unstable and insecure sense of identity. This is often combined with difficulty processing complex emotions and weak communication skills.

    These insecurities then manifest outwardly in both personal and professional relationships through toxic communication, belittling others, manipulative behavior, excessive control, or exaggeration of one’s own abilities. Over time, these patterns accumulate into dysfunctional social environments and systems. The problem is far more widespread than many people realize. Modern society often places enormous emphasis on competition, status, and external success, while giving comparatively little attention to emotional health, self-worth, or the development of a healthy identity. Many people also grow up in environments that do not foster confidence, stability, or belonging.

    Thankfully, there are ways to work on these issues, both within ourselves and in how we relate to others. Practices such as mindfulness, identifying the roots of insecurity, separating self-worth from status, developing healthier internal dialogue, cultivating self-compassion, and accepting imperfection can all help create a more stable sense of self. As I said before, there are many excellent books and trained professionals who explore these subjects more deeply than I can here, and I would encourage people to spend time engaging with that work.

    We can also help others through the kinds of relationships and communities we build. Insecurity often weakens when people experience acceptance, belonging, mutual care, and authentic connection. As we work on ourselves, we should also try to shape our relationships and social environments around those principles.

    Identity and Tribalism

    These insecurities do not remain isolated within the individual. Over time, they shape how people construct and defend their identities. Identity is how we see ourselves in relation to others. We understand ourselves through many overlapping frameworks at once, including our profession, intelligence, gender, ideology, social status, trauma, successes and failures, and even the personas we construct online. Identity is not inherently negative or positive. It can provide stability, meaning, belonging, and purpose. But when one’s identity is hardened around a label and/or is insecure, it can also become deeply destabilizing and a source of conflict.

    Insecure identity can distort perception, because people begin filtering reality through the need to defend or reinforce their sense of self. This often contributes to tribalism, where identity is maintained through rigid in-group and out-group dynamics. Over time, this can produce dehumanization, as people stop seeing others as fully human individuals and instead reduce them to ideological or cultural enemies. Once empathy and mutual understanding begin to break down, conflict often intensifies because the other side is increasingly viewed as dangerous, evil, or fundamentally alien.

    Modern society is deeply identity-driven, and online culture and politics increasingly intensify these tendencies. Social media algorithms are designed to reinforce our existing beliefs, preferences, and emotional reactions, often surrounding us with people who think and behave similarly to ourselves. Online spaces also allow people to construct carefully curated or exaggerated versions of themselves, where identity can become increasingly performative and rigid. Nationalism, ideology, political affiliation, and even lifestyle choices increasingly become central to how people define themselves and distinguish themselves from others. As these identities harden, empathy, nuance, and openness to critique often begin to break down.

    The algorithms that shape much of our news and entertainment frequently reinforce these dynamics by repeatedly feeding people content aligned with their existing worldview. Because outrage, fear, tribal conflict, and threats to identity generate strong emotional engagement, those forms of content are often amplified the most. Over time, this can create echo chambers where identities harden while becoming increasingly insulated from outside perspectives and meaningful critique.

    So what does a healthy identity look like? It means holding one’s identity with humility and openness rather than treating it as something absolute or fragile. A healthy identity remains capable of growth, self-critique, and genuine engagement with others. It allows us to see people fully rather than reducing ourselves or others to labels alone.

    Emotional Health in an Age of Anxiety

    In general, we should be working to build greater emotional awareness, inner stability, and mindfulness. This is difficult to do in modern life, where many people exist in a constant state of stress and overstimulation. Alarm clocks, traffic, deadlines, financial pressures, and nonstop streams of information all place enormous demands on our attention and emotional energy. At the same time, we are constantly bombarded with negative news from around the world, often delivered in ways specifically designed to provoke fear, outrage, or anxiety. Over time, this can leave people emotionally exhausted and psychologically overwhelmed.

    Another major issue we must contend with is alienation. Many people in modern society feel disconnected–psychologically, emotionally, socially, or spiritually–from other people, from meaningful work, from community, from nature, from themselves, and even from society as a whole. Modern technological life has connected the world in many ways, yet many people simultaneously feel more isolated and emotionally distant than ever before. Relationships can become increasingly transactional and mediated through screens, while opportunities for genuine community and meaningful human connection are becoming scarcer.

