Amnesia Atomica
I recently watched the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still. For those who aren't sci-fi fans, the premise of the film is an alien representing a galactic civilization comes to earth. His mission is to warn off humanity from its destructive path in order to preserve Earth as one of the few habitable planets. Also, the aliens can't risk humans expanding their infantile behavior and petty aggressions beyond our planet. The carrot is humanity eventually becoming a partner in an advanced civilization of worlds. Peace, prosperity, good health and long life become the norms. The stick is the extermination of the problematic species- us. A handful of caring folks manage to convince the alien we've seen the error of our ways and we are on the precipice of sweeping positive change. It's uplifting for about two minutes. Then the flood of current events puts things in stark relief.
It is now many decades after the "duck and cover" nuclear drills I remember from my elementary school days. And we still live with the looming danger. FYI, during the height of the cold war, the Doomsday Clock was further from midnight than it is right now.
Link to event in New York City
