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Philanthropic focus and the meaning of life

I’ve been going back and forth on a question in my head. There’s so many causes that I care about in the world: which one(s) do I want to address and really pay attention to? 

Climate change represents existential risk for the human species (yikes!), while space exploration represents a frontier of opportunity and a place for us to expand off our crowded planet. Despite a great deal of progress, global poverty is still a pressing problem, as are racial and gender equity. I ping pong with arguments in my head. Existential risk sounds pretty terrifying, and rationally, it seemed like addressing climate change should come first. After all, if we don't exist anymore in the future, then there will be no more poverty or inequity to address in the first place. At the same time, millions of people (particularly those least responsible for climate change) will be affected by what we've already done to the environment, and become climate refugees with food, water, and clean air insecurity for no other reason than their poverty. 

I came to a realization about this today. I’ve struggled with existential angst for a long time. I have privilege, safety, and opportunity, but I don't know what to do with it sometimes. I question the meaning of life and have spent much of my adult life seeking that meaning. Existence is not enough. We make our existence meaningful by becoming conscious, and by the actions we take while we are alive. To put it another way: just because something is an existential risk doesn’t mean that it’s enough for me to justify pouring resources into that problem.

So I've decided that I want to address the inequity in our society. As existential as the risk of climate change is, we have to be a society that is worth saving first. 

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