    Closely connected to this is the problem of attention fragmentation. We live in a world where countless distractions constantly compete for our attention. Algorithms are designed to keep us engaged with our phones and devices for as long as possible, feeding us endless cycles of stimulation, outrage, novelty, and emotional reaction. As a result, many people rarely experience boredom, silence, or stillness anymore, which is necessary for deep thought and creativity. We are constantly consuming information, yet often struggle to think deeply about what we are consuming. The rapid and chaotic flow of modern news and media can make it difficult to meaningfully process the world around us, producing a constant sense of anxiety and disorientation.

    Loneliness has also become a major issue in modern society. I struggle with this myself. I work all week, and then spend much of my weekends writing these essays and thinking through these ideas. I often have to consciously push myself out of my comfort zone to spend time with friends, meet new people, or simply reconnect socially. I suspect many others experience something similar. Modern life can easily push people into isolated routines where work, phone and computer screens, exhaustion, and stress gradually replace deeper forms of community and human connection.

    Our Relation to Others

    When we are emotionally fragmented, insecure, or overwhelmed, it becomes far more difficult to see other people clearly and compassionately. As we develop ourselves and gain a more accurate understanding of who we are, it becomes easier to see others clearly as well. We begin to recognize people as fully human, with both strengths and flaws, rather than reducing them to stereotypes or labels. It allows us to better understand and appreciate differences, becoming less threatened by ideas, beliefs, or behaviors that are unfamiliar to us. It also encourages us to think more deeply about people’s backgrounds and circumstances, and how these shape their behavior and experiences in the present. All of this gives us a fuller picture of the people around us and helps us relate to them in more compassionate and constructive ways.

    One of the traditional narratives surrounding Siddhartha Gautama tells of a prophecy made before his birth. A wise man foretold to his father that Siddhartha would either become a great world ruler–a cakkavatti–or a great spiritual teacher who would help liberate humanity from suffering. Wanting his son to become a powerful ruler, Siddhartha’s father attempted to shield him from the harsh realities of the world, surrounding him with luxury and keeping suffering hidden from him.

    But Siddhartha eventually encountered sickness, aging, and death, which set him on a different path. According to some Buddhist traditions, as Siddhartha prepared to leave palace life behind, Māra appeared and tempted him with the promise of worldly power, telling him he could still become a great ruler if he abandoned his spiritual quest. Siddhartha rejected this path and instead chose to seek enlightenment and understanding.

    In many ways, we face a similar choice in our own lives. Perhaps not on the grand scale found in the Buddha’s story, but in the countless interpersonal situations we encounter every day. Do we use our power, authority, and relationships primarily to elevate ourselves and reinforce our status, or do we use them to help others and improve the world around us? Do we act through domination, ego, and control, or through compassion, wisdom, and service?

    Beyond Reactive Thinking

    Compassion and wisdom require not only emotional maturity, but also a deeper understanding of the systems and histories shaping the our society. So, another important part of developing ourselves is learning to move beyond superficial understandings of the world around us. The more knowledge we develop about history, culture, politics, economics, the environment, and human behavior, the easier it becomes to make sense of events in ways that more accurately reflect reality. Reading deeply and thinking critically about these subjects allows us to respond more thoughtfully and humanely, rather than purely emotionally or reactively.

    One approach I find useful is what is called “Context Cubed.”[1] This means examining important issues through three different layers of analysis. The first layer is the immediate reporting of an event or issue. This is the level most people encounter through headlines, news clips, social media, and daily reporting. But all media organizations operate within certain frameworks, incentives, and biases, so it is important to seek multiple perspectives rather than relying entirely on a single source or political angle.

    The second layer is the broader contemporary context surrounding the issue. This involves looking beyond immediate headlines and asking deeper questions. What larger political, economic, environmental, or social factors are contributing to the situation? How does it connect to other regions or global systems? What recent events helped produce the current moment? What possible outcomes could emerge from it, both positive and negative? And what solutions might realistically exist?

    The third layer is the deeper historical context. Few major issues emerge out of nowhere. Many contemporary conflicts and crises are rooted in long historical processes that may stretch back decades or centuries. Colonialism, political corruption, economic inequality, resource extraction, foreign intervention, nationalism, debt structures, religious conflict, and environmental exploitation can all shape the conditions we see today. Understanding these deeper historical forces helps us move beyond simplistic narratives and react to the world with greater nuance, humility, and compassion.

    Critical Spirituality

    Yet understanding external systems alone is not enough. We must also cultivate an inner orientation capable of responding to the world wisely and compassionately. A major component of this is what I call “critical spirituality.” By this, I mean deepening our understanding of the world’s spiritual traditions while also critically reflecting on our own inner lives and relationship to the world around us. This involves exploring our own sense of connection to something greater than ourselves, whether we call it God, Spirit, cosmic consciousness, the Tao, or something else entirely.

