#BUT would be able to best them in a long-term war. ie with strategy and manipulation and planning and all that

[enbysiriusblack]

lily would win a magic fight. james would win a muggle fight. sirius would win a verbal fight. remus would win a speed knitting fight. peter wouldn't win a fight, but would win a war

[umbralstars]

Basically an "All you need to know" about how I personally write Byleth/All of my Byleth headcanons. This is probably not everything but it's still long enough I have to put it under the cut.

* His birthday is 26 day of Blue Sea Star Moon 1159

- I know that 20 of Horsebow is probably the canon date but I've always used this one since my first playthrough and keep it cause I find it funny

* Byleth has all kinds of memory issues

* Demi-panromantic & demisexual

*Trans masc (He/Him & They/Them)

- He remembers and has dreams of things that are from when Sothis was alive

- He sometimes has trouble recalling facts about the world he lives in (such as who is currently ruling, his teaching plans or things that he has taught before, sometimes can't recall where he is). He keeps a journal of important things that he saw, learned, needs to know etc

+ Caused by being misaligned with Sothis' soul and her consciousness trying to overtake his own

+ He doesn't lose memories outright and can recall things if given the right direction. Once a memory is solidified as more long term it's much harder for him to forget it

- Sothis' memories can cause bad flashbacks that can take him minutes to get out of

+ Jeralt and the other mercenaries look out for him when episodes happen. They often have him talk about them afterwards if he wants too (ie like Jeralt and Byleth's conversation at the beginning of the game after the dream about Seiros/meeting with Sothis)

+ He can't speak during them and gets very spacey

- Fighting and strategy is instinctual for him so memory issues in those areas are non-existent

- When his soul fuses with Sothis' his memory problems mostly cease. All the memories about his own life are permanently solidified and he can somewhat tell the difference between his memories and Sothis'. He still can be paralyzed by her memories but has a much easier time getting out of dazes

* Has a love for learning about the history and culture of Fodlan and everywhere else

- When he was little Jeralt would often tell him stories and folktales about Fodlan while they were riding across the country side. The pre-month cutscenes during White Clouds are Byleth recalling those stories

- Loves learning about the places outside of Fodlan just as much as learning about Fodlan itself

- His favorite books are about history or folklore

* At a crossroad between trusting people implicitly and keeping others at arm's length

- His life as a mercenary certainly wasn't easy, even though he doesn't resent it, so he tends towards giving others the benefit of the doubt even when he may doubt their intentions. Cautiously trusting if you will. Some people may view him as naive because he's willing to trust off the bat and he's fine with that.

- Does fall in line with mercs not really trusting nobles but he points that more towards the parents currently in power and not the kids he knows

- Goddess help you if you break his trust. Once you break his trust it's very hard to actually get it back unless you give him cause for why it was broken in the first place

* Very protective of the people he cares about

- Death or injury of people he care for has always been his biggest fear. His family has always tried to tell him it's just a fact of life, their life especially, but he would rather fight tooth and nail to keep someone alive then to just let them die

* Really good with children actually

* Takes his job as a teacher very seriously. He knows how rough Fodlan and fighting can be, so wants to impart good lessons in the hopes of making his students' lives easier. He knows that some of them have already seen horrors or have been on battlefields, so he treats each person accordingly

* Has a really bad resting bitch face so people think he's really intense/scary when first meeting him

- He has complicated feelings towards being perceived as "intense" or "terrifying" since on one hand it's very useful when he needs to be perceived that way, but on the other hand he feels like that first impression makes it hard to connect with people afterward

- He doesn't ever go out of his way to make people perceive him differently mostly because it would be a hassle and he's thinks people who really know him would understand he's not like that

* Byleth is actually very introverted and somewhat has social anxiety

- He spent almost his entire life around the same people moving from place to place so introversion aside he's not the most experienced about talking to new people

- He never stops people when they want to talk and doesn't really hate talking to people it's just that he doesn't go out of his way to do it unless he likes talking to someone or it's important

* Jeralt's mercenary company is his family and the people he's closest to until Garreg Mach. The Mercenaries are an elite group of about 13 people of various backgrounds

