Let’s talk about the nuclear deterrent. Now, nobody ever seems to argue with me when I point out that the use of a nuclear weapon by any nation will cause a chain reaction of numerous nations retaliating, almost certainly leading to a global cataclysmic event that will take the life of just about every living organism on this planet. With me so far? Good. Here’s where it gets easy. We’re going to use a simple parable to explain exactly why the very idea of a nuclear deterrent is the most pointless notion in the history of the human race.
There are three of us locked in a room together, unable to get out. You (the reader), me and third person; let’s call him Kevin. Kevin has a gun with an empty clip but a single round in the chamber, you have an improvised explosive device that will kill us all and I’m just a bystander who can’t do anything about it because as much as I could protest, neither of you are going to listen to me.
Kevin has his gun pointed at your head. You have your finger on the button. To avoid getting shot, you threaten to detonate the IED and kill all three of us. To avoid getting blown up, Kevin threatens to shoot you in the head, thereby saving his life and mine. To avoid getting blown up or having to see someone’s brains get blown out all over the wall, what can I do? Nobody will hear my protest because the two of you keep trying to convince me that you have the situation under control, which you clearly don't. You both stand there staring at each other while poor old me standing in the corner is trying desperately to make either of you see some kind of sense. Surely the best way to handle the situation is for everyone in the room to lower their weapons and together, we can all figure out how to break the locks and explore the world outside.
Now imagine you are a fascist dictator, Kevin is the President of the United States and I am the entire human race, standing in the corner watching this situation get worse, petrified that I’m going to die, meanwhile feeling intensely guilty in the knowledge that I would rather see one person get shot in the head than the much more likely scenario leading to three people getting senselessly blown up. If we lower the weapons and put our differences aside, we can break the locks that keep us here. We can improve the room, plant some trees, strip back the plain wallpaper and reveal the beautiful natural colours beneath, and most importantly, we can explore space together, united under a singular respect and admiration for the universe that gave us life instead of wasting our time staring at each other until one of us pulls the trigger.
There are three of us locked in a room together, unable to get out. You (the reader), me and third person; let’s call him Kevin. Kevin has a gun with an empty clip but a single round in the chamber, you have an improvised explosive device that will kill us all and I’m just a bystander who can’t do anything about it because as much as I could protest, neither of you are going to listen to me.
Kevin has his gun pointed at your head. You have your finger on the button. To avoid getting shot, you threaten to detonate the IED and kill all three of us. To avoid getting blown up, Kevin threatens to shoot you in the head, thereby saving his life and mine. To avoid getting blown up or having to see someone’s brains get blown out all over the wall, what can I do? Nobody will hear my protest because the two of you keep trying to convince me that you have the situation under control, which you clearly don't. You both stand there staring at each other while poor old me standing in the corner is trying desperately to make either of you see some kind of sense. Surely the best way to handle the situation is for everyone in the room to lower their weapons and together, we can all figure out how to break the locks and explore the world outside.
Now imagine you are a fascist dictator, Kevin is the President of the United States and I am the entire human race, standing in the corner watching this situation get worse, petrified that I’m going to die, meanwhile feeling intensely guilty in the knowledge that I would rather see one person get shot in the head than the much more likely scenario leading to three people getting senselessly blown up. If we lower the weapons and put our differences aside, we can break the locks that keep us here. We can improve the room, plant some trees, strip back the plain wallpaper and reveal the beautiful natural colours beneath, and most importantly, we can explore space together, united under a singular respect and admiration for the universe that gave us life instead of wasting our time staring at each other until one of us pulls the trigger.
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