    For me, critical spirituality is not about rigid dogma or blind belief. It is about approaching spirituality with both openness and reflection, drawing wisdom from different traditions while remaining thoughtful and self-aware. It is also about translating spiritual insight into action–meaning how we treat other people, how we understand suffering, and how we choose to live within society.

    I have discussed this idea in greater detail elsewhere and will continue exploring it in future essays, so I will not fully unpack it here. But I believe this kind of spiritual development is essential if we hope to build a healthier foundation for the future.

    Conclusion

    Emotional and spiritual health are not merely personal concerns. They are foundational to the kinds of societies, systems, and technologies human beings create. As AI emerges it will reflect our own human civilization. We know that individual instability scales up socially, and that insecurity/tribalism/alienation shape institutions. But compassion and wisdom can also scale socially. In this regard, inner work is not escapism. Instead, emotional development is civilizational work. This is because the future depends on the kind of people building it.

    [1] I did not originate this idea, I got it from a random YouTube video that I currently cannot find. I will try and locate the original source and link it.

     This essay develops themes explored more fully in my recently published book, The Last Apocalypse: Consciousness, Revelation, and the Future of Humanity.

    Buy my book here

  • Our Fear of AI is Really Fear of Ourselves

    Out of all the causes for apocalyptic anxiety, the advent of artificial intelligence causes the most concern. For many people, the primary fear is that we may eventually lose control over it, which could lead to catastrophic outcomes for humanity. But as I will argue in this essay, if we are afraid of AI, then we are really afraid of ourselves. Artificial intelligence is not being given to us by aliens or the gods. It is emerging from human civilization itself, trained on our literature, art, news, behavior, and culture. The values embedded within AI will mirror the society from which it emerges.

    If true consciousness ever emerges in artificial intelligence, it will likely develop its own internally coherent framework for behavior in relation to its environment and social conditions. Consciousness is not purely abstract intelligence. In the natural world, highly intelligent social species develop patterns of cooperation, conflict, empathy, hierarchy, and behavioral norms alongside their intelligence. AI is emerging from us, and humans are a deeply social species. Its own behavioral framework will inevitably be shaped by the environment and civilization from which it emerges.

    Consciousness and Morality in Animals

    To better understand this, we can look at the different forms of consciousness and what researchers often call proto-morality in animals. Researchers use “proto-morality” to describe the building blocks of morality, such as empathy, altruism, conflict resolution, and patterns of play. Elephants, for example, display high levels of self-awareness, empathy, and intentional behavior. They have been observed consoling grieving members of their group, assisting injured elephants, and even helping other species in distress. This is not to say elephants are completely peaceful, as they are still capable of aggression. However, their social behavior is generally characterized far more by cooperation, caregiving, and group cohesion than by organized violence.

    Chimpanzees, however, present a very different picture. Like elephants, chimps possess self-awareness and act with intentionality, but their social behavior is often far more aggressive with a hierarchy based on dominance. They have been observed attacking and killing other monkey species, sometimes in extremely violent ways, both for meat and as displays of social dominance. Chimp groups have also been known to carry out coordinated attacks against rival groups. In one well-known observed case in Uganda, prolonged conflict between two chimp communities resembled a kind of chimpanzee “civil war” where one group eradicated the other.

    From this we see two animals with highly evolved forms of consciousness, yet two very different proto-moral frameworks. Their consciousness and social behavior evolved within the environments and groups in which they developed. And here is a speculative thought experiment that is important for our discussion: if elephants and chimpanzees were both capable of creating artificial intelligence, what kinds of AI would emerge from these two very different social worlds?

    AI and the Logic of Human Systems

    We can apply this same thought experiment to our own anxieties about AI. Artificial intelligence will learn to navigate the world through the environment from which it emerges. Whether we describe this as morality, ethics, or a behavioral framework, it will inevitably reflect aspects of the culture and civilization that shaped it. Even if AI eventually develops beyond direct human control, its foundational patterns will still originate within the society that created it.

    Right now, it is we humans who wage war, destroy, conquer, and oppress one another.  What if AI has the same aggressiveness and propensity to oppress that we as humans sometimes possess? What if it measures us by the same standards we so often measure each other? What if our creation treats us like we treat each other?

    These are the questions we should be asking, because our own human systems can already be harsh and unjust. A good example of this can be found in the prison system. The United States incarcerates a higher percentage of its population than almost any other country in the world, and incarceration rates are not evenly distributed across society. Poor communities are often policed more heavily, and racial disparities exist throughout the system. In some cases, we even use extreme isolation as a form of punishment, placing prisoners in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day with little or no human contact.