- All of them are basically his aunts and uncles cause they practically raised him alongside Jeralt. He does call a lot of them Aunt and Uncle as well

- One or two are also like siblings to him cause they joined with their parent or when they were younger (like 15)

- They were the only people able to get close to Byleth or get him to talk for the first week or so after Jeralt's death

- I need to expand on them more cause they're very important to me and him

* Byleth has trouble outwardly expressing emotions and understanding his own. He actually feels very deeply but just has trouble really expressing it. Very monotone and straight to the point when he speaks and only slight shifts in tone tells how he's really feeling. Actually has hyper empathy

- Grew up like this despite Jeralt and the Mercenaries' best efforts. Jeralt was always best as reading him because he acted so much like Sitri

- Caused once again by a misalignment with Sothis' soul

- After his awakening, Byleth has a better ability to express himself, and even took on some of Sothis' characteristics, but he still has trouble explaining or talking about what he's feeling

* Generally very calming to be around for most people. Won't ever force anyone to talk but will talk if you start conversation

* Has done some very questionable work as a mercenary

- He has taken on a few assassinations in the past despite Jeralt's insistence he never get his hands dirty like that. The Remire Medicine Incident is one not spoken of much within the company

- He's dealt with brigands, putting down rebellions, guarding caravans, guarding nobles, helping train the standing armies, etc everything under the sun. Will practically do anything if the pay is right

- He does have standards and expects a full rundown of the job beforehand like his father and the rest of the company though

* Loves cats and dogs

* Actually pretty religious and devout by the time of his awakening

- He wasn't completely raised without knowledge of the Church as some of the mercenaries are religious, but he was agnostic for a good portion of his life

- As he lived at Garreg Mach and learned more about the Church's teachings he grew to appreciate it more and more

- Rhea taught him a lot during his many conversations with her

- As Archbishop he does his best to learn every aspect of the Church and exemplify them best he can. Really emphasizes giving aid to those in need, leans heavily into the "Goddess" aspect of his soul, reforms many aspects whilst keeping the core of the faith

- Personally speaks to Sothis on more of an equal and friend level then true God and devotee

- Does become known as the Holy Saint and Avatar of the Goddess within the Church years after he steps down as Archbishop. Doesn't really know how to feel about it but can't say his inclusion is wrong

* Byleth doesn't have the highest opinion of Edelgard

- As I write AM/VW Byleth he was never close to Edelgard at all during his time at Garreg Mach

- He really only sees her as the person who started the whole continental war (which he despises as he very much dislikes war in its entirety) and the person he believes to at least be complicit in his father's death (do not debate with me how much Edelgard knew Kronya's plan. This is entirely how Byleth views what happened)

- He never wished for her death, but does view her as someone very misguided and only wishes she never went as far as she did

* Very terrified of sleep after waking up post-Time Skip

- Fears falling asleep and loose more parts of his life an leaving everyone behind again

- Prefers to have someone close by who can wake him or being woken up in the morning

- Got into the unhealthy habit of just working himself into exhaustion and having a very irregular sleep schedule until his friends had an intervention to talk about what was going on

[scripttorture]

Not sure how related to torture this is but my MC is a surgeon and well he has to look at pretty mangled bodies. TBH a few patients get to him as a result of torture. What sort of symptoms could he be showing, but still enable him toproperly do his job.

I’d say that whether this is something academics class as related or not doesn’t really matter; I think I know enough to help. :)

 Witnesses and first responders do commonly develop symptoms and as with everyone else it’s impossible to predict what any one individual might develop.

 I tend to advise writers to give their witnesses less symptoms then survivors or torturers. And generally that seems to hold true however it does depend on the volume of violence a person witnesses.

 Torturers are witnessing high levels of violence everyday for years on end. As an estimate they might be witnessing violence for anything from 2-8 hours a day, every day.

 Whether first responders are exposed to the same intensity of violence depends on where they are and what they do. Most surgeons in a stable country wouldn’t see anywhere near the same level of violence. They might still develop trauma symptoms but it’s likely to be over a longer period.

