the apocalypse, the challenger explosion, and cooperation

Originally sent November 26, 2025
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Dear friends:

The apocalypse is small, when you think about it. 

It's a blip in time and space. Something that's a tipping point to one side or another in so many people all at once, and because it's such a significant tilt in each individual, it feels massive. A tidal wave in a bottle. 

So much has been happening at all levels of our worlds recently. I've had the blessing of having appropriate medical care to heal my nervous system lately, and I'm writing to you today from a place of optimism from outside the storm. In a lot of ways, this optimism is a privilege -- a sign that I'm comfortable enough in my life that I'm able to feel optimism at all. But I also see it as a responsibility to share that energy while I have it. 

I discovered this book a few weeks ago called A Field Guide to the Apocalypse by Athena Aktipis, a very busy psychology professor at Arizona State University who is super into cooperation -- so much so that she runs a bunch of organizations I didn't know existed, and they give me a lot of hope for the End Times(TM): 

• the Cooperative Futures Institute (which has some very cool events coming up, including an AI and Cooperation Design Sprint in February 2026 and a Survival Festival for Community Engagement and Prototyping in March 2026 -- if you're anxious about tech takeover, this is for you)
• the Interdisciplinary Cooperation Initiative, 
• the Apocalypse Cafe (this video in particular is about AI)
• the Cooperation Science Network, and 
• the Human Generosity Project. ​

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