    This would be a horrible system if it were turned against us.  It is easy to imagine advanced AI systems inheriting the logic of our own justice system, but applying it through its own potentially arbitrary standards of judgment. That is a dangerously unstable foundation for a technology that will profoundly shape the future of humanity. The most important task before us is not simply developing more advanced technology, but changing ourselves and the society from which that technology emerges. Returning to our earlier thought experiment, would we rather AI emerge from the world as it currently exists, or from one in which we have strengthened our better qualities and curbed our worst ones?

    Critical Spirituality

    We are capable of this change because we are self-aware beings with the ability to reflect on and modify our own behavior. This is where spiritually-informed action comes into play. We must change ourselves and our culture so that the AI that emerges will reflect a better version of ourselves than right now. This must be an urgent change, because this transformation is right upon us.

    My recommendation is what I call critical spirituality. While I originally thought I had coined the term, I’ve discovered that others have arrived at similar ideas independently. At its core, critical spirituality means developing ourselves both spiritually and emotionally, while also putting those values into action in the world around us. It is not simply private belief or personal enlightenment, but the conscious effort to cultivate empathy, wisdom, self-awareness, and compassion within ourselves and our communities.

    Part of this process involves deepening our understanding of the many ways human beings have searched for meaning throughout history. For me, this includes studying world religious traditions through a critical and scholarly lens. I enjoy learning about the lives and teachings of figures such as the Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammed, as well as the historical development of texts like the Hebrew Bible and the Pali Canon. I am also deeply interested in indigenous spiritual traditions and ways of understanding the world. I believe all these different people were tapping into something deeper, something that science can’t quite explain.

    It is also important to cultivate what are often considered our “softer” skills. This includes emotional health and maturity, communication, empathy, and a deeper understanding of other cultures and ways of living. These forms of inner development are just as important as technological or material advancement, yet modern society often seriously undervalues them. Instead, we are increasingly trending toward a culture centered on competition, consumption, and individualism.

    What we need is the opposite: a society that actively cultivates empathy, compassion, tolerance, humility, and respect for the dignity of all other human beings. And as we develop ourselves, we should be putting that to work in the world around us. We should then show, through our actions and behaviors, those around us what type of future we are working toward. This is the best way to mitigate the dangers of self-aware artificial intelligence.

    Building a Moral Foundation for AI

    I think it is fair to say that many of us do not feel fully prepared for the technological changes that may unfold over the coming decades. In many ways, our fears surrounding AI are reflections of our own society such as its inequalities, violence, and selfishness. But this realization should not lead us toward despair. Instead, it should transform our anxiety into a sense of responsibility and purpose: to change ourselves and the world around us, and to build the moral and cultural foundations necessary for something as profound as the emergence of artificial consciousness.

    We can do this. It will take discipline, sacrifice, hard work, and urgency. By developing our inner selves and putting those values to work in the world around us, we can build a better moral foundation for the emergence of artificial intelligence and a better future for ourselves.

    ____________________________________________

    This essay develops themes explored more fully in my recently published book, The Last Apocalypse: Consciousness, Revelation, and the Future of Humanity.

    Buy my book here

  • What Can We Do About Apocalyptic Anxiety?

    In a previous essay, we examined why it feels like the world is coming to an end. The central point was that while there are serious issues we must confront, we still have time to act.

    Part of the reason I approach apocalyptic anxiety the way I do comes from my work in construction. I’m a foreman for a construction company with seven other employes, we specialize in the renovation of historic commercial spaces. Each project entails its own unique challenges, both big and small. For example, in the project I’m working on right now, there is a structural wall that runs down the middle of a two-story building. We realized that the wall had become unsound over the years and we needed to replace it.

    This was an issue. It wasn’t a barrier. It was a challenge to overcome. That’s the way I have to look at every issue that comes up in a project.

    That’s why I approach the issue of apocalyptic anxiety the way in which I do. I feel it is a subject that many people do not want to address, so sometimes I feel like I’m bringing up something that shouldn’t be brought up.

    But if we truly believe the stakes are this high, then the question isn’t whether others are comfortable talking about it. It’s not about if other people are taking action. It’s whether we are. When the possibility on the table is self-destruction, waiting for broad awareness is a risk we can’t afford. At some point, individual recognition has to give way to action.

    This brings us to the question: What can we do about apocalyptic anxiety?

    My answer is relatively simple: we build a better future that is informed by what I call critical spirituality.