 On the other hand surgeons who are operating in something more akin to a warzone, who are seeing a lot of violence every day and may be under threat themselves- They’re more likely to develop symptoms more quickly and those symptoms may be more severe.

 Even if your character isn’t in a warzone, or similar disaster area, particularly bad incidents can result in a lot of people… not necessarily suddenly developing symptoms but certainly suddenly becoming aware that their symptoms are much worse.

 Quite a few firefighters who were called out to Grenfall Tower reported lasting health problems afterwards.

 What I’m trying to convey here is that the realistic answer isn’t black and white, it’s a range of possible outcomes. Picking between them- well it depends what you want from the story and that’s going to be more then just whether the character can keep doing his job.

 The possible symptoms are going to be the same as they would be for a torture survivor, but how many symptoms he ‘should’ have and how severe they are depends on how severe the situation around him is.

 Looking over the list I think the first symptoms I’d rule out would be addiction, learning difficulties and memory problems.

 I think these symptoms would make it much harder for your character to do his job well. They also have a much greater potential for- well for a big obvious failure.

 PTSD is possible in this situation but it’s more likely when someone is the victim of violence then when they witness it.

 I think it would also be harder for the character to keep doing his job without a break if he has PTSD. Someone with PTSD can still be a successful surgeon. But I get the impression your character is developing these symptoms during the story. And that would probably be noticeable for PTSD.

 I think PTSD is a symptom that can lead to a lot of on the job mistakes when the character doesn’t have good coping strategies in place. It’s the combination of anxiety, memory problems and flash backs. In a pressured environment that can lead to problems and a character with PTSD has to know how to they can cope with that.

 Developing those strategies, finding what works for him, would take the character time. If the character could take a few months off for intensive therapy then I think PTSD would be a possible option. And with that set up it could be really interesting to explore.

 I would also rule out insomnia. It is possible to keep going in a lot of professions with insomnia for a fair while, because lack of sleep is so normalised in society.

 But over the long term consistent lack of sleep would lead to poor judgement calls, mistakes and accidents. Not to mention the physical effects.

 Chronic pain is certainly a possibility, but it’s less likely when the character hasn’t been directly attacked himself. Which, isn’t to say you shouldn’t choose it, just that it would be a less common symptom.

 Anxiety, hypervigilance and panic attacks are all possible, but I think they’d be hard to handle.

 Giving your character one of these would give him a big, obvious struggle. His colleagues would almost certainly notice something was wrong. He would almost certainly have obvious attacks at work.

 But he’d also be able to adjust his work environment to some degree. He wouldn’t necessarily be set off in a surgical environment, in fact some people find controlled, structured environments with clear roles help.

 In a positive working environment these symptoms could be a good fit. But I think the positive working environment is a must, because these are obvious symptoms and in a place where people exclude the mentally ill he’d be kicked out. Regardless of his ability to do his job.

 I think any of these symptoms, or a combination, would be a good choice if you want his colleagues to know he’s mentally ill and have a positive discussion of how to handle that in the narrative.

 Now I think the other symptoms are all strong possibilities and are easy to hide. So if you want a narrative with this character hiding his mental health problems, or surprising his colleagues with them (ie ‘we never noticed!’), these would be good picks.

 Depression, suicidal feelings and social isolation are all, unfortunately very easy to hide. Perhaps especially in men as many cultures expect men not to express these feelings. Men are also often excused for rudeness or- verbal expression that would be treated as worrying in women.

 Social isolation generally goes hand in hand with other symptoms. It exacerbates other mental health problems. So I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re only planning for one symptom, or if your plot demands strong social connections for the character.

 Depression and suicidal feelings can form a sort of narrative balance in that respect. Because people with these conditions can and do participate in society, go out with their friends, spend time with family etc. But they often don’t get the same enjoyment from those experiences. They can be isolated in a crowd. They can have connections to others and yet feel alone.

 Rounding this off, the best choice isn’t just about the narrative it’s about what the symptom/s can add to the character.

