Are we fated to destroy ourselves?
This is a question that no one person can answer. Over the passage of time humanity has behaved as though its future is predetermined, as though its actions do not have consequences that will influence how its future will unfold. Humans have seen fit to find fault with themselves, to prefer division rather than seek unity. Whether it be gender, age, nationality, or religion, if there exists a means for some to diverge from others, to promote self-interest, then that is the path that will be taken. Humanity as a species will not survive the next millennium without a collective effort to rescind that which divides us and embrace all. Our resources are not infinite, neither is the space that we occupy. We threaten our own existence through our parochial behaviour, and if we do not address this now then we will never will.
The latent possibilities of humanity are obvious to any member of the species homo sapien, for humanity has transformed the environment, reduced distance to mere seconds, mapped the heavens and catalogued the elements from which it is made. Humanity has transcended time, looked into the face of oblivion and still found hope, and sought an existence beyond physical limitations. This capacity for invention, for compassion, and for organisation has served us well, but the future of humanity lies in its capacity for cooperation, in recognising that if we allow division to dictate our actions then our potential to evolve will be forever impeded. We are not condemned to such a future, we have the capacity within us to achieve a utopia that will define the character of humanity. But it will not be through the self-interest that we, all of us, currently pursue. We are all as great as our collective sum, and together we can find meaning to this thing called existence.