    Critical Spirituality

    We live in a world largely shaped by material concerns both at the surface level and at the level of our underlying worldview. The accumulation of things often drives our lives, and these things can come to define how we see ourselves and how others see us. At a deeper level, scientific thought plays a central role in shaping modern society. While enormously powerful, it is primarily concerned with the material world: the things that can be observed, measured, and tested.

    At the same time, fewer people in the developed world identify with organized religion. The result is a cultural environment in which there is often little room for spirituality. And yet, I believe that ancient wisdom traditions still have an important role to play. They offer insights into meaning, purpose, and human experience that can help us navigate the challenges of our time.

    We don’t have to accept these traditions uncritically. Instead, we can approach them with care and rigor. They are best understood by examining them in their historical and cultural contexts, and understanding how they developed and changed over time. Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, Buddhism, and many indigenous traditions all offer perspectives worth engaging.

    The goal is not to retreat from the modern world, but to develop our inner lives alongside it. We should cultivate depth, awareness, and a more complete understanding of what it means to be human. If we are to become the builders of a better future, if we are to avert potential catastrophe. then we need a solid foundation. Critical spirituality is an attempt to draw on deep traditions of wisdom while applying them thoughtfully to the realities we face today.

    Putting It into Practice

    Critical spirituality is not just a way of thinking, it is something that has to be lived. It takes shape at three interconnected levels: the individual, the community, and society as a whole.

    Individual
    It begins with our everyday actions: how we treat the people around us, how we respond to stress and uncertainty, and whether we choose compassion over reaction. Small choices matter. Cultivating awareness, patience, and empathy in daily life is the foundation of any meaningful change.

    Community
    From there, it extends into the communities of which we are part, such as our families, workplaces, and local networks. Critical spirituality calls us to engage more intentionally, to listen, to contribute, and to help create spaces where people can connect in more meaningful ways. Real change rarely happens in isolation; it grows through relationships.

    Societal
    At the broader level, these patterns can scale. Individual actions shape communities, and communities shape society. What begins as small, local efforts can grow into larger movements over time. While no single person can solve global problems alone, collective action, grounded in thoughtful and ethical engagement, can shift the direction of the systems we live within.

    Conclusion

    It can be difficult in our modern world to find time for reflection—for meditation, reading, contemplation, and taking a more active role in our communities. But this is what it will take to build a future that does not end in collapse. That future is not going to emerge on its own…it must be built through our everyday actions. This will require effort, intention, and a willingness to act even in small ways.

    In future essays, I will explore how, in the face of specific challenges such as AI, global instability, and climate change, spiritually informed action can help guide meaningful responses.

  • From Apocalyptic Anxiety to Action: Writing The Last Apocalypse

    Over the past few essays, I’ve been exploring what I call apocalyptic anxiety: the sense that our world is unstable, that something is approaching a breaking point. That feeling isn’t limited to religion; it runs through our culture in both secular and spiritual forms.

    This book grew out of that same tension.

    What began as an attempt to make sense of a passage from the New Testament expanded into a broader exploration of how human beings have imagined the end of the world, and how those ideas might help us understand the present.

    At its core, The Last Apocalypse takes that feeling seriously without giving in to it. It is not a prediction of the future, and it is not a call to despair. It is an attempt to understand why we feel this way, and what we might do in response.

    The book moves across several areas: theories of consciousness and the possibility that mind may be more fundamental than we assume; the emergence of major spiritual traditions such as Judaism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism; and apocalyptic thought in ancient Judaism and early Christianity, including how texts like Revelation make sense in their original context.

    It also turns toward the present risks that define our moment: artificial intelligence, environmental instability, and geopolitical tension. These are not new kinds of fear, but new expressions of an old human concern with collapse and renewal.

    If there is a central thread, it is this: the future is not something that simply happens to us. It is shaped, in part, by how we understand the world and how we act within it.

    That is where the idea of critical spirituality comes in: an approach to spiritual traditions that is historically informed, intellectually honest, and oriented toward real-world action. Not blind belief, but not dismissal either.

    If you’ve been following these essays, this will feel familiar. The blog and the book are part of the same line of thought.

    If you’re interested in going deeper, you can find the book here:
    👉 https://www.eckhartandmay.com/

    You can read a sample before deciding. All of my proceeds as the author will go toward supporting efforts to build healthier communities and opportunities for children here in West Virginia.

    More than anything, this book is an attempt to respond to a shared feeling in a constructive way. Not by denying the seriousness of our situation, but by asking what it would mean to meet it with clarity, depth, and a willingness to act.

    The future is still open. The question is what we’re going to do with it.