 If depression gives you a chance to show the character giving and giving to others while he’s barely able to keep himself together then that says a lot about the character. If he feels like anxiety gives him an excuse to snap at feel when he’s having a bad day, that says something about the character. If hypervigilance actually gives him an advantage, spotting unusual and potentially dangerous activity in a war zone, that could be interesting.

 So just take a moment to think about which of these symptoms can help you show readers what the character is like.

 The best choice for you will be doing multiple things in the story at once.

 I hope that helps. :)

Availableon Wordpress.

Disclaimer

[elstine-harboson]

The Harboson Chronicles; Now Recruiting.

Hello, hello folks! Yes, yes it is true - the Harboson Company is turning into a ‘house’ of sorts through a long-term storyline. We’ve been gathering land, resources, and the support of various respected Noble Houses to advance forward with our storyline; so why the change? Well, let's get into it!

1. What is the difference between the Harboson Company and the Harboson Chronicles?

An excellent question; the primary thing is that the Company isn’t the main focus anymore - rather more of a side product. We still own our storefront, we’re still running the trade routes, running the GSC, etc, etc. Now, the Harboson Chronicles will be focused on Politics, Intrigue, Strategy/Tactics, IC Growth, Wargames, and Land-Management. If you’re familiar, think Crusader Kings but with your friends, Azeroth as the theme, and more in-depth character progression.

In addition, the Harboson Chronicles is made up of more than one guild. We intend to partner with any and all interested in this new direction. One does not have to join the guild to be involved, but all those involved will be required to follow the same rules and act as decent human beings.

2. So, what’s to be expected if we decide to sign up with you?

There are three separate paths to be included within the guild. A Knight-Inspired path, a Mercenary path, and Partisan path. That being said there are a series of Noble Families with different cultures/customs to sign up with - all the current Noble Families are vassals, or loyal to the Harboson Family. So, one Noble Family might have more of a Gypsy-ish culture focused on trade and exploration, while another might be more Scandinavian-ish focused on raiding and warfare.

The ‘Knight’ path will require one to start as a ‘Squire’ sworn to an already established Knight. The Squires will of course be trained in warfare, tactics, politics and so forth; while generally aiding the Knight in their day to day task. Life in general will vary depending on which Knight you decide to swear yourself to as people will have different values and customs depending on their House. After you’ve proven yourself, your Knight or Lord may grant you some land in which case, you will become a Knight.

The Knightly Path primary consist of politics, intrigue, engaging in battles, and in general trying to expand your influence/wealth/land.

The Mercenary Path is primarily focused on combat-only and suggested for those that won’t be able to be on as often. Folks within the Mercenary Path will be here in a more casual setting generally speaking, hopping on to aid in combat events, get paid and then head off; though not necessary. With time, a Mercenary can be granted the role of Captain, taking on a series of Mercenaries under their wing - increasing their own pay as well. Mercenaries will not be typically be awarded lands.

The Mercenary Path can be used as a trial/introduction rank until you’ve made your decision to stay or leave - a Mercenary can be allowed to become a Squire as a long as a Knight is willing to take them in.

The Partisan Path is not focused on things like blacksmithing and the like, but more on the Noble-Court roles fulfilled by non-Nobles. Such as Stewards, Viceroys, and so forth. Partisan roles are typically things of management, business, and intrigue. Trying to maintain your position and grow your influence while the Nobles squabble over one another. A Partisan Role can be anything from a servant to the Viceroy of the entire Harboson Company; undoubtedly a potentially powerful route.  

Partner guilds will be able to generally structure however they choose to; though strictly OOCly rank titles such as Count, Duke, and King will remain for ease of OOC understanding. For example, someone titled ICly as “Matriarch” would OOCly be listed as a Queen/King.

3. The chance to win land? Sounds too good to be true.

Not at all, that is the primary resource of reward really. The whole point is to follow along with a Feudal-Style system complete with ‘Counts’, ‘Dukes’, ‘Grand Dukes’, and even ‘Kings’ though these are all just OOC ranks designed for simplicity and ease to follow. It’s rather simple once you think about it. A Count runs a County, several Counts work under a Duke who owns a Duchy that typically consist of several county-sized territories. A Grand Duke runs a Grand Duchy, which has two Dukes/Duchies, and upwards of six Counts/Counties.

(Please note; ranks such as Count to King/Queen are considered OOC Ranks used to detail general power for ease of understanding. ICly there can be no one with a real title of King/Queen or higher.)

The beauty of the system is one does not have to be good at politics or intrigue to do well; simply serving your Lord or impressing the right people can grant you more land. More land means more resources, more resources means more units for combat. On the other spectrum, a person that is piss-poor at combat can be incredibly sneaky - making alliances and deals, trying to forge land deeds, so on and so forth to gain land in a less direct way.

Upon gaining a certain amount of land and becoming a County you can name your County, describe your culture in as much detail as you’d like - IE: “Western European, Traditional Knights. -- Holy Roman/Gothic styled armor and weaponry. -- Eastern European, light armors, heavy weapons.” Etc, etc -- and if you’d like, even make a family crest and flag for your county using a heraldic system. At that point, you’ll be able to make a lot of choices that’ll affect your county. IE, you can choose to focus on growing your food stocks, focus to train more soldiers, focus on making the best weapons possible, focus on making gold, etc, etc.

4. This sounds like a lot... It seems complicated.

TLDR: We promise it isn’t really. I do not like math, and I do not like homework so I made management as meaningful as possible with the least amount of math and work possible.

On paper, it is - yes. In reality, and once you start getting into it and roleplaying with it - not at all. It typically seems to flow naturally and gives you feeling of what a King back in the day likely felt like. Do you trust that your Allies will come and aid you when your arch rival comes to attack your lands? Or in your paranoia will you rely on your soldiers, constantly drilling them potentially to the point of exhaustion. Do you want to have a smaller elite team of Soldiers, or are you going to attempt to use horde tactics and swarm the enemy with superior numbers? Perhaps you’ll focus on technology like cannons and rifles over the more traditional Knights and Footmen. The choice is up to you.

If you like tactics, even just a little this system will likely be a lot of fun for you - but if you have no interest in even the smallest bits of tactics, politics, or intrigue - then the Mercenary Path is for you; engage in our fun combat-oriented events and still be engaged in the story.

5. You can’t own land.

Ah, that’s weird because I kind of do. But fret not, the land we’re using while based in Azeroth have no exact location nor particular position in which we’ll constantly be flooding and claiming ‘you can’t roleplay here, because this is ours.’

The most detailed one should ICly get is “I own some/lots land in Redridge.”

6. Ahaha, calling yourself a King seems like a quick way to be called a traitor and executed.

TLDR: There will be no IC titles equal to that of a king/queen. Anyone called a King/Queen is done in an OOC sense to easily distinguish ranks.

Typically, yes - but the term is used OOCly for ease of understanding ranks and chain of command; even though by all technical means the ‘King of Stormwind’ is actually an Emperor considering they own several Kingdoms; in reality it wouldn’t be uncommon for there to be several Kings under said emperor - but that’s just plucking at straws. So, for example my character may be the OOC rank of a Grand Duke. with 2 Dukes Under him, and a total of say 12 Counts. But, ICly, I may refer to myself still as Patrician (A more accurate term anyway.)

7. Idk, it seems too ambitious - I’ve seen groups try to do Kingdom RP before.

Ambitious is a rough term, especially since it’s something we’ve been doing amongst ourselves for an extended period now with a series of other organizations and guilds through Discord. (Which we will continue to use as well.) This is not an announcement stating we are ‘trying’ this, this is an invitation stating ‘Hey, we’re doing this. We’re having a good time, you’re welcome to join us.’ And yes, others have done (And are still doing.) styles of roleplay ‘like’ this... Though nowhere near as structured I’d argue.

8. I have seen this before; you just want to control things. This is just a power play!

While I understand your concern all too well, I will have to disagree with you strongly. We are not here to rule over other groups, we will not be prewriting stories or the outcomes. (except for maybe, you know, agreed upon storylines with agreed upon results.) We are here for one simple purpose; having fun. One thing many of us enjoy but can rarely get at a satisfactory level without a butt-load of OOC drama is Politics, Intrigue, and War. We are here as an OOC collective working together with the goal of not winning at a board game, but rather having a good time with all those present. There are rules and limitations in place that add a sense of realism, immersion, and balance that will prevent a lot of potentially upsetting happenings. (Ie, someone steamrolling through all the groups in a day.) We just want to have fun, and more over we want you to have fun.

So fear not, if you want politics, intrigue, strategy, wargames - or just want to give it a shot, give it a try.

----------

All in all, we’re extending a hand to folks that think they’d like to be involved. Rather you want an immersive experience as a Knight/Squire/Mercenary, want to be involved in intrigue and politics, or you think you’d really enjoy our detailed wargame system involving several guilds and actual players rather than just NPCs, and on top of it all enjoy solid storylines then this is something you’ll want to look into my dudes. Leave a message on the post, send us a message on Tumblr, or contact Elstine or Quiinn in-game.  Reblogs are appreciated. 

@risrielthron @the-news-nerd @percy-dewdancer @addressroleplays @bath-ironstout @demetrius-devereaux @aventinefarms @intoxication-wra @penvenomstarkstar

[gambhirs-blog]

21 Lessons For The 21st Century   by: Yuval Noah Harari

In his previous best-seller, Sapiens, he explored the past. Now Yuval Noah Harari explores 21 pressing issues that will define our future, including whether or not computers and robots change the meaning of being human.

We've got a lot to get through, so we are going to jump right into it.

Part 1- The Technological Challenge

1. Disillusionment

Our world has many hurdles to overcome and the best way to do so is to give people more liberty. The internet has changed the world more than anything else and our government systems are still struggling to understand it and use it effectively. Soon, AI will take over the political process. The revolution in biotech and info-tech will enable us to control the world and manufacture life, but we still unaware of the political implications. Nobody knows what the consequences will be. AI will eventually turn politicians powerless and the fight will shift from struggling against exploitation to struggling against irrelevance.

Our liberal system may not be perfect but we have no other alternatives, so it will stick. But our biggest problems right now are ecological collapse and technological disruption, and liberalism can’t help with those. Right now, humankind is angry and disillusioned about the current state of the world. The first step is to switch from panic mode to bewilderment and to explore the new possibilities we face and how we can proceed.

2. Work

It is generally agreed that machine learning and robotics will change nearly every line of work, although we’re not exactly sure how long it will take or how it will change the job market.

AI can outperform humans in “uniquely human skills” and uniquely non-human abilities – connectivity and updatability. Computers can easily integrate into a single network, thus they will always be stronger than the abilities of a human individual. Thus, automation will bring immense benefits.

In terms of job security, AI will take the jobs of those with low levels of expertise, but may create more jobs for those with high levels of expertise. Potential solutions include prevention of job loss, creation of new jobs, and how to respond if job losses significantly outstrip job creation. Universal basic support could make job loss irrelevant, as long as we have strong communities and meaningful pursuits.

3. Liberty

Referendums and elections are more about human feelings than about rationality, both for the voters and for the officials. Scientific insights on the brain and body suggest that our feelings are biochemical mechanisms that calculate probabilities of survival and reproduction. Feelings are based on calculation. Soon, we will have an algorithm for everything – what to study, where to work, and whom to marry. Since humans typically make mistakes, it would be logical to trust the algorithm, just as humans trust the Google algorithm to give us the answers to our questions.

AI is scary because they will always obey their masters – and there is no way for us to ensure that their masters are benign. As algorithms get better, authoritarian governments could gain absolute control over their citizens and resistance would be utterly impossible. In the meantime, humans are relying on AI to help with their decisions which can lead to serious discrimination. Today, banks are already using algorithms to analyse data and make decisions about us. Digital dictatorships threaten our liberty and equality and could make most people irrelevant.

4. Equality

Globalisation has benefited large parts of the world but it has also increased inequalities between and within societies. Soon, the rich may be able to upgrade physical and cognitive abilities which would separate humankind into a small class of superhumans and a massive underclass of useless Homo sapiens. It’s possible that different human groups will have completely different futures.

To prevent the concentration of all wealth and power, the key is to regulate the ownership of data. It is crucial to get our lawyers, politicians, philosophers and even poets to focus on this problem as it may be the most important political question of our era.

Part 2 – The Political Challenge

5. Community

Humans need community to flourish. Over the past two centuries, intimate communities have been disintegrating. Facebook is a great place to start in terms of community building, but in order for it to truly make a difference it will have to transcend into the offline world too. Humans are incapable of intimately knowing more than 150 individuals so it is risky for us to invest too much time and energy in online relationships because that means neglecting offline relationships.

6. Civilization

Humans have always been divided into diverse civilizations with incompatible worldviews. Human tribes tend to come together over time to become larger and larger groups. This process has taken two distinct forms: establishing links between distinct groups and homogenizing practices across groups.

Our planet is divided into sovereign states that generally agree on the same diplomatic protocols and international laws. The Olympic games are an impressive example of global agreement. People still have different religions and national identities, but when it comes to the practical stuff, almost all of us belong to the same civilization.

7. Nationalism

Nationalism is not inherent, but there is nothing wrong it. The problem starts when patriotism becomes ultranationalism – the belief that one nation is supreme. This leads to violent conflict, and with nuclear weapons, the stakes of war are much higher.

Climate change is an alarming issue, but for any serious effectiveness, changes must be made on a global level. In the context of climate change, nationalist isolationism is probably even more dangerous than nuclear war. In order to make wise choices about the future, we must look beyond the nationalist viewpoint and take a global or even cosmic perspective.

8. Religion

To understand the role of traditional religions in the world of the twenty-first century, we need to distinguish between three types of problems:

Technical problems – ie, how should farmers in arid countries deal with severe droughts caused by global warming?

Policy problems – ie, what measures should governments adopt to prevent global warming in the first place?

Identity problems – ie, should I even care about the problems of farmers on the other side of the world, or should I only care about problems of my own tribe and country?

Traditional religions are largely irrelevant to technical and policy problems, but they are extremely relevant to identity problems. However, in most cases they are a major part of the problem rather than a potential solution.

9. Immigration

To clarify matters, Harari defines immigration as a deal with three basic conditions or terms.

1 . The host country allows immigrants in. Pro-immigrationists think that countries have a moral duty to accept those who seek a better future. Anti- immigrationists say that you are never obliged to let people in.

2 .  In return, the immigrants must embrace at least the norms and values of the host country even if that means giving up some of their traditional norms and values. Pro- immigrationists say that having a wide spectrum of opinions, habits and values makes a nation vibrant and strong. Anti- immigrationists argue that immigrants are often the intolerant ones.

3 .  If they assimilate to a sufficient degree over time they become equal and full members of the host country. They become us. Pro- immigrationists demand a speedy acceptance, whereas anti- immigrationists want a longer probation period.

Part 3 – Despair and Hope

10. Terrorism

Terrorists kill very few people but nevertheless managed to terrify billions and shake huge political structures. Air pollution and diabetes kill far more people than terrorist attacks, yet we fear terrorism far more. Terrorists cause damage by creating a theatrical spectacle that they hope will provoke the enemy and cause them to overreact. In order to assuage these fears, the state must respond to the theater of terror with its own theater of security.

A successful counterterrorism strategy is to focus on clandestine actions against the terrorist networks, keep things in perspective to avoid hysteria, and stop ourselves from overacting to our own fears. If we react in a balanced way, terrorism will fail.

11. War

The last few decades have been the most peaceful era in human history. Wars are no longer as economically sensible as they used to be (when winning a war also meant a great deal of profit) so waging war doesn’t make much sense anymore. But humans are stupid so we cannot assume that war is impossible. One potential remedy for human stupidity is humility – seeing our true place in the world.

12. Humility

Most people believe they are the center of the world, and that their religion is too. Many religions praise the value of humility but then imagine themselves to be the most important thing in the universe. All humans would benefit from taking humility more seriously.

13. God

Many people think of God as a mysterious lawgiver who can explain the deepest riddles of the cosmos. We turn to God to answer all of the questions that we cannot and we turn to holy books to learn what God wants. However, to the best of our scientific knowledge, all of these sacred texts were written by Homo sapiens.

God is not essential to morality, as sometimes the religions that inspire love and compassion are the same ones that inspire hate and bigotry. Morality means ‘reducing suffering.’ Therefore, in order to act morally, you do not necessarily need a god. Instead, you need to understand suffering.

14. Secularism

Secularism can be defined as a coherent code of values rather than by opposition to a certain religion. The most important secular commitment is to the truth, which is based on observation and evidence rather than on mere faith. The other chief commitment is compassion. Secular people act to reduce the suffering in the world, so they cherish scientific truth in order to know how.

Part 4 – Truth

15. Ignorance

Individual humans know embarrassingly little about the world, and as time goes on, they have come to know less and less. We rely on the expertise of others for almost all of our needs. We think we know a lot because we treat knowledge in the minds of others as if it were our own. However, people fail to realise how ignorant they are because they lock themselves inside echo chambers of like-minded friends.

Groupthink and individual ignorance can be extremely dangerous. If you really want truth, you must escape the black hole of power and waste a lot of time experimenting with unproductive paths, dead ends and doubts.

16. Justice

Justice demands a set of abstract values and an understanding of concrete cause-and-effect relations. In our modern global world, it is difficult to comprehend relationships between millions of people across entire continents. Most of the injustices in the contemporary world result from large-scale structural biases rather than from individual prejudices. Most of us cannot understand the major moral problems of the world, thus it is hard to find justice.

17. Post- Truth

Humans have always lived in the age of post-truth. Homo sapiens conquered the planet because of the unique ability to create and spread fictions. As long as everybody believes the same fictions, we all obey the same laws and can thereby cooperate effectively.

Branding often includes telling the same fictional story again and again until people believe that it’s true. If you want power, at some point you will have to spread fictions. If you want truth, at some point you will have to renounce power. Humans prefer power to truth.

18. Science Fiction

In the early twenty-first century, perhaps the most important artistic genre is science fiction because people turn to movies and TV shows to understand the most important technological, social and economic developments of our time. This means that science fiction needs to be more responsible in the way it depicts reality.

Since your brain and your “self” are part of the matrix, to escape the matrix you must escape your self. This might become a necessary survival skill in the twenty-first century.

Part 5 - Resilience

19. Education

Today it is more difficult than ever to know what to teach the youth because we have no idea what the future will look like. Much of what kids learn today will likely be irrelevant by 2050. Currently, schools try to cram information into kids’ brains. But today, it’s easy to access information, and kids need the ability to make sense of information, to tell the difference between what is important and unimportant, and to combine many bits of information into a broad picture of the world.

Since we don’t know what the world and the job market will look like in the future, we don’t know what skills people will need. Instead, schools should focus on general-purpose life skills such as how to deal with change, learn new things and preserve your mental balance in unfamiliar situations.

20. Meaning

When we look for the meaning of life, we want a story that will explain what reality is all about and what my particular role is in the cosmic drama. To give meaning to life, a story needs to satisfy two conditions – it must give me some role to play and it needs to extend beyond my horizons. It must provide me with an identity and give meaning to my life by embedding me within something bigger than myself.

This story does not need to be true. A story can be pure fiction yet provide me with an identity and make me feel that my life has meaning.

In order to understand ourselves, a crucial step is to acknowledge that the “self” is a fictional story that the intricate mechanisms of our mind constantly manufacture, update and rewrite. The storyteller in my mind explains who I am, where I come from, where I am heading and what is happening to me right now.

21. Meditation

Suffering is not an objective condition in the outside world. It is a mental reaction generated by my own mind. Learning to control my mind is the best way to stop suffering.

Meditation is not an escape from reality. It is getting in touch with reality. Self-observation is hard, and as time goes on, humans create more and more complex stories about themselves, which makes it increasingly difficult to know who we really are. If we want to make the effort, we can still investigate who we are. And we need